Research in the education field has supported a shift toward learning in a constructivist setting, i.e., one in which the user actively learns about a topic through inquiry and exploration rather than passively receiving information. At the same time, the rapid increase in desktop computer capabilities coupled with a decrease in hardware cost has made possible the delivery of more advanced forms of multimedia content to the typical Internet user. Web developers and content providers have a variety of options available to add this content to their sites.
The Java programming language and environment provides one method of including the non-trivial, interactive content necessary to engage the user. As a full-featured programming language yielding executables that can be embedded in a web page, Java can be used to provide a nearly endless variety of customized software. Another option is the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). VRML provides a way to incorporate three dimensional interactive scenes into a web document. With VRML, three-dimensional objects, or scene elements, define a world in which the user is an active participant. Scene elements can have predefined behaviors, and can interact with each other and with the user. In this way, interactive 3-D diagrams can be created which demonstrate key meteorological concepts.
Streaming video is another way to add active educational content. Although in its most basic form streaming video is simply video embedded in a web document, extensions to streaming video allow for more useful functions such as hyperlinking from areas within the video frames. This allows, for example, integrated access to explanatory documents, related video clips or frames, or VRML scenes focusing on a specific aspect or segment of the video.
Our current efforts combine conventional HTML educational modules in our WW2010 framework with the previously-mentioned multimedia elements. Amidst the text, still images, and short animated diagrams are enhanced video clips, VRML scenes, and small Java programs augmenting the presentation. Links between the advanced multimedia elements provide a further dimension to the experience. For example, key frames within a video clip are linked to a VRML scene, which the user can interact with using a Java or JavaScript interface. This combination of WWW and multimedia elements provides a rich, engaging environment for learning.