Adding Interactivity

This section gives examples of the different types of interactive features students can add to their websites.

Note: Message boards, guest books, and discussion groups are not allowed on ThinkQuest TRIO websites. Neither is content from outside sources, such as YouTube videos.

Animated GIFs

• GIF Ninja
  A free, online .gif making tool. You can use these tools to convert your video or images.

Rollover Images

• DOM Image Rollover
  Image rollovers represent the classic and "timeless" JavaScript effect. Well, this DOM script makes the process of adding them as simple as can be, by allowing you to apply a rollover to any image through just the insertion of a class attribute inside the image's tag.
• Rollover image in Dreamweaver
  Quick and straightforward tutorial on how to make rollovers in Dreamweaver.

Image maps/Hotspots

• Image Map Generator
  Easily create an image map using this generator.
• Lissa Explains it All Image Map Tutorial

Slideshows and Image Galleries

• flShow
  Free Flash Slideshows for your web pages and more.
• Polaroid Gallery
  Free, opensource flash gallery.
• Conveyor Belt Slideshow
  This cross browser image slideshow scrolls the containing images in a "conveyor belt" fashion. Images can be set to click through to various URLs, and when the mouse moves over the "belt", it pauses for the visitor to interact.
• MooFlow
  Image gallery that is similar to "cover-flow" in iTunes and iPod.
• Slideshow JS
  A slideshow script that is cross-browser compatible, supports custom styles and images, and won’t conflict with other frameworks.

Flash

• Flash Village RECOMMENDED
  Flash Village is a wealth of Flash-based templates, effects, vectors, logos, and tutorials. Flash Village only requires a valid email for membership to the site. Membership provides unlimited access to the site’s resources. The forums provide excellent support and additional community content.
• Entheos Flash Resources
  Free Flash tutorials cover the basics of Flash animation and Flash actionscripting.

JavaScript

• Javascripts
  Javascripts.com provides a wealth of freeware JavaScripts. They are easy to insert into HTML code and there are scripts for almost every type of interactivity: from multimedia scripts to security and utility scripts. Navigate with the gray list on the left side of the page.
• Draggable JavaScript Layer by CodeLifter
  The JavaScript Amazing Draggable Layer Script adds a draggable text box to and HTML page. It allows images and text to be displayed on top of the primary content. Use it to display announcements or recent news.

Quizzes

• Hot Potatoes from Half-Baked Software, Inc. RECOMMENDED
  Hot Potatoes is a powerful, free suit of six applications that create interactive multiple-choice, short answer, jumbled-sentence, crossword, matching/ordering, and gap-fill exercises for the web.
• Flash Quiz template
  Tutorial to create quizzes with true-false, multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions.

Games

• Jan Mulder Scripts RECOMMENDED
  Scripts for games such as crossword, hangman, and word search.
• Tutorialized Flash Game Tutorials
  Specific tutorials on basic elements of creating a Flash game.
• Discovery Education Puzzlemaker
  Puzzlemaker is a free online tool for teachers, students and parents that allows them to create puzzles that users can print out and complete off line. Use it to create printable versions of the following types of puzzles using your own word lists: Word Search, Criss-Cross, Double Puzzles, Fallen Phrases, Math Squares, Mazes, Letter Tiles, Cryptograms, Number Blocks, and Hidden Message.
• Create a Hangman Game in Flash
  Detailed explanation on how to create your own hangman game using Flash and Actionscript.
• Eclipse Crossword
  Fast, easy, free way to create crossword puzzles.

Originality: Interviews, photos, voice-overs