The technology is interactive in that it allows the user to be an active participant, rather than a spectator. To get an even clearer idea of what multimedia is and how it can be used, here are four examples of multimedia classroom applications. The careers depicted involve high-interest activities like protecting endangered species, managing water resources, and planning a trip to Mars. Students then discuss the engineers' use of statistics and work on real-life water resource management problems requiring the use of math. The problems are presented on handouts that include bar codes, which enable students to quickly access and review any portion of the laserdisc episode.
Interactions can operate with just a TV and a laserdisc player with a bar-code scanner.
The product can also be run with a Macintosh computer interface. According to survey research on teachers' top concerns about classroom technologies, one prime priority is ease of use. As a result, Interactions was created for both beginners and techologically adept teachers. Teachers' second high-priority concern is whether a technology fits into the existing curriculum. The three-city test showed that Interactions integrated smoothly into various curriculums.