Absorb activities
Absorb activities inform and inspire. Absorb activities enable motivated learners to obtain
crucial, up‐to‐date information they need to do their jobs or to further their learning. In
absorb activities learners read, listen, and watch. These activities may sound passive, but
they can be an active component of learning.
Of the three types of activities (absorb, do, and connect), absorb activities are the ones
closest to pure information. Absorb activities usually consist of information and the
actions learners take to extract and comprehend knowledge from that information. In
absorb activities, the learner may be physically passive yet mentally active—actively
perceiving, processing, consolidating, considering, and judging the information.
In absorb activities, it is the content (really the designer or teacher or writer of it) that is in
control. The learner absorbs some of the knowledge offered by the content.
Here are some examples of absorb activities:
Slide show: This slide show explains why leaves change color in the Fall.
Software demo: Here is an example of a software demonstration.
Extended examples: This topic about the BODY tag provides 3 examples from the simplest, to the most common, and finally to most complex.
Augmented presentation: This presentation was augmented by adding an introduction, quiz, and summary.
Stories: This example tells a simple story with photographs and narration.
Standard reference: This example demonstrates how to use a standard reference as part of your course--in this case the Bible.
Active examples: This example demonstrates how activities can perform a dual purpose--as examples and as job aids.
Guided tours: This example demonstrates how simple and effective guided tours can be.
Museum: This example demonstrates how you can create a museum of any type.