Overview
H5P is a web-based app for creating digital activities that is managed by H5P Group, a private company in Norway. The name H5P is a shortened version of HTML5 package. That just means that each content type is actually a collection of files written in the website coding language HTML5, which stands for Hypertext Markup Language version 5.
Now if you do a web search for H5P, you’ll find two websites H5P.org and H5P.com.
The dot com site is the paid software as a service that comes with the creation tool, hosting and storage space, tech support and some exclusive features. The H5P dot org site, on the other hand, is a testing and demonstration site. It has information about the free open source version of the tool for both content creators and web developers, as well as examples of the content types and a community discussion forum.
Large variety of activities
The #1 reason I like using H5P is the large variety of activities and that you can combine several activities into a larger resource such as interactive presentations and branching scenarios.
Let’s take a closer look at the type of activities you can create over at H5P.org.
At the moment, they list over 50 different content types. They range from the classic text based multiple choice questions to image based questions that are great for younger learners and even an augmented reality activity.
Simple yet interactive
The 2nd reason I like H5P is the simple interface which is just like filling out a form.
Easy to share
The 3rd reason I like H5P is the ease of sharing on different platforms.
The way it works is you have a hosting and storage site where you create the activities, and then you share them with an embed code similar to how you can share YouTube videos. So for example in a college course you can make an activity once, and embed this video in multiple courses. When it comes time to edit the activity, you just do it once on the hosting site and when it’s saved the content is updated in all the places that you have it embedded already.
So in summary, H5P offers a large variety of activities, it is simple but interactive, and it’s easy to share. Check out my H5P.com software review if you are interested in the paid version. If you are interested in the free H5P version, check out my free guide on how to get H5P with a self-hosted website.