SIFTEO, the next-gen Siftables! (Tangible User Interfaces for All)

Despite my enthusiasm for TUI's , I somehow missed the news about the transformation of Siftables to a commercial version, Sifteo:

Sifteo Inc. Debuts Sifteo™ Cubes - A New Way To Play (PDF) 

"Sifteo cubes are 1.5 inch computers with full-color displays that sense their motion, sense each other, and wirelessly connect to your computer. You, your friends, and your family can play an ever-growing array of interactive games that get your brain and body engaged.

Sifteo’s initial collection of titles includes challenging games for adults, fun learning puzzles for kids, and games people can play together." -Sifteo website

For more information, see the Sifteo website,  blog, and YouTube  channel.  If you can't wait to get your own set,  take a look at Josh Blake's Sifteo Cube Unboxing Video!

RELATED

About two years ago, I was interviewed about my thoughts about the interactive, hands-on, programmable cubes, then called Siftables,  for an article published in IEEE's Computing Now magazine:  Siftables Offer New Interaction Mode  (James Figeuroa, Computing Now, 3/2009). 

For those of you who'd like more information about tangible user interfaces (TUIs) and  the development of Siftables, I've copied my 2009 post,   Tangible User Interfaces, Part I:  Siftables,  below:

TANGIBLE USER INTERFACES, PART I: SIFTABLES (2009)

In 1997, the vision of tangible user interfaces, also known as TUI's, was outlined by Hiroshi Ishii and Brygg Ullmer of the Tangible Media Group at MIT, in their paper, "Tangible Bits: Towards Seamless Interfaces between People, Bits, and Atoms" (pdf).   According to this vision, "the goal of Tangible Bits is to bridge the gaps between both cyberspace and the physical environment, as well as the foreground and background of human activities." This article is is a must-read for anyone interested in "new" interactive technologies.

The pictures in the article of the metaDesk, transBoard, activeLENS, and ambientRoom, along with the references, are worth a look, for those interested in this seminal work.

Another must-read is Hiroshi Ishii's 2008 article, Tangible Bits: Beyond Pixels (pdf). In this article, Ishii provides a good overview of TUI concepts as well as the contributions of his lab to the field since the first paper was written.

Related to Tangible User Interface research is the work of the Fluid Interfaces Group at MIT. The Fluid Interfaces Group was formerly known as the Ambient Intelligence Group, and many of the group's projects incorporate concepts related to TUI and ambient intelligence. 


According to the Fluid Interfaces website, the goal of this research group is to "radically rethink the human-machine interactive experience. By designing interfaces that are more immersive, more intelligent, and more interactive we are changing the human-machine relationship and creating systems that are more responsive to people's needs and actions, and that become true "accessories" for expanding our minds."

The Siftables project is an example of how TUI and fluid interface (FI) interaction can be combined. Siftables is the work of David Merrill and Pattie Maes, in collaboration with Jeevan Kalanithi, and was brought to popular attention through David Merrill's recent TED talk:

David Merrill's TED Talk: Siftables - Making the digital physical -Grasp Information Physically

"Siftables aims to enable people to interact with information and media in physical, natural ways that approach interactions with physical objects in our everyday lives. As an interaction platform, Siftables applies technology and methodology from wireless sensor networks to tangible user interfaces. Siftables are independent, compact devices with sensing, graphical display, and wireless communication capabilities. They can be physically manipulated as a group to interact with digital information and media. Siftables can be used to implement any number of gestural interaction languages and HCI applications....Siftables can sense their neighbors, allowing applications to utilize topological arrangement..No special sensing surface or cameras are needed."





Siftables Music Sequencer from Jeevan Kalanithi on Vimeo.

More about Siftables:
Rethinking display technology (Scott Kirsner, Boston Globe, 7/27/08)
TED: Siftable Computing Makes Data Physical
Siftables: Toward Sensor Network User Interfaces (pdf)

It seems that people really like the Siftable concept, or they don't see the point. I found the following humerous critique of Siftables on YouTube:

"Imagine if all the little programs you had on your iphone were little separate chicklets in your pocket.
You'd lose em.
Your cat would eat em.
You'd vacuum them up.
They'd fall down in the sofa.
They'd be all over the car floor.
You'd throw them away by mistake..."

In my opinion, it is exciting to learn that perhaps some of this technology has the potential of becoming main-stream.

Could your child have a Geminoid for a teacher someday? Imagine the possibilities, good or bad!

In the US, teachers are being laid off or eliminated from their jobs in many communities. The improvements seen in Wall Street haven't been felt on Main Street. Many parents face the fact that their children, teens, and college-age kids will be entering classrooms and lecture halls filled many more students than in the past, come August or early September. 


What are the solutions?         The popular buzz says that interactive whiteboards, netbooks, SmartPhones, and tablets such as the iPad2 will tranform K-16 education. States and local school districts have created a range of virtual schools, and these are increasing in number.  My own state offers a "virtual advantage" in the form of the North Carolina Virtual Public School.  There are opportunities for students with special needs to receive instruction on-line, too.

"Mr. Geminoid"

What might be see in the future-  Robots for teachers?  While the topic might seem a bit amusing, it might not be a joke in the future.

Five years from now, will my grandson go to kindergarten toting a next-gen iPad, (augmented reality-enabled, 3D holographic, telepresent, virtual-school connected) greeted at the classroom door by the next-Gen Mr. Geminoid, his life-like, fully programmable teacher?  


At this point, the Geminoid is controlled by a real person.  In the school setting, one teacher could control his or her "Geminoid" in multiple classrooms, I suppose....


"A Geminoid or twin-robot is designed to resemble a living person. It is controlled by an operator who through the use of advanced software can transfer facial movements and speech to the robot next door (or where ever...). For many years, robot technology has primarily been associated with factories and warehouses, but the days of thinking about robots as just 'tools' are over, Henrik Scharfe says. The robots have become a media, perhaps one of the more significant media of the future. In that way, robot technology follows the trajectory of computers: from tools to media." -Geminoid DK


I can see that many people might fancy the idea of robots taking over the role of teachers.  


Unlike the Geminoid, these robots wouldn't need to be controlled by living, breathing teacher.  Anti-teacher union folks would like the fact that there would be fewer wages to pay,  no rising health insurance premiums to worry about,  no concerns about retirement.  No money would need to be set aside for death benefits.


I imagine there would be other costs, and this might be more than what we now pay for live teachers.  We'd need to pay for  programmers who can handle all aspects of instructional technology.  We'd need to pay for robotic maintenance technicians.  We'd have to pay for the network that runs the system of robot teachers.    


We'd have to figure out how the robots could realistically handle parent-teacher conferences, classroom conflicts, bus duty, coaching, choir practice,  club sponsorship, volunteer coordination,  science fairs, and so forth.  


There is always the chance that robots outfitted with future generation AI capabilities might become sentient, at which point, they might decide to unionize, if they don't happen to "live" in states that don't allow  teacher unions, such as N.C.   ; ) 


Just a thought.   

RELATED AND SOMEWHAT RELATED
Geminoid DK Website (lots of info!)
Geminoid DK: An ultra-realistic android announced (w/Video)
Katie Gatto, Physorg, 3/7/11
Latest Geminoid Is Incredibly Realistic
Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum Blog, 3/5/2011
I Want to See What You See:  Babies Treat 'Social Robots' as Sentient Beings
Science Daily, 10/14/11
"A team of University of Washington researchers is studying how infants tell which entities are "psychological agents" that can think and feel."

Photo Credit:  IEEE Spectrum/Geminoid|DK

Ms. Geminoid:

Photos: Osaka University (left); Osaka University and Kokoro Company (right); composite (middle)

via IEEE Spectrum

Get the Virtual Advantage (pdf)
NC Virtual Public School

"Animate" Graphic Presentation: Sir Ken Robinson's RSA talk, Changing Education Paradigms -great presentation AND content

The following video is an "Animate" of a talk by creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson at the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce).  How do we educate our children to take their place in the economies of the 21st century, given that we can't anticipate what the economy will look like at the end of next week?

 FYI: An Animate is a video in which a talented illustrator draws images related to the content of a speaker's presentation. (It is a great way to engage visual thinkers, in my opinion.)

The video explains it all.

RELATED
The following video is the longer original presentation by Sir Ken Robinson, responding to the question about how change can happen in education, and what we might do to make it last:

Thanks to Ewan McIntosh for the link!

About the RSA:

"For over 250 years the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) has been a cradle of enlightenment thinking and a force for social progress.  Our approach is multi-disciplinary, politically independent and combines cutting edge research and policy development with practical action. 

- We encourage public discourse and critical debate by providing platforms for leading experts to share new ideas on contemporary issues, through our public events programme, RSA Journal and RSA Comment.

- Our projects generate new models for tackling the social challenges of today.

- Our work is supported by a 27,000 strong Fellowship - achievers and influencers from every field with a real commitment to progressive social change."

EduTech: ClassDroid, Collaborative PrimaryPad, Android Apps - Lots of Possibilities!

ClassDroid is an application designed for Android-based smartphones. It lets you take a picture of the student's work, or of the student, or anything else,  and instantly upload it to the student's on-line portfolio. 


ClassDroid is available for free from the Android Market. According to Johnny McClear, the app "supports images being stored on the wordpress site which can be accessed through a web browser on any web-enabled device. Parents and pupils can then view their work and grades online."


UPDATE
ClassDroid might be a great app for the new Android-based Galaxy Tablet:



Credit: Reuters/Thomas Peter
Samsung launches Galaxy tablet for U.S. market (Reuters, 9/16/10)
SAMSUNG:  Do More on the Go with the GALAXY Tab


Here is a demo video of ClassDroid:


PrimaryPad is a "web-based word processer designed for schools that allows pupils and teachers to work together in real time". 

Primarypad - Etherpad Guide from ian addison on Vimeo.

PrimaryPad is a clone of EtherPad, a web-based collaborative word processor application that is now part of Google.  It is similar to PiratePad, which is powered by EtherPad. The EtherPad code is open source and can be found at http://code.google.com/p/etherpad/   Additional information can be found at http://etherpad.org/

Exciting Ways to Use Primary Pad in the Classroom 
Primary Paint goes public Beta! (Primary Paint is part of Primary Pad, I think.)


RELATED
John McLear's School Technology
Top 10 Google Android Apps for School #education (John McLear)
Richard Byrne's blog: Free Technology for Teachers

Quick Post: iPad and Mobile Learning - mLearnCon June 15-17, San Diego

Sorry for the delay in posting this.  I've been more than busy lately!

Here is the plug for the mLearnCon conference, currently taking place, June 15-17 2010 in San Diego, CA:


"Join the mLearning vanguard as we explore the potentials (and pitfalls) for mobile learning!
mLearnCon is where every aspect of mobile learning including management strategies, platforms (SmartPhones, PDAs, iPods, Tablets, etc), operating systems (Android, BlackBerry, iPhone OS X, Palm, Symbian, Windows Mobile, etc.), authoring tools and technologies, content design & development, and best practices will be explored. Whether you are working in an academic, corporate, government, or military setting ... mLearnCon will give you the ideas, information, and community you and your organization need to succeed."

Link:  http://www.elearningguild.com/mLearnCon/content/1603/


RELATED
Marc Rosenberg's article provides a good overview of the game-changing issues surrounding e-learning, m-learning, and recent technological advances such as the iPad:

Marc My Words:  Thinking About Mobile Learning in the Age of iPad

Pics and Video Interview: Plastic Nine-Inch Prototype $75.00 One Laptop Per Child Tablet with Dual-mode display by 2012? Via the Nick Barber

Below are pictures of the prototype of the XO-3, the third-generation of the One Laptop Per Child project, via gayakuman, and a video interview of Nicholas Negroponte discussing the third generation prototype of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, OX-3.





Nick Barber, of the IDG News Services, reporting from the MIT MediaLab:


RELATED
One Laptop per Child and Marvell Join Forces to Redefine Tablet Computing for Students Around the World PR Newswire 5/27/10
MOBYLIZE by Marvell - Marvell's Moby Tablet (below)

OLPC's Negroponte says XO-3 prototype tablet coming in 2010
Nick Barber, IDG News Service 5/27/10
OLPC XO-3 Dream Tablet May Come True After All
Brian Barrett, Gizmodo 5/27/10
OLPC Wiki

National Educational Technology Plan Draft - A must-read.

The National Educational Technology Plan 2010 was released on 3/5/10 in draft format. It is well worth reading!

The NETP is consistent with the Framework for 21st Century Learning model, calling for schools to ensure students are prepared for the skills they will need in an increasingly complex, technological society:

"The model of 21st century learning described in this plan calls for engaging and empowering learning experiences for all learners. The model asks that we focus what and how we teach to match what people need to know, how they learn, where and when they will learn, and who needs to learn. It brings state-of-the art technology into learning to enable, motivate, and inspire all students, regardless of background, languages, or disabilities, to achieve. It leverages the power of technology to provide personalized learning instead of a one-size fits-all curriculum, pace of teaching, and instructional practices."

Secretary Duncan announcing the Education Technology Plan on YouTube


Hopefully the NETP initiative will encourage teachers to consider video clips for their students to explore that are more exciting than this well-meaning gentleman's talking head!

RESOURCES
Executive Summary PDF
National Ed Tech Plan PDF
NIMAS (Large - 300dpi)
NIMAS (Normal - 72dpi)

A message to a few of my beloved colleagues:

Teachers who are still struggling with figuring out how to access e-mail attachments and the basics of Microsoft Office 2003, this plan will call for a steep learning curve! I will be by your side to help.  It is good to know that David Rose, of CAST, the father of Universal Design for Learning, was one of the members of the NETP working group.

RELATED

National Educational Technology Plan Technical Working Group:

Daniel E. Atkins, University of Michigan
John Bennett, Akron Public Schools
John Seely Brown, Deloitte Center for the Edge
Aneesh Chopra, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Chris Dede, Harvard University
Barry Fishman, University of Michigan
Louis Gomez, University of Pittsburgh
Margaret Honey, New York Hall of Science
Yasmin Kafai, University of Pennsylvania
Maribeth Luftglass, Fairfax County Public Schools
Roy Pea, Stanford University
Jim Pellegrino, University of Illinois, Chicago
David Rose, Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)
Candace Thille, Carnegie Mellon University
Brenda Williams, West Virginia Department of Education

Here's what I wanted to see at IXDA's Interaction10 in Savannah - ( & some other links)

I really wanted to attend IXDA's Interaction '10 conference in Savannah, Georgia. Unfortunately, it is sold out. If you are interested in learning more about the hot topics in interaction design, take a look at the Interaction '10 Speakers  page that includes links to each speaker's presentation or workshop description, and in some cases, some interesting links.

Some of the presentations I wanted to see:


Designing Social Interfaces: The Game
Erin Malone, tangible ux and Christian Crumlish, Yahoo!


The Use of Virtual Worlds Among People with Disabilities
Kel Smith, Anikto LLC


Augmented Reality: Is it Real?  Should We Care?
Kevin Cheng, Twitter (also author of OK/Cancel)


Interaction Design for the Fourth Dimension
Maria Cordell, Macquarium


Thinking Like a Storyteller
Cindy Chastain


Citizen Volunteerism and Urban Interaction Design
Solomon Bisker, Carnegie Mellon/School of Architecture


Designing for the Web in the World
Timo Arnall/Oslo School of Architecture & Design



NOT TOO RELATED


So why didn't I go to Interaction 10?   


For those of you new to this blog, after spending a few years working part-time at one and taking graduate courses, I returned to work full time in 2008, due to the economic downturn, daughters in college, etc. 


I am a school psychologist, and my "day job" sometimes spills into several evenings, as I serve two small high schools, a small "early college" program in addition to my home site, a program for students with severe disabilities. I have quite a bit of paperwork to complete, and this time of the year is especially busy.  I often must work on psychological evaluation reports, counseling& consultation notes, and mandatory special education paperwork/data entry, outside of work hours.


I try to devote about one hour a day, on average, devoted to researching and writing for this blog, and about 5 hours a week working on computer projects to keep up my design/development and programming skills.  When I'm out and about, I pay close attention to people and how they interact with a range of technologies in public spaces.  


Comment:
If you are interested in education and the range of topics of concern to school psychologists, the following link is to web page of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).  This page that includes and extensive list of links to articles written by school psychologists that were published in the Principal Leadership magazine, a publication of the National Association of Secondary School Principals.  


There is a need for solutions in education that incorporate the use of useful and usable technology. If you are interested in designing, developing, and researching applications for use in educational settings, I encourage you to spend some time reviewing some of the topics included on the NASP website! 

Principal Leadership Magazine Articles
(Most of the articles contain useful references.)

Sample of articles-in PDF format:
Understanding and Fostering Achievement Motivation
Transformative Leadership for Social-Emotional Learning
Promoting School Completion
Self-Concept and Self-Esteem in Adolescents
Angry and Aggressive Students
Preparing Students with Disabilities for School-to-Work Transition and Postschool Life

Eric Sailers' "Bling Your Blog" Presentation: How to spice up a blog with Web 2.0 widgets and interactive things

Eric Sailers is a speech-language pathologist and assistive technology specialist in the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District in San Diago, CA. He's ahead of the pack when it comes to embracing emerging collaborative and interactive technologies in education. Eric recently shared his presentation, "Bling Your Blog" on SlideShare. The presentation is an overview of how to incorporate Web 2.0 technology into blogging.

Bling Your Blog

View more presentations from Eric Sailers.

Below are links to a few things discussed in the presentation:
Animoto


Glogster: "Poster Yourself"
Interactive Calendar Poster by a Glogster


Voicethread (Collaborative digital storytelling.  The Ed. VoiceThread is a secure K-12 network.)


Web 2.0 Guru (Web 2.0 Resources for 21st Century Instruction)


100 Awesome, Free Web Tools for Elementary Teachers

Eric Sailers' Blog


(Cross posted on the TechPsych blog.)

Kodu: A visual programming language made for children to create games, running on the Xbox, using a game controller for input.

"The core of the Kodu project is the programming user interface. The language is simple and entirely icon-based. Programs are composed of pages, which are broken down into rules, which are further divided into conditions and actions. Conditions are evaluated simultaneously.

The Kodu language is designed specifically for game development and provides specialized primitives derived from gaming scenarios. Programs are expressed in physical terms, using concepts like vision, hearing, and time to control character behavior. While not as general-purpose as classical programming languages, Kodu can express advanced game design concepts in a simple, direct, and intuitive manner." -Microsoft

Video from MSR Techfest (low quality, but provides an example of Kodu in action)

Interview about Kodu (link to video)

Kodu Blog

Article: New program allows everyone to program videogames (USA Today 1/7/09)

The Kodu Technology Club at Explorer Elementary School

Screenshots from the Kodu website:

Bloom - Play Music with Colors: Seth Sandler's relaxing little on-line application!

Bloom: Play music with colors (link to application)

For more information about Seth Sandler's work, visit his AudioTouch website.

Here are a few pictures of his applications:








Seth integrates music into his multi-touch applications, as he has a background in both music and art. He is a member of the NUI-Group.

A new kind of SmartBoard: Multi-User Multi-Touch SMART Table for Education

I heard a rumor a few months ago that this was coming...and it was true!



The SMART Table "Touch, Learn, Together"

"The SMART Table interactive learning center lets students get hands-on with collaborative activities – and the more hands the merrier. The SMART Table is a versatile learning center where groups of students can create, explore and discover together on the durable screen. The interface is so intuitive that even the youngest child can play games and plunge into learning activities in no time. You can choose from a wide variety of ready-to-go lesson activities, or customize them to suit your own lessons."

SMARTTablerelease

If you are interested in developing for the SMART Table, visit the SMART Table Developer site.

Here are some of my other posts about multi-touch, surface, and table-top computing:

Interactive Touch-Screen Technology, Participatory Design, and "Getting It".

Emerging Interactive Technologies, Emerging Interactions, and Emerging Form Factors

The atracTable Multi-Touch System from Atracsys

Time for More Touch! NASA's collaborative multi-touch table by Gesturetek and Inhanced Digital Corporation; HP touch-screen notebook; NextWindow

New multi-touch "Gravitoy" application from NUI; Multi-touch Space Invaders from Barcelona; "Open source" touch-less multi-touch SDK on CodePlex

Natural User Interface new website shares information about the company's innovative multi-touch solutions...

Time for More Touch! Part Two: Microsoft's "Oahu", a hypothetical (?), affordable version of the Surface multi-touch table..

Creative Programming: openFrameworks - AWESOME for interactive multimedia applications

Ideum's Multi-touch, Multi-user Prototype

Microsoft Surface's Hotel Concierge Application: Let's see an affordable Surface, deployed in classrooms and libraries!

Microsoft Surface at the Sheraton Hotel:



Think how this could play out in classrooms, libraries, information centers, and other public spaces.

Need I say more?

(Cross posted on TechPsych and Technology-Supported Human-World Interaction blogs)

Microsoft Research project: MouseMischief - Multi-user, Multi-Mice Interaction on Large Displays

This is an interesting demonstration of the use of multiple mice, controlled by children on an interactive whiteboard. The collaborative application uses Microsoft's Multi-Point technology. For more information and free downloads, go to MouseMischief.org.

Highlight: Gavin McLean's Blog;

One of my favorite blogs is Gavin McLean's Global Mantra: "Using Media in education, Fostering Media Literacy, Music Technology, Games in Education, Arts Technology & Music".

In his June 9th post, Gavin discusses his experience using Stimulated Recall in his research. To explain the concept of stimulated recall, Gavin quotes Dr. John Edwards:

"The way we get this data is by using a technique called stimulated recall (Marland: 1984, O'Brien: 1993). A video camera placed at the back of the room follows the teacher wherever the teacher goes. A second camera at the front of the room is focused on the children we are studying, and a microphone is placed so that the talk of both students and teacher is recorded. The two images are put through a video mixer so that both appear on the same screen. At the end of the lesson we make rapid copies of that split screen tape and use it to interview individual children about what they were thinking during the lesson."

Basically, from the student's perspective, traditional teachers are teaching from the "sea of blah". We all have experienced it. "Blah, blah blah, blahhhh, blah BLAHH". This brings to mind the voice of the teacher in the Charlie Brown specials- "wanhh wawwh wanhh waahhh wah.." What really is going on in the minds of "learners" when the teacher is speaking?

Gavin takes the concept of stimulated recall to the next level, to perform a social-cultural analysis of teens playing a multi-player game, as part of his research. While doing so, Gavin applied principles developed by James Gee, outlined in his book, "What Video Games have to teach us about Learning and Literacy" , to the interactions and transactions of the players.

Gavin's initial findings are fascinating, and make sense, if you are a gamer, or if you have spent a significant amount of time seriously observing a child or teen play a challenging game.

For more about Gavin's research in this area, take the time to read his June 9th post - You might need to scroll down the page to find it. While you are there, take a look at more of his blog!

Cross Post: One Laptop Per Child's Redesign- Dual Touchscreens, Flexibile Use

Photo from One Laptop per Child via MIT Technology Review

"Hundred-dollar laptop, revisited: The next-generation version of the One Laptop per Child machine will dispense with keypads. It can be folded flat to make one larger screen (left); here, two children could play a game, each using the touch-screen capability. Or it can be held on its side and used as an electronic book (right)."

I'm impressed with the new design of the OLPC, the dual touch screen, the support of collaboration and sharing between children, and the flexibility it will provide educators and students. It can even be used as an e-Book! This laptop would be welcomed in UDL classrooms.

For detailed information about the new OLPC laptop, which has not yet been released, read David Talbot's article in the MIT Technology Review.

I want one.

More about virtual worlds in education: Edutopia's articles and resources

The recent on-line newsletter from Edutopia has a list of links of articles and media about virtual worlds and games in education. This information compliments the video, "Virtual Worlds Tour", highlighted in my previous post.

Get a Life: Students Collaborate in Simulated Roles (Laila Weir)

The School of Second Life (Wagner James Au)

Simulation Nation: The Promise of Virtual Learning Activities: Inventive computer sims can turn dull lessons into hyperreal experiences, if we can get educators to use them" (Marc Prensky)

Related video: No Gamer Left Behind "Computer simulations area natural learning tools to a generation of video game players"

Let the Games Begin: Entertainment Meets Education (Jenn Shreve)

Related:

Loud and Clear: Students Find Their Voices Through Multimedia (Edutopia Staff)

Edutopia is part of the non-profit George Lucas Educational Foundation

Post a comment if you are using virtual worlds or games in your school!

Scratch: A new programming language for kids that supports stories, animations, games, music, art, and web-sharing, from MIT.

"Scratch is designed to help young people (ages 8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills. As they create Scratch projects, young people learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of design." (Scratch website)

Scratch can be downloaded, free of charge, from the website. It can run on Windows as well on Macs. There are over 12,000 contributors to this project, with over 60,000 registered members. The website provides plenty of support for teachers and students.

The Scratch project is run by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab, along with the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation.

I'm looking forward to playing with Scratch on a touch-screen or interactive whiteboard.

Leave a comment if you use Scratch with kids- or for yourself.

My Nokia n800 Internet Tablet!

I recently purchased a Nokia n800 Internet tablet for about $225.00. I'm impressed with all of the features for the price! It works well for making Internet calls via Skype, as it provides an integrated camera/ webcam.

The screen is crisp and easy to read, especially when zoomed in. The screen can be manipulated with a stylus or fingers, and the on-screen keyboard can be enlarged to allow for finger-typing.

Playing around with the device, I can see that it has potential for use in education. In my opinion, the n800 the potential to support low-cost assisted technology and augmented communication applications.

Screen shot of pictures on flickr.

A few specs:

• Direct access to shared media over Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) connectivity and Windows network shares
• Rhapsody Music service client (only available in US)
• Direct access to Nokia Internet Radio Directory with free internet radio stations available
• Supported audio formats: AAC, MP3, WMA, AMR, AWB, M4A, MP2, RA (RealAudio), WAV
• Supported video formats: 3GP, AVI, H.263, H.264, MP4, ASF, WMV, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, RV 7/8/9 (RealVideo)
• Supported playlist formats: M3U, PLS, ASX, WAX, WVX, WPL
• Desktop applet for internet radio
• Storage support for memory cards up to 8GB
• Additional specifications
  

Resources:

Nokia nSeries n800

Detailed Review of n800 running OS2008
(Tips, tricks, hacks, and news about Nokia Internet Tablets and related technology.)

Maemo Downloads for the n800

Internet Tablet Talk

Internet Tablet Wiki

The m-Learning potential of the n800

Linux on Board: Developing for the Nokia n800
Debian/Linux

Updated MegaPost-Resources For All: Interactive Multimedia and Universal Design for Learning

Since I started blogging, new technologies have made their way into an increasing number of classrooms, and many educators are aware of efforts such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Response to Intervention or Instruction (RTI), as well as innovative technologies that provide engaged, interactive learning experiences for students.

In this post, I've consolidated information and updated links and resources from some previous posts from my TechPsych and Interactive Multimedia Technology blogs. Although many of the resources cited in this post relate to K-12 education, some of the information is useful for instructional designers, school administrators, researchers, college/university educators, parents, and technologists who are interested in developing interactive multimedia applications for children and teens.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING (UDL) and PLANNING FOR ALL LEARNERS (PAL)

Universal Design for Learning incorporates concepts such as differentiated instruction, visual and media learning, and providing a climate of academic engagement through the use of digital media technology and strategies such as collaborative project-based learning.

The concepts behind Universal Design for Learning fit with Response to Intervention (RTI), universal prevention/intervention, and team-based instructional consultation/ problem-solving. For those who are considering this approach, plan on spending time exploring this Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) website.

CAST offers the on-line interactive book, Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning. This book is a good resource for staff development activities. Plan on spending a good bit of time on this site! The Planning for All Learners section on the CAST website provides resources such as lesson plan examples and planning charts that provide teachers a way of representing the specific needs of each student.

Related:

Karen Janowski's Site: Free Technology Toolkit for Universal Design for Learning

RadTeach is the website of Dr. Judy Willis, a neurologist and middle school teacher.

"Enthusiasm is generated when children are presented with novelty and find creative ways to explore or connect with the new material and are inspired by it. Whenever you can generate this awe and sense of wonder, your children will be pulled into the school lessons they bring home and they will be motivated to connect with the information in a meaningful way." - Judy Willis
Brain-Friendly Strategies for the Inclusion Classroom published May 2007 ASCD

Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning: Insights from a Neurologist/Classroom Teacher published August 2006 ASCD

Misunderstood Minds is the companion site PBS documentary about learning differences and disabilities. The site provides information and activities that are good for self-study or professional development. Take a look at "Listening to Instructions" a simulation of what it is like to be a first grade student trying to follow directions and concentrate to complete a task, and "Attention", a video clip of Dr. Mel Levine interviewing a boy about his attention difficulties. Take a look at the Misunderstood Minds Resources and Links Page for more information.

Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs
This blog has extensive links and resources on a variety of topics related to special needs.

PowerPoint presentation by George Sugai's at the UDL Institute. "An introduction to the defining features of School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports within the context of Universal Design for Learning."

TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION RESOURCES

EDUTOPIA: The George Lucas Foundation

The Edutopia website provides "..detailed articles, in-depth case studies, research summaries, instructional modules, short documentary segments, expert interviews, and links to hundreds of relevant resources." The Technology integration link. provides resources for teachers, staff development, including video segments that cover technology integration, project based learning, school-to-career, the use of multimedia for emotional intelligence activities, and more.

Bill MacKenty's "How-To" educational technology web-page
FlickSchool: Quick "how-to" videos about digital media production for teens-and teachers of teens
How To: Use Digital Storytelling in Your Classroom
Post: Visual Learning Lab Supports Effective Teaching and Learning
Bill MacKenty's Games and Learning Resources

LESSONS, ACTIVITIES, AND WEBSITES WITH INTERACTIVE CONTENT

National Gallery of Art Kids
PBS Kids
National Geographic Kids
NASA Kids
Discovery Kids
Music Tech Teacher (Includes online games and music learning activities)
Flash Music Games
(some games cam be downloaded)
Exploratorium On-line Microscope Imaging Station
Online interactive whiteboard activities for primary classrooms (from Topmarks Education, UK)
SmartTechnologies lesson activities for the SmartBoard

StarFall is website full of free interactive content designed to support early reading for children who are reading at the K-2 level. The site offers games, music, animation, and video-based activities, plus support for educators and parents. From the website:

"Our scientific, research-based reading materials and activities are modeled on the "Big Five" focus areas recommended by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension...Starfall employs the computer to develop feelings of wonderment and play, not rote assessment. The activities, songs and books complement your classroom by creating an atmosphere of fun and enthusiasm that infuses all aspects of learning. Our online and printed activities use positive reinforcement to guide children in making correct responses."

The Moleculareum Project, created by a team from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute:

"The Molecularium Project is committed to promote science literacy and awareness for audiences of all ages..Zoom into the molecular level, build molecules from atoms, and explore states of matter in the Nanolab of our interactive Kid’s Site. The experiments, activities and songs included in our Teacher's Resource Guide are free and fun for your home, classroom or museum."

ONLINE LEARNING OBJECTS

According to WISC, learning objects are web-based, self-contained chunks of learning, small enough to be embedded in a learning activity, lesson, unit, or course, are flexible, portable, and adaptable, and can be used in multiple learning environments and across disciplines. They are stored in on-line repositories for use and re-use to teach a variety of concepts. Merlot and WISC provide interactive learning objects geared primarily for higher education.

Learning objects incorporated into instruction provide students with multiple paths to gaining knowledge, consistent with the principles of Universal Design for Learning.

WISC Online Learning Objects

MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching

Quotes from users of learning objects:

"Learning objects are self-directive, so the student can review it over and over" "They grasp it much faster, and they retain in much better."-Instructor.

"Reading something in a book, I may not get the concept. So as I go through it on the screen, I can see how the different things work...for an example , one of the classes I had , that had a CD and a learning object with it, I actually passed the test, got a 100%, because I was able to go over it. The way it was on screen, was completely different than how I had memorized in my head."- Holly Davidson, Student"

"You can read everything in a book that you want, but as soon as you see it in a learning object, you really understand it." - Paul Heidger, Student

Links to Lynn's related blog posts:

Interactive multimedia for social skills, understanding feelings, relaxation and coping strategies, etc.
Interactive literacy applications and on-line resources
ExploreLearning Gizmos, Interactive Displays, Revisited
(Interactive math and science)
Online Switch-Accessible Games on the BBC Website

RATIONALE FOR THE USE OF DIGITAL MEDIA IN EDUCATION

The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning, edited by Richard E. Mayer, provides a good framework to support the importance of learning and interacting with multimedia
Visual Literacy and Multimedia Literacy Quotes - Odds and Ends PART ONE
Visual and Multimedia Literacy Quotes-Part Two
Engaged Learning?

Related:

Webcast Video: Technology and Games in Education from the Orange County Educational Technology Department






INTERACTIVE WHITE-BOARDS AND LARGE TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAYS

Interactive whiteboards increase student attention, engagement, participation, and test scores!
(This post contains links to lessons and resources for interactive white-boards and displays.)

Excerpt from the above post:
According to a press release from Smart Technologies, a study conducted in the UK and Europe during the years 2002-2006 found positive results regarding the use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom:

"The following outcomes were among its key findings: interactive whiteboard use results in improved student performance in national tests in English, math and science, compared to student performance without interactive whiteboards; digital content on interactive whiteboards is engaging, motivating, and students pay more attention during lessons; and interactive whiteboard use encourages greater student participation in the classroom."

There are several types of interactive large-screen displays available for use in educational settings, and there are several companies working on large touch-screen displays that could be adapted for use in schools, media centers, and public libraries.

The following is a partial list of companies that make or sell interactive displays and/or whiteboards:
SmartTechnologies
NextWindow
Accenture
NEC
Hitachi Starboard
Promethean
Mimeo
Interwrite

Resources for Interactive Whiteboards and Displays

Online interactive whiteboard activities for primary classrooms (from Topmarks Education, UK)
SmartTechnologies lesson activities for the SmartBoard
Link to Post: EduSim and Croquet: 3D Collaboration Applications
EduSim 3D
Greenbush EduSim
Panorama Archive: Full-screen panoramas from around the world.
PhotoSynth
"Our software takes a large collection of photos of a place or an object, analyzes them for similarities, and displays them in a reconstructed three-dimensional space.

With Photosynth you can:

• Walk or fly through a scene to see photos from any angle.
• Seamlessly zoom in or out of a photo whether it's megapixels or gigapixels in size.
• See where pictures were taken in relation to one another.
• Find similar photos to the one you're currently viewing.
• Send a collection - or a particular view of one - to a friend."

VirtualEarth
Virtual Earth is like Google Earth. It works with PhotoSynth.

GoogleEarth
"Tilt and rotate the view to see 3D terrain and buildings, or look up to explore the sky"

P3D -The P3D website has good demonstrations of 3D content.
"P3D is a software company focused on virtual reality in education and offers a constantly updated stat-of-the-art technology as an outstanding tool in a classroom environment. The products developed by P3D enable higher interactivity, enhancing student's learning capacity through tri-dimensional images and virtual reality."

Related Information:
Education World article "Speaking of Electronic Whiteboards?"
Large Display Research Overview from Microsoft Research (PDF)
Also see the previous section about lessons, activities, and websites with interactive content.

INTERACTIVE EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE

INSPIRATION and KIDSPIRATION

Inspiration and Kidspiration are applications that support visual learning:

"Learning to think. Learning to learn. These are the essential skills for student success. Research in both educational theory and cognitive psychology tells us that visual learning is among the very best methods for teaching students of all ages how to think, and how to learn."

Many school districts have adopted Kidspiration and Inspiration; there are many resources on the website for teacher support for this software. Inspiration and Kidspiration are effective with visual learners. These applications work well on large-screen displays as well as P.C.'s, and hand-held devices. Activities using Inspiration and Kidspiration are good for paired and small group activities. Inspiration now offers a visual data analysis application, InspireData.

I SUPPORT LEARNING

“Our mission is to empower educators in their quest to create and support life-long learners, to make education relevant and engaging for the student through creative software.” I Support Learning provides applications for creative, interactive project-based activities for middle and high school students that integrate the use of technology and build technology skills."

I Support Learning's Personal Experience Curricula:

CARTOON ANIMATION VIDEO
GAME DESIGN
MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
WEB GAME DESIGN
PERSONAL FINANCE AND WEALTH MANAGEMENT
BUILDING GREEN – RESIDENTIAL HOME DESIGN
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MOBILE ROBOTICS
GREEN INDUSTRY – LANDSCAPE DESIGN
ROBOTS AND INVENTION
HORTICULTURE AND LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Immersive Education

Immersive Education software educational software company. According to information on the website, the software applications..

• encourage creative learning
• adapt to individual teaching styles
• allow for individual learning preferences
• inspire innovation and creativity in the classroom.

"We believe pupils learn best when education is fun - our products are enjoyable to use and encourage learning through exploration."

Links to information about Immersive Education's applications:

• kar2ouche - storyboarding and role-playing software.
• mediastage - 3D virtual production studio.
• krucible - science simulation software.
• missionmaker - game-authoring tool.

Tabula Digita

DimensionM, an interactive multi-player game for algebra.

HAND-HELD AND MOBILE DEVICES FOR LEARNING

There are some classrooms in that do not use textbooks. Textbooks are provided to students electronically on their PDA's. Some versions of electronic textbooks are interactive and include hypertext links to supplemental information or activities. Students who use Wi-Fi enabled PDA's have access to interactive websites that compliment what they are learning in class.

In most classrooms that use this form for instruction, students often work in pairs and groups. Because PDA's run many of the same applications as do PC's, they can be utilized for frequent monitoring and charting of progress. Here are a few resources:

THE PAPERLESS CLASSROOM

"Our classroom uses Windows CE and Pocket PC based Personal Digital Assistants (we call them PDA's.) We are running a paperless classroom with the PDA's. All homework and reading assignments are done on the PDA's. We do not use copied ditto sheets or heavy textbooks. All of this is accomplished in a 7th and 8th Grade Language Arts class, not in a math or science classroom."

This is a good example of how a teacher, a "rookie" during the 1998-99 school year, embraced new and effective ways of using technology to meet the needs of a diverse range of learners in the middle school setting for Language Arts instruction. This website has expanded to include a range of resources for educators interested in learning how to implement paperless classrooms. Research in this area can be found through HiCe and related organizations.

HICE: Center for Highly Interactive Computing in Education
HiCe provides consultation and resources for schools regarding the use of handheld devices in learning environments. The work of the HiCe project at the University of Michigan has been in place for over a decade.."With PDA's, students can access websites created by their teachers to keep track of assignments and upload or e-mail assignments when completed. Software on PDA's such as calendars and an alarm can help students who have organization problems."

A spin-off of the HiCe project is GOKNOW.

INSPIRATION for handhelds

CREATIVE EXAMPLES OF HAND-HELD LEARNING ACTIVITIES

CREATE-A-SCAPE:

A create-a-scape, otherwise known as a mediascape, is..." composed of sounds, images and video placed outside in your local area. To see the images and video, and hear the sounds you need a handheld computer (PDA) and a pair of headphones. An optional GPS unit can automatically trigger the images, video and sounds in the right places."

"To create a mediascape, you start with a digital map of your local area. Using special, free software, you can attach digital sounds, pictures and video to places that you choose on the map.By going outside into the area the map covers, you can experience the mediascape. Using the handheld computer and headphones, you can hear the sounds and see the pictures and video in the places the author of the mediascape has put them. All sorts of exciting things can happen as you explore the mediascape."
Quick Demo: How to Make a MediaScape
Create-a-Scape Teacher Resource Site

MOOP:
Moop was developed in Finland and integrated up-to-date SmartPhones into daily learning activities. Some of the activities involved out-door learning experiences. "Through Moop, a pupil makes observations and saves and manages information in the mobile and network learning platform. The learning environment supports the process of inquiry learning, during which a pupil outlines his or her thoughts on the current topic, collects information and observations from the surroundings and reports the findings in the network-learning environment. Moop project is based on needs of schools and teachers: the traditional learning environment is broadened from classroom to observation in the surroundings"

Mattila, P. & Fordell, T. (2005) MOOP- Using m-learning environment in primary schools. http://www.mlearn.org.za/CD/papers/Mattila.pdf
Mattila, P. (2005) Moop - Mobile Learning Environment as Part of Daily School Work
http://www.microlearning.org/micropresentations/micropresentation_friesen_2005.pdf

M-LEARNING PROJECT

Quote from the project website:
"…the user group has expanded to encompass people of all ages, from grandparents getting involved in family learning, adults looking to improve their employment prospects, to pregnant teenagers needing health advice and guidance."

The M-Learning website provides extensive resources for m-learning; it is a good place for self-study and for staff development for anyone planning on using m-learning as a strategy. You'll find demos of software and links to references and resources, along with video clips useful for presentations.

OTHER RESOURCES FOR INTEGRATING HAND-HELDS INTO EDUCATION:

K-12 HANDHELDS
LEARNING AT HAND
LEARNINGINHAND
M-LEARNOPEDIA

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Mega-List of Resources and References: Technology, Psychology, Intervention & Prevention
Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century", a 72-page white paper by Henry Jenkins, from MIT.
FutureLab's 2006 Teaching With Games Report
John Kirriemuir's blog about games and learning