CFP for Special Issue of Personal and Ubiquitous Computing on Educational Interfaces, Software, and Technology (EIST)

CFP for Special Issue of Personal and Ubiquitous Computing on Educational Interfaces, Software, and Technology (EIST) 


Overview 
One of the primary goals of teaching is to prepare learners for life in the real world. In this ever-changing world of technologies such as mobile interaction, cloud computing, natural user interfaces, and gestural interfaces like the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Kinect, people have a greater selection of tools for the task at hand. Given the potential of these new interfaces, software, and technologies as learning tools, as well as the ubiquitous application of interactive technology in formal and informal learning environments, there is a growing need to explore how next-generation technologies will impact education in the future. 


As a community of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and educational researchers, we need to theorize and discuss how new technologies should be integrated into the classrooms and homes of the future. In the last three years, three CHI workshops have provided a forum to discuss key issues of this sort, particularly in the context of next-generation education. The aim of this special issue of Personal and Ubiquitous Computing is to summarize the potential design challenges and perspectives on how the community should handle next-generation technologies in the education domain for both teachers and students. 

We invite authors to present position papers about potential design challenges and perspectives on how the community should handle the next generation of HCI in education. Topics of interest include but are not limited to: 

• Gestural input, multitouch, large displays 
• Mobile devices, response systems (clickers) 
• Tangible, VR, AR & MR, multimodal interfaces 
• Console gaming, 3D input devices 
• Co-located interaction, presentations 
• Educational pedagogy, learner-centric, child computer interaction 
• Empirical methods, case studies 
• Multi-display interaction 
• Wearable educational media

Important Dates

• Full papers due: November 9, 2012
• Initial reviews to authors: January 18, 2013
• Revised papers due: March 15, 2013
• Final reviews to authors: April 26, 2013
• Final papers due: June 14, 2013

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be prepared according to the Word template located at the bottom of this page. All manuscripts are subject to peer review. Manuscripts must be submitted as a PDF to the easychair submission system. Submissions should be no more than 8000 words in length.

Guest Editors and Contact Information

• Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed, Cornell University
• Quincy Brown, Bowie State University
• Jochen Huber, Technische Universität Darmstadt
• Si Jung “Jun” Kim, University of Central Florida
• Lynn Marentette, Union County Public Schools, Wolfe School
• Max Mühlhäuser, Technische Universität Darmstadt
• Alexander Thayer, University of Washington 
• Edward Tse, SMART Technologies

Contact: eistjournal2012@easychair.org

Information about the Journal of Personal and Ubiquitous Computing

• Editor-in-Chief: Peter Thomas
• Journal web site
• Facebook page

UPDATE POST: Educational Interfaces, Software, and Technology: 2012 ACM-CHI Workshop Call for Papers/Presentations

There is still time left to submit your paper!

CALL FOR PAPERS

EDUCATIONAL INTERFACES, SOFTWARE, AND TECHNOLOGY 2012

3rd Workshop on UI Technologies and Educational Pedagogy

May 5-6 2012

in conjunction with ACM-CHI 2012, Austin, Texas

This will be our third annual workshop in conjunction with CHI 2012.

One of the primary goals of teaching is to prepare learners for life in the real world. In this ever changing world of technologies such as mobile interaction, cloud computing, natural user interfaces, and gestural interfaces like the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Kinect, people have a greater selection of tools for the task at hand. Teachers and students can leverage these tools to improve learning outcomes. Educational interfaces and software are needed to ensure that new technologies serve a clear purpose in the classrooms and homes of the future.

Since teachers are always looking for creative ways to engage 21st century learners, there needs to be an academic venue for researchers to discuss novel educational tools and their role in improving learning outcomes. This workshop aims at filling this void: combining the pedagogical expertise of the cooperative learning, and learning sciences communities with the technical creativity of the CHI, UIST and interactive surface communities. The objective of this workshop is to become a conference within two years

We invite authors to present position papers about potential design challenges and perspectives on how the community should handle the next generation of HCI in education. 

Topics of interest include:

• Gestural input, multitouch, large displays
• Mobile Devices, response systems (clickers)
• Tangible, VR, AR & MR, Multimodal interfaces
• Console gaming, 3D input devices
• Co-located interaction, presentations
• Educational Pedagogy, learner-centric, Child Computer Interaction
• Empirical methods, case studies
• Multi-display interaction
• Wearable educational media

Submission:  The deadline for workshop paper submissions is Dec 20, 2011. Interested researchers should submit a 4-page position paper in the ACM CHI adjunct proceedings style to the workshop management system. Acceptance notifications will be sent out February 20, 2012. The workshop will be held May 5-6, 2012 in Austin, Texas. Please note that at least one author of an accepted position paper must register for the workshop and for one or more days of the CHI 2012 conference.

Website: http://smarttech.com/eist2012
Contact: Edward Tse, SMART Technologies, edwardtse@smarttech.com


RELATED
Educational Interfaces, Software, and Technology Workshop Organizers

	Edward Tse, SMART Technologies
	Lynn V. Marentette, Union County Public Schools
	Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed, Cornell University
	Alex Thayer, University of Washington
	Jochen Huber, Technische Universität Darmstadt
	Max Mühlhäuser, Technische Universität Darmstadt
	Si Jung “Jun” Kim, University of Central Florida
	Quincy Brown, Bowie State University

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Is Changing the World: BLUR Conference, February 22-23, Omni Orlando Resort (Includes video)

Blur Conference

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 8:00 AM - Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 5:00 PM (ET) Omni Orlando Resort, 1500 Masters Blvd. 

 ChampionsGate, Florida 33896 Phone: (407) 390-6664

ABOUT BLUR 

(from the conference website)

"It’s easy to forget that the computer mouse is over 45 years old."

"What’s not as easy to forget is that we’re now collectively getting used to interacting with computers via means and interfaces that have moved way beyond the keyboard and the mouse — the iPhone and Wii being the most prominent examples."

"The truth is that we stand on the verge of a major revolution in the models of Human Computer Interaction (HCI). A revolution that will fly right past academic and into a world of retail, medical, gaming, military, public event, sporting, personal and marketing applications."

"From multi-touch to motion capture to spatial operating environments, over the next 10 years, everything we know about HCI will change."

"Blur is the only conference that is exploring the line of interaction between computers and humans in a substantive, real-world and hands-on way."

"At Blur, vendors, strategists, buyers and visionaries assemble to not only discuss the larger issues of HCI, but also to lay their hands on the latest in HCI technology. Blur is the only forum for a focused, hands-on exploration of the varied technologies evolving in the HCI."

"Come play, investigate, learn and apply at Blur — where we’re changing how you interact with computers forever." -Blur



BLUR Conference Agenda
(Note:   I added the links to conference participants and/or their organizations. Feel free to leave a comment if you know of any corrections or better links!)
Keynotes:

Neuroergonomics: How an Understanding of the Brain is Changing the Practice of Human Factors Engineering - Dr. Kay Stanney, Design Interactive

On Social Robotics - Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, Personal Robotics Group, MIT

When Computers Feel: Understanding Human Emotional Measurement  - Hans Lee, EmSense

A Quick Hit on Mobility and HCI - Juan Pons, Swype

Panel Discussion: Haptics- The Beginnings and Future of Touch  - Nimish Mehta

Augmenting the World of Things - Jeff Powers, Occipital; Matt Szymczyk, Zugara; Robert Rice, Neogence; Gene Becker, Layar; Moderated by John Minnihan, Freepository

Why HCI will lead the biggest tech revolution yet - Andrew Tschesnok, Organic Motion
Location as a Primary Interface Input - Matt Galligan, SimpleGeo; Nick Brachet, Skyhook Wireless
Robotics, Gaming and The Future of Entertainment- Paul Berberian, Orbotix
Virtual Coaches in Healthcare: A Vision of the Future - Dan Siewiorek, Carnegie Mellon University
10 reasons to be happy about giving computers emotion sensing - Dr. Rosalind Picard, MIT
Commercializing HCI Technology - Dr. Paul Kedrosky, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Dr. Gerry Barnett


Breakout Sessions:
Human Instrumentation - James Park, FitBit; Ben Rubin, Zeo; Jason Jacobs, RunKeeper;
Steve Larsen, moderator
New Museum Experiences: Learning from Multitouch and Multiuser Installations - Jim Spadacinni, Ideum
Kinect Hacks - Jonathan C. Hall; Lonergan Harrington; Jim Spadacinni, Sean Kean, moderator
Interactive Ads and Consumer Experiences - Alessio Signorini, Immersive Labs; Jon Fox, Helios Interactive
Augmented Reality - Ready for Primetime? - Vikas Reddy, Occipital; Carlin Getliffe, Omniar; Edwin Rivera, Credelis; Dan Rua, moderator
Building an Interface for Endangered Language Learners - Finn Thye and Kelson Adams, Univ of Colorado - Boulder
Alternative Interface Inputs - Gary Clayton, Nuance; Nick Langdale-Smith, Seeing Machines; RJ Auburn, Voxeo; Steve Larsen, moderator
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation "Idea Hack" - Commercializing HCI Technology: A Discussion - led by Paul Kedrosky
Building Natural User Interfaces - Thomas Peterson, SoftKinetic; Ohad Shvueli, Prime Sense; David Minnen, Oblong
3D Interactive Design for the Human Body - Albert Hwang
Panel: Will the Kinect Change the HCI Industry Forever? A Group Discussion
HCI in the 21st Century:  Technologies for Extending and Amplifying the Human Experience (pdf) - Dr. Charlie Hughes, UCF; Dr. David Pratt; Dr. Joseph LaViola;  moderated by Steve Fiore, UCF


Some Videos of HCI/Tech featured at Blur 2011 
360 Panorama occipitalhq


"Illuminous" Eric Gradman



"Standard Gravity" Eric Gradman, OpenKinect (libfreenect/python)


Organic Motion Markerless Motion Capture


Advisory:
Steve Fiore, University of Central Florida
Bob Allen, Disney R&D
Kay Stanney, Design Interactive
Capt. Dylan Schmorrow, USN

Link to Innovative Interactivity (II) & post: SMART Technologies' acquisition of NextWindow: A "smart window" to the world

I am happy to announce that will be contributing a post bi-weekly on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month for the  Innovative Interactivity (II) blog.

In my first post, I discuss interactive technologies in education and the explosion in the number of interactive whiteboards making way in classrooms in the US and around the globe.   The motivation for this post came from last week's announcement of Smart Technologie's acquisition of NextWindow.  Not long after the announcement, I had a chance to speak with Al Monro, CEO of NextWindow, and Nancy Knowlton, CEO of Smart Technologies. I share some of their insights in my post:

SMART Technologies' acquisition of NextWindow: A "smart window" to the world

About Innovative Interactivity (II):


"Innovative Interactivity serves as an open forum for multimedia producers, web developers and all other visualization junkies. Content focuses on the dynamics and theory of how people receive and react to different forms of information on the Web, both through visual, multimedia storytelling and interactive data visualization."

"The goal is that this blog will provide an outlet for those in the online realm, whether you are interested in learning about multimedia, interactivity, programming languages, data visualization, or all of the above. Hopefully you will be inspired from what you read here to surpass your current web standards in order to develop highly effective multimedia interactives for the digital community."

Tracy Boyer | Founder & Managing Editor

Tracy Boyer is an award-winning multimedia producer, specializing in interactive Web development and multimedia storytelling. Currently, she is a dual master’s candidate (MBA/MSIS) at UNC-Chapel Hill where she is studying Human-Computer Interaction in the School’s Information Science program and Entrepreneurship at Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Previously, she was a multimedia producer at Roanoke.com, served as the UNC correspondent for CNN.com and interned with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In 2007, she was selected to participate in the Poynter Summer Fellowship. Boyer graduated with a multimedia degree from UNC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Her passions lie in travel and multimedia production with a focus on video, audio and interactive graphics. See more of her work at www.tracynboyer.com.

Boyer is available for speaking engagements and seminars. Please contact her for more information.

Andrea Ballocchi | Spanish Editor & Social Media Manager

Andrea Ballocchi is a Chilean journalist. She studied video production at the Art Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and worked as an assistant producer for Sábado Gigantes on channel 13 in Santiago, Chile, and as a producer at Anticipa, an internet company also in Chile.
In 2005, she participated in the multimedia project “The Ancient Way”, in Spain. Since then she has participated in several other projects, including “Chasing Crusoe,” “Atacama Stories,” “Special Olympics in Shanghai and Idaho,” and “South of Here.” She has also taught and coordinated projects at Universidad de los Andes, Chile.
Andrea Ballocchi is currently a multimedia journalism graduate student at the University of Miami, Fla. and works at The Knight Center for International Media.

Ellen Peck | Contributor, Philanthropic Multimedia

Posts publish bi-weekly on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month

Ellen Peck works as consultant with a focus on the Non-profit sector. Ellen worked for over 15 years with Save the Children as a Director of Development, and also created and managed their Emergencies and Crisis Leadership Council. She has worked with start-up non-profits, and first-time capital campaigns for more established organizations. She has been involved in fundraising and strategic partnerships with individuals, corporations, foundations and organizations, and in strategic planning with artists, agency project teams and senior management at organizations for new initiative development.

Ellen also serves in the role of producer and creative/content advisor to documentary film, music and other projects in the arts associated with social and environmental issues. Her projects include the film and soundtrack for “Born into Brothels,” (USA) which garnered the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2005, and for “Stolen,” (Australia) currently showing at international film festivals.

Ellen is a Liberal Arts grad with a degree from Amherst College.

Lynn Marentette | Contributor, Academic Multimedia

Posts publish bi-weekly on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month

Lynn Marentette has over 20 years of professional experience as a school psychologist, and has used interactive multimedia applications and games with students who have disabilities since the early 1990’s. She is passionate about emerging collaborative technologies, natural user interactions and interfaces, and how the power of interactive multimedia can be harnessed in education. In addition to her work as a psychologist, she blogs about accessible off-the-desktop natural-user interfaces at “Interactive Multimedia Technology.”

Lynn has presented on topics such as multimedia thinking and learning, universal usability of interactive multimedia, and universal design and accessibility for games. She returned to school a few years ago to learn how to make interactive multimedia applications and games for the web, handheld devices, and large displays, and has taken graduate courses such as game design, ubiquitous computing, and virtual reality in preparation for a potential PhD in Information Technology at UNC-Charlotte.