Kinetic Infovis: Dance vs Powerpoint - Dance Your (Science) Ph.D.

Why NOT use dance to convey information and data?

John Bohannon's TED Talk, "Dance vs. Powerpoint"  explains how dance can demonstrate scientific principles, and more.  John is a scientist and writer who runs the annual Dance Your Ph.D. contest.   In the following video he walks the talk as dancers dance the point.    




RELATED

Dance Your Ph.D. 2012 Videos

Dance Your Ph.D. 2011 Videos

Dance Your Ph.D. Tips and Tricks

Dance Your Ph.D. 2013 Website FAQs

The Science Dance Match-Up Challenge
John Bohannon, Science, 4/17/09

Thesis Twist:  Dancing Your Ph.D. 
Robert Lee Hotz, Wall Street Journal, 9/23/13

Folk Dance Your Algorithms!
Lynn Marentette, ITM blog, 4/14/11

EpiCollect: A mobile app, useful for photo + data-collection "in the wild".

EpiCollect is an open-source project developed at Imperial College London, funded by the Wellcome Trust.  According to information posted on the project's website, "EpiCollect is a generic data collection tool that allows you to collect and submit geotagged data forms (along with photos) to a central project website (hosted using Google's App Engine) from suitable mobile phones (Android or iPhone). For example, questionnaires, surveys, etc.  All data synchronised (ie a copy sent from the phone) from multiple phones can then be viewed/charted/filtered at the project website using Google Maps/Earth or downloaded. Furthermore, data can be requested and viewed/filtered from the project website directly on your phone using Google Maps." -EpiCollect


(Credit:  EpiCollect Website)

EpiCollect makes use of web API's such as Google Maps, Google Charts, Google Talk, and KML Specifiction, and JavaScript Libraries such as JQuery, script.aculo.us, ExtJS, and Mapstraction.  It runs on the Google AppEngine server, and is available for Android and iPhone.

I think that EpiCollect would be a useful interactive tool for use in education, K-12 and above.  It would be ideal for students working on group projects, such as environmental study.  For young children, a simple assignment might include taking pictures and data about  birds, animals, trees, cloud formations, or even litter, as part of a class project.  Since the data includes photographs, the students could create an end product in the form of an interactive multimedia presentation, available for other students - as well as parents- to view on the web, accessed from any web-enabled device.

HCI research teams could use these tools when observing people using various technologies in public spaces, such as malls, airports, special events, as well as in stores, eateries, and entertainment settings.  

I would be interested in learning more about the use of this application in HCI and K-12 education!

RELATED
EpiCollect Website
EpiCollect Instructions
EpiCollect Instructions (pdf)
The Sight of Road Kill Makes a Pretty, Data-Rich Picture (NPR All Tech Considered)
Note: Audio from the above December 2, 2012 episode can be found on the NPR Weekend Edition Sunday website after 12:00 PM ET on 12/2/12
Mobile app sees science go global  (BBC article)
App for Android Puts Laboratories on Your Phone (Tree Hugger article)
Scientific Data Collection Goes Mobile (Discovery News article)

Paper: EpiCollect: Linking Smartphones to Web Applications for Epidemiology, Ecology and Community Data Collection (PLos One 4(9), 2009)

David M. Aanensen, Derek M. Huntley, Edward J. Feil, Fada'a al-Own, Brian G. Spratt

Conclusion from the above paper:

"Data collection frameworks utilising mobile phones with data submission to and from central databases are widely applicable and can give a field worker similar display and analysis tools on their mobile phone that they would have if viewing the data in their laboratory via the web. We demonstrate their utility for epidemiological data collection and display, and briefly discuss their application in ecological and community data collection. Furthermore, such frameworks offer great potential for recruiting ‘citizen scientists’ to contribute data easily to central databases through their mobile phone."

Men's Interest Section at Barnes and Noble: Girls Not Allowed?

I was browsing at a Barnes & Noble in Charlotte, N.C. this weekend and was surprised when I looked up to see that I was in the "Men's Interest" section.  Is this the message the bookseller wants to give to half of its potential customers?  


I don't think it was intentional.  It was just one of many subtle- and not-so-subtle - reminders that our society has a long way to go to encourage females, of any age, to consider computing and related technical fields of work and study.


Although women have made inroads in fields such as law and medicine, this is not true for many technical fields.  According to a thoughtful article written by Rane Johnson-Stempson, of Microsoft Research, a study by the Computing Research Association indicated that female students were only 14% of computer science graduates in the U.S. in 2011.  The under-representation of women in computer science and related technical fields in 2012 continues to be a problem, on many levels. 
RELATED
Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing was published about ten years ago. The book was an outgrowth of the research of Allan Fisher and Jane Margolis, of the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, and is still worth reading.



Getting more women into computer science
Connie Glasser, Atlanta Business Journal, 5/11/12
"Just when we need every available gifted mind to help business recover from the Great Recession, we can't afford to overlook the contributions that women could make if CS environments were more inclusive."




Addressing the Need for More Women in Computer Science Programs
Rane Johnson-Stempson, Microsoft Research Connections Team, 2/3/12


Breaking the Brogrammer Code: Margo Seltzer's View on Women in Computer Science
Morgen E. Peck, Txchnologist, 6/27/12



Marissa Mayer on Women in Tech: CNET's CES 2012 Panel (January, 2012)
"Right now it is a good time for women to be in tech, but there are not a lot of women in tech..."



Giving Women the Access Code
Katie Hafner, New York Times, 4/2/12


Percent of Bachelors going to Women: Not getting better among Computing Disciplines
Computing Education Blog, 5/11/12

Presentation: Unlocking the Clubhouse:  Developing Software Education and Practices for Diverse Beginners, Jen Myers, 11/19/11

Unlocking the Clubhouse: Developing Software Education and Practices for Diverse Beginners from Jen Myers

Why are there so few women in Computer Science?
A Syster, Best of Systers Blog, Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology


Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology

National Center for Women and Information Technology

Make and Share Your Games Online! Update: Game Creator and the Cartoon Network Website

I came a cross the Cartoon Network's Game Creator website a couple of years ago and thought I'd take a look at how it has grown since my last peek.  If you are a kid, educator, or parent, take a look at the updated links below. 


As I mentioned in a previous post, some educators might frown upon games and cartoon-related content.  The combination of games + cartoons might not be so bad, especially when the activity is something that can be shared in a social context.  By participating in the creation of digital games, young people are provided with skills that might just entice them to consider learning more about STEM-related fields.  (STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)


About Game Creator
According to the website, the Cartoon Network's Game Creator is "an application that gives you the power to create your own action games and share them with the world. It leads you through a simple, six-step process and gives you a set of easy-to-use tools to customize your game however you wish. When you finish building a game, you can send it to Cartoon Network's game gallery for other fans to play and rate. The gallery makes it easy for you to play other people's games, rate them, sort them and even share them with your friends."


Ben 10 Game Creator
Parent Information   (Ben 10 Game Creator Website)
Clone Wars Game Creator
Parent Information (Clone Wars Game Creator)
Batman Game Creator
Parent Information (Batman Game Creator)
Game Creator Central

Cartoon Network

RELATED

Game Creators and Cartoon Network: More Games to Create, Play, and Share Online

Lynn Marentette, Interactive Multimedia Technology, 4/25/10

Ben 10 Alien Force Game Creator from Cartoon Network:  Social Game Creation Online for Kids!

Lynn Marentette, Interactive Multimedia Technology, 7/13/09

SOMEWHAT RELATED

MIXIT Video Creator  (Cartoon Network)

Cartoon Network International Sites

Flash Classroom Jeopardy Game Maker

10 Truths About Books and What They Have to Do With Video Games
James Paul Gee, 5/15/11
"There are 10 key truths we know about books. They happen to be equally true of other "meaning making technologies" like television and video games. Thus, in these 10 ways, books and video games are the same." -James Paul Gee

"Rise and Shine": TED video featuring Simon Lewis and his recovery from a serious brain injury, and how cutting-edge technology helped. (Video includes interesting visuals)

Simon Lewis was in an automobile accident that resulted severe injuries to his body, including a very severe head injury that left him in a coma.  As a result of his experience, he wrote a book, "RISE AND SHINE", covering his journey over 15 years of recovery and regeneration.  In the book, Lewis shares what he learned along the way, and how cutting edge technology and some non-traditional thinking helped him move forward.


Simon Lewis had the opportunity to discuss his journey at a TED partner event in India in December, 2010.   The following video of his talk is about 22 minutes long, but worth taking the time to watch. A variety of visuals are used to illustrate his journey and the research he did along the way. Near the end of the video, Simon Lewis demonstrates some of the technologies that he wears that supports his functioning.


Here is the blurb about the book from the Borders website:

"An impassioned tale of survival and recovery, this inspirational story recounts the author’s horrific car accident, his subsequent coma, and the more than 15 years of cutting-edge treatments and therapies endured during convalescence. With specific details of the rigorous rehabilitation process that ensued, including numerous breakthrough and experimental surgeries, the book also provides practical insight into navigating the treacherous world of insurance and how to differentiate between the often conflicting medical opinions offered. In addition to describing the numerous procedures undergone, the author tells not only of his pain, frustration, and despair, but also of his childlike wonder at the beauty and miracle of creation. A first-person account of sudden, unexpected tragedy and life-affirming courage, this remarkable tale of regeneration imparts lessons both medical and spiritual."


The Rise and Shine website includes many of the graphics used in Simon's video, and is worth taking some time to explore. Some of the graphics are interactive. (Since the website relies on Flash, it won't work if you try to access it using an iPad.)


Comment:  As a school psychologist with additional training in neuropsychology - specifically assessment and intervention for children and teens who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI), this topic is important to me.  I'm watching the video a second time, and I plan to read his book.

(Cross-posted on the TechPsych blog.)

Quick Links: On-line interactive science resources for families from the Charlotte Observer (Better viewed on a large screen TV!)

The following information was compiled by Alicia W. Roberts as a feature related to her recent article in the Charlotte Observer, "Parents find fun online for kids: How to keep boredom at bay and help youngsters learn more about science tis summer".

To enhance the visual impact of many of the following websites, parents should consider  connecting the family computer to their a large HDTV display, if they have one.   This will make it easier to include all members of the family in the process!

ONLINE SCIENCE FOR KIDS, PARENTS

YouTube -Videos of science experiments:  youtu.be/773Rv8pZeOs. 

National Geographic for Kids: www.Kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids .

Free: Science, math and engineering: www.brainpop.com/free_stuff.

Funology - go to the Weird Science tab: www.funology.com.

PBS Kids: www.pbskids.org.

Fun activities: www.edheads.org.

Resources for Science and Parenting
Geology and Earth science: www.all-geo.org/highlyallochthonous/2011/04/backyard-science-isotope-hydrology-style .

Science and math activities: www.parentingscience.com.

"Helping Your Child Learn Science," a reference booklet with experiments: www2.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Science/index.html.

U.S. Government Science websites, with downloadable resources: www.science.gov/browse/w_133A.htm.

Citizen Science Websites

Nature's Notebook ( www.usanpn.org/how-observe): Help scientists collect data on how plants and animals respond to climate change.

Firefly Watch ( www.mos.org/fireflywatch/how_to_participate): Are fireflies disappearing?

Science for Citizens ( www.scienceforcitizens.net): Find a project that suits your family.

I'll add a few more resources when I get a moment!

SUPERMOON: Video from NASA, Links

RELATED
Super Full Moon
Dr. Tony Phillips | NASA Science News, 3/16/11
Tonight's super perigee moon a rare treat
Christopher MacManus, CNET Crave blog, 3/19/11

Gem of a video clip: Joshua Tree Under the Milky Way

I'm always on the lookout for videos that work nicely on interactive whiteboards for students with multiple special needs, including autism.  The video below is a time-lapse of the Perseid Meteor Shower and the galactic core of the Milky Way, from Joshua Tree National Park.  It was produced by Henry Jun Wah Lee, of Evosia Studios.

Joshua Tree Under the Milky Way from Henry Jun Wah Lee on Vimeo.

Teachers of studets with special needs might want to incorporate this short video clip into lessons, (in this case, science). It provides a soothing touch through the use of music, and looks fantastic on a large interactive whiteboard. The video isn't too boring if it is looped, making it great for students who require repetition of content.

RELATED
Under the Milky Way in Joshua Tree National Park

Multi-touch SmartBoard! (SMARTBoard 800 Series)

Take a look at the video demonstration of the new SMARTBoard (800 series) that offers multi-touch and gesture interaction support so that two students can interact with the board at the same time.

• Students can use 2 finger gestures to enlarge objects and move them around.
• Two students can interact with the board at the same time to complete activities.
• SMARTInk/Calligraphic Ink creates stylized print as you write. Whatever is written or drawn on the SMARTBoard becomes an object in the SMARTNotebook, allowing for things to be resized or rotated.   (2:04)
• Multi-touch gestures enabled in Window 7 and Snow Leopard work with the SMARTBoard.
• Software development kit (3:28):  Example of a physics application developed by a 3rd-party developer.  The application supports two students working at the SMARTBoard at the same time

This video, in my opinion, does not provide viewers with the full range of possibilities that the new features provide.   I'd like to see a "redo" of this video using a live teacher and a group of students.  For example, it would be interested in seeing how the physics application would be incorporated into a broader lesson or science unit.   I'd love to hear what real students have to say as they interact with the physics application, too.

Comment:

I think a multi-user interactive timeline would be a great application for the new SMARTBoard, because students could work together to create and recreate events.  This would be ideal for history, literature, and humanities activities, across a wide span of grade levels.

Video Experiments: Sea Life Medley: Extended version with music

I'm playing around with my sea life video clips to get ideas for creating interactive educational videos in the future for use on interactive whiteboards and other large touch-screen surfaces.

Here's my YouTube description:
This is a medley of several video clips taken of sea life, mostly living in aquariums. Awesome jellyfish can be viewed from 1:34- 3:45. The music consists of clips from iMovie, and then William Orbit's "Sea Green" and "Surfin". I created this video for students I work with who have more complex disabilities, such as severe autism.

Interactive Technology in the Carolinas: Discovery Place Science Center

I recently visited the Discovery Place science center in Charlotte, N.C.  It was my first visit without kids, and I thought it would be fun to explore all of the exhibits at my own pace. I was excited to play with the interactive applications created for exhibits running on Microsoft's Surface table-top computers. There were so many kids and teens at Discovery Place that every exhibit was in use. Fortunately, I obtained permission from parents to videotape/photograph some of the action.

Next time, I'll make sure that I visit at a less-busy time!

The following displays were developed by the Microsoft Surface team at Quatrefoil.  Quatrefoil is a company located in Maryland that develops immersive interactive experiences, primarily for museum exhibits and related projects.

Midwife Toad App on a Microsoft Surface

Project Build Exhibit video, from the Quatrefoil YouTube website, helps people understand the architectural design process:

THEM exhibit, from the Quatrefoil YouTube site:

"This health-related exhibition at Discovery Place in Charlotte, NC, explores how the human body is an ecosystem with a myriad of flora and fauna. Visitors are presented with an exciting and educational experience. The content is delivered in a way that carefully walks the line between gross-out information and the need to keep the context within the human body...Quatrefoil Associates designed the exhibit and produced creative media including Attack of the Superbugs, a video about antibiotic-resistant bacteria." -Quatrefoil Associates

The Reactable at Discovery Place

Digital Media & Learning Competition Awards

2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition Winners (pdf)


"The Digital Media and Learning Competition, now in its third year, is an annual effort designed to find — and to inspire — the most novel uses of new media in support of learning. In May 2010, the Competition recognized 10 projects that employ games, mobile phone applications, virtual worlds, and social networks to create learning labs for the 21st Century — environments that help young people learn through exploration, interaction and sharing."
-MacArthur Foundation/HASTAC 


2010 Winners, 21st Century Learning Lab
CLICK! The Online Spy School: Engaging Girls in STEM Activities, Peer Networking, and Gaming- Emily Sturman, Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA.
ECOBUGS- Stephen Sayers, Futurelab Education, Bristol, UK.
FAB@SCHOOL: A Digital Laboratory for the Classroom- Glen Bull, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
Hole-in-the-Wall: Activity Based e-Learning for Improving Elementary Education in India - Hole-in-the Wall Education Limited, New Delhi, India
Metrovoice: About/In/By Los Angeles - Ann Bray, LA Freewaves, Los Angeles, CA
Mobile Action Lab: Programming Apps for Collaborative Community Change- Elisabeth Soep, Youth Radio-Youth Media International, Oalkand, CA
NOX No More: Connecting Travel Logs with Simulation, Gaming, and Environmental Education- Rosanna Garcia, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Conservation Connection: From the West Side to the West Pacific-Joshua Drew, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL
Scratch & Share: Collaborating with Youth to Develop the Next Generation of Creative Software- Mitchel Resnick, MIT Media LAb, Cambridge, MA
Youth Applab- Leshell Hately, Uplift, Inc. Washington, DC


About the Competition


RELATED
Press Release Via Serious Games Market and the MacArthur Foundation

Global Competition Selects 10 Innovative Digital Media & Learning Projects to Share $1.7 Million (Digital Media & Learning, Press Releases- May 12, 2010)
Washington, DC) — Ten winners of the MacArthur Digital Media and Learning Competition were announced today at a celebration of National Lab Day in Washington, DC, to promote science, technology, engineering and math across the country. Funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and administered by the virtual network of learning institutions HASTAC, the competition winners will share $1.7 million in funding to use games, mobile phone applications, virtual worlds, and social networks to create the learning labs of the 21st century. Winners include a project to show youth-produced videos on 2,200 Los Angeles city buses; the next generation of a graphical programming language that allows young people to create their own interactive stories, games, and animations; and an online game that teaches kids the environmental impact of their personal choices. 

“Digital technologies are helping us to re-imagine learning,” said Connie Yowell, MacArthur’s Director of Education. “In the digital age, the learning environment is turned on its head — it’s no longer just the dynamic of the student, the teacher and the curriculum. Today, kids learn and interact with others — even from around the world — every time they go online, or play a video game, or engage through a social networking site. This Competition is helping us to identify and nurture the creation of learning environments that are relevant for kids today and will prepare them for a 21st century workforce.”

Now in its third year, the Competition is an annual effort to find — and to inspire — the most novel uses of new media in support of learning. This year it was launched in collaboration with President Obama’s Educate to Innovate initiative, challenging designers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and researchers to create learning labs for the 21st century, digital environments that promote building and tinkering in new and innovative ways. 

Other winners of the global Digital Media and Learning Competition include:

•Conservation Connection: Using webcasting, video blogging and social networking sites, this project connects kids from Chicago’s West Side with kids in Fiji to work together to protect Fijian coral reefs; 

•Mobile Action Lab: Combining the expertise of social entrepreneurs and technologists and the knowledge and ideas of Oakland, CA-based teens, this project helps develop mobile phone applications that serve Oakland communities. 

•Click! The Online Spy School: Designed to encourage girls engagement in the sciences, Click!Online is a web-based, augmented reality game for teen girls to solve mysteries in biomedical science, environmental protection, and expressive technology. 

•Download a complete list of the competition winners (PDF, 12 pages) »

This year’s application process included an opportunity for public comment, which allowed applicants to collaborate with others and improve their submissions prior to final review. Of the more than 800 applications from 32 countries, 67 finalists were asked to submit videos of their projects for a final round of judging. Winners were selected from this pool by a panel of expert judges that included scholars, educators, entrepreneurs, journalists, and other digital media specialists.

The Competition is funded by a MacArthur grant to the University of California, Irvine, and to Duke University and is administered by the Humanities, Arts, Science and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC). The Competition is part of MacArthur’s digital media and learning initiative designed to help determine how digital technologies are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life. Answers are critical to education and other social institutions that must meet the needs of this and future generations.

"The winning projects exhibit a wonderful creativity in developing learning platforms and environments that promote participatory and collaborative engagements for kids to learn with and from each other in their everyday engagements,” said Cathy N. Davidson, of Duke University, Co-founder of HASTAC along with David Theo Goldberg, of the University of California Humanities Research Institute. “We are witnessing the profound transformation in how young people will be learning in the future, and these projects are helping to lead the way," noted Goldberg.

Winners of the Competition were drawn from two categories: 21st Century Learning Lab Designers ($30,000 to $200,000) and Game Changers ($5,000 to $50,000). Learning Lab Designer award winners, which were announced today, will share $1.7 million for learning environments and digital media-based experiences that allow young people to grapple with social challenges through activities based on the social nature, contexts, and ideas of science, technology, engineering and math. Game Changers awards, which are to be announced on May 25th at the 2010 Games for Change festival, will share $250,000 for creative levels designed with either LittleBigPlanet™ or Spore™ Galactic Adventures. The games offer young people learning opportunities as well as engaging play. Each category includes several Best in Class awards selected by expert judges, as well as a People’s Choice Award to be selected by the general public in late May. 

Detailed information about the winning projects and the Competition is available at http://www.dmlcompetition.net.

Allgodoo: Engaging Interactive Physics for Interactive Whiteboards

I posted this on the TechPsych blog:

Watch students play with physics on the SMARTboard using Algodoo running on an Intel Classmate PC with a built-in accelerometer


The  post includes a video clip as well as links to tutorials, lesson plans for teachers, and more.

Interactive Physics: Algodoo, the educational version of Phun, optimized for the Classmate PC

Via Kenneth, Emil, and Fredrik, of Alogryx:

Algoryx, a software company, has announced an educational version of Phun Physics, called "Algodoo". It is on display Classmate PC at BETT 2009 in London this week (January 14-17).

"Algodoo is a 2D-simulation environment for creating interactive scenes in a playful, cartoony manner, making use of the physics that we use to explain our real world. Algodoo is designed to encourage young people’s own creativity, ability and motivation to construct knowledge. The synergy of science and art makes Algodoo as educational as it is entertaining. Algodoo applies a constructionistic learning paradigm - learning by designing, constructing and exploring physical systems."

"Algodoo has been optimized for the Intel-powered convertible classmate PC and makes innovative use of many of its features including the webcam for creating physical models from live photos, the touch screen and digital pen input for drawing objects, and the accelerometer for virtual experiments and very direct interaction with the physical simulation. We are quite amazed by the performance, features and look and feel of this little notebook. Learn more about it here: http://www.classmatepc.com/"

Intel's Classmate PC

The origional version, Phun, continues to be available for free, for non-commercial use. It can be downloaded from the Phunland wiki.

Phun Videoclip: Theo Jansen Mechanism

Interactive Multimedia and Multi-touch at CES

I received couple of interesting links about interactive multimedia applications from Anthony Uhrick, of NextWindow, who is attending CES (Consumer Electronics Show). (NextWindow is the company who produces large touch-screen displays that have duo and multi-touch capabilities.)

Kevin Kennedy and his team at InterKnowlogy partnered with Zygote 3D Human Anatomy and Intermountain Health Care to develop a health care application developed in Windows Presentation Foundation to run on Microsoft's multi-touch Surface computing table.

The application supports collaboration between health care professionals and could also support collaboration between patients and doctors as well. Aspects of the application could be useful for patient education.

I really liked the part that demonstrates how you can zoom deeply into the 3D heart and look at things from various angles.


http://silverlight.interknowlogy.com/Videos/VitruView/default.html

Best of InterKnowlogy Surface:



The above video demos an application that might be useful for teaching history with an interesting timeline interface dial.

Visit InterKnowlogy for more videos and information about what they are doing with Windows Presentation & Silverlight as partners with Microsoft's Surface team.

If you are interested in more 3D anatomy, visit Zygote's 3D Human Anatomy site and 3D Science. If you are an educator, you'll see that 3D interaction has potential for creating more engaging science and health education lessons!

Another interesting link is to TouchTV Networks, which has partnered with companies such as Vectorform, who are also working with multi-touch applications using Windows Presentation Foundation.

Video from TouchTV Networks of CES 2009 Demo:


Vectorform's Virtual Drum Kit application:


Vectorform's Surface at School - demonstrates how this can be used in a classroom:


Vectorform's Surface DJ


Does anyone want to give me a multi-touch table?

OpenFrameworks & Interactive Multimedia: Funky Forest Installation for CineKid

The Funky Forest was created by Emily Gobeille and Theodore Watson for the 2007 CineKid festival in the Netherlands, using OpenFrameworks, an open-source application used for multimedia and multi-touch applications. Take a look at the video and pictures of the children interacting with this technology!

"It “is a wild and crazy ecosystem where you manage the resources to influence the environment around you. Streams of water flowing on the floor can be diverted to make the different parts of the forest grow. If a tree does not receive enough water it withers away but by pressing your body into the forest you create new trees based on your shape and character. As you explore and play you discover that your environment is inhabited by sonic life forms who depend on a thriving ecosystem to survive.”

The trees and creatures in the installation look really beautiful; just abstract enough to make it look like a strange magical forest, but the processes of our real ecosystems are still recognisable. A really wonderful project. And it sure looks like a lot of fun!" -Tanja, from the TakeBigBites blog

Phoenix Mars Mission Website

The following is part of a related post from the TechPsych blog about the Phoenix Mars Mission:

If you are an educator with access to an interactive whiteboard and can integrate a visit to Mars into your lesson plans during the last days of the school year, a trip to the Phoenix Mars Mission website is a must! The website is well designed and user-friendly.

Renderings of the Phoenix Mars Lander

Here are few places to start:

Phoenix Mars Mission News
Web Exhibit -Mars: The Search for Water, the Search for Life
Flash Video Stream (the video has relaxing ambient music, by the way)
Images
Videos and Animations
Just for Kids - this site was designed with content by kids to share with others.

From Mars to Earth: An Interactive Timeline

Enjoy!

Virtual Field Trips and Interactive Web Quests

I'm compiling a new list of interactive multimedia resources suitable for virtual field trips and web quests. Here are a few I've recently found:

The Virtual Human Project: University of Michigan



The Virtual Human Project has been around for quite some time. What's new? A variety of browsers have been developed that allow for viewing high-resolution images. Take a look at this video demonstration:

Virtual Dissections, Labs, and Field Trips

The Cell Visualization Project


CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Museum Web Activities (Funded by the National Science Foundation)




Web Adventure

CSI: The Experience

Nobelprize.org's Educational Outreach: Multimedia Games, Experiments and Simulated Environments

I recently came across the Nobelprize.org website when I was searching for interactive learning games suitable for use on interactive whiteboards or large touch-screen displays.

For those of you who follow my blog, you'll know that I periodically look for engaging visual and multimedia activities that have potential for use in classrooms where Universal Design for Learning is practiced. Visual and multimedia forms of knowledge representation can help to reach a wide range of people, including those who have reading difficulties, language-based learning disabilities, auditory attention and memory deficits, or have autism spectrum disorders (Asperger syndrome, autism, etc.).

If you are an educator who is interested in using games in your classroom, the resources from Nobelprize.org are a good start, since background information is provided for each game.

Direct links to the games and information pages are listed below.

Info from the website:

"Nobelprize.org has a unique way of introducing the Nobel Prize that goes beyond the mere presentation of facts. These introductions, aptly called 'educational', are made in the form of games, experiments, and simulated environments ready to be explored and discovered. The productions are aimed at the young, particularly the 14-18 age groups, who may know about the Nobel Prizes and the Nobel Laureates, but often lack a deeper understanding about the Nobel Prize-awarded works."

"These educational productions do not require previous knowledge. A central thought or issue is explored during 10-20 minutes of activity, using a specific Nobel Prize-awarded work as a springboard for the whole exercise."

"The productions offer an excellent way of using the Internet for homework, or just plain, wholesome entertainment. The high level of interactivity and the sophisticated illustrations ensure an enriching time spent in front of the computer."

Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Heating Plastics Game
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/chemistry/plastics/game/index.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/chemistry/plastics/index.html

What is Chirality?
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2001/illpres/game.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/chemistry/chiral/index.html

Conductive Polymers- Conductive Valley Game
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/chemistry/conductive_polymers/game/index.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/chemistry/conductive_polymers/index.html

Nobel Prize in Medicine

The Blood Typing Game
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/landsteiner/landsteiner.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/landsteiner/index.html

The Ear Pages
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/ear/game/index.html
Background Information and Directions:
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/ear/index.html

The Immune System Defender Game
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/immunity/game/index.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/immunity/index.html

Nobel Prize in Physics

The Metal Chef Show Game:
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/physics/steel/Steel1920.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/physics/

Laser Challenge Game:
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/physics/laser/challenge.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/physics/laser/index.html

The Recycler Game: Learn about Transistors
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/physics/transistor/recycler/index.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/physics/transistor/index.html

Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences

Trade Ruler Game
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/economics/trade/game/ruler.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/economics/

Nobel Peace Prize

The Peace Dove Game:
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/peace/nuclear_weapons/game.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/peace/nuclear_weapons/index.html

The Red Cross Movement: Prisoners of War Game
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/peace/redcross/game.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/peace/redcross/index.html

Interactive Conflict Map
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/peace/conflictmap/conflictmap.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/peace/conflictmap/index.html

Nobel Prize in Literature

Lord of the Flies Game
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/literature/golding/lof.html
Background Information and Directions
http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/literature/golding/index.html

Interactive web-based science and math: Link to my TechPsych post about ExploreLearning Gizmos

ExploreLearning is a website that offers a variety of engaging math and science activities, called "Gizmos", for students in grades 6-12.


ExploreLearning's Gizmos would be great on large touch-screen surfaces or displays, such as a NextWindow Human Touch, a SmartBoard, or Microsoft's Surface.

Since the activites are designed as learning modules and are web-based, the Gizmos might even work on iPhones!

Check out my TechPsych post for more information and links.

Photo courtesy of ExploreLearning.