Richard Mayer has devoted his career to the study of multimedia learning. He is a professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at UC Santa Barbara, and the author of Multimedia Learning, 2nd Edition. Although the book was published in 2009, years ago, it is a must-read for anyone interested in this topic.
With the popularity of interactive whiteboards and tablets/iPads in education, it is important for educators, designers and developers to become familiar with the basic principles of multimedia learning. It is also important subject for researchers.
Photo via engadget About four years ago I almost rolled out on the floor laughing at Fred Armisen's parody of CNN's Magic Map Wall during the Weekend Update segment of Saturday Night Live. When I came across the video clip, I couldn't resist sharing it on my blog, and thought I'd share the video clip once again in honor of Election Day:
My 10/25/08 post, Multi-touch Parody of CNN's Magic Map Wall by Fred Armisen on SNL's MegaPixel Giant Touch-map, was written when large touch-screen displays were beginning to gain steam in a variety of markets. At the time, not all of the kinks had been worked out, and there were few people around who knew much about developing programs for use on these displays. Since then, there have been many improvements in both hardware and software. Jeff Han, of Perceptive Pixel, provided the multi-touch screen system for CNN and the SNL parody. He recently sold Perceptive Pixel to Microsoft and now works as a general manager for Microsoft Office. He's spreading the word about Microsoft's venture into large multi-touch displays- (55 and 82 inches), powered by Windows 8. For more information about Jeff Han and Microsoft Office, take a look at my blog post featuring a recent video of Jeff Han's presentation about Windows 8 for large displays, Microsoft's new multi-touch, pen, and ink technology. The video also includes a presentation about experience design considerations for large displays, by Nathan Fish.
Earlier this year, Microsoft bought Jeff Han's company, founder of Perceptive Pixel. Jeff Hans now works for the Microsoft Office division of the company, where there is a push to bring new and improved large multi-touch displays to the corporate world. With this off-the-desktop move, developers are challenged to develop applications for Windows 8 that will be geared towards supporting collaboration in corporate settings. Jeff Han and Nathan Fish were at Microsoft's "Build" conference recently to give a presentation about the nuts and bolts of the new technology - how it works, and suggestions for design. Although the video presentation is over an hour long, it is worth setting aside some time to watch!
Here is the description of the presentation: "Develop solutions that flow with your customers business - starting with individuals and information workers on their phones, desks or virtual offices, moving into conference rooms, brainstorm areas, boardrooms and common areas. Learn how Microsoft's new pen and touch capabilities, software and hardware will enable you to develop products that will help businesses be more efficient. Have a sneak peek on what our large multi-touch displays (82' and 55') can bring to your solutions." -Microsoft Build Jeff Han emphasized that touch interaction is everywhere and is a fundamental requirement in applications. Windows 8 apps should be designed for all screen sizes, saying "It's all about collaboration of people and a collaboration of devices that gets your work done....this is the real thing, and it is about to happen. Devices (referring to large displays) are coming... we do have a mechanism for early access hardware."
During the second half of the video (38:00), Nathan Fish discusses guidelines for designing experiences on large displays, including optimization, handling various interactions via pen, touch, and gestures, the use of application bars and context menus, and more.
At the beginning of his presentation, Nathan Fish briefly discusses the uncharted territory of designing for collaborative large displays, and tells the audience that the guidelines are just suggestions, " nothing is written, we are figuring this out as we go."
My fear is that Windows 8 developers might not have the inclination to think past the smaller screens of smartphones and tablets, resulting in touchy-feely variations of PowerPoint and other Office applications that have been around for too long.
What happened to the Surface Table? I was surprised that Jeff Han's company was not folded into PixelSense, formally known as Surface, the division of Microsoft that focuses on large multi-touch tables. In my opinion, the tables had some potential to support collaborative work in the corporate world. It will be interesting to see how things unfold! PixelSense Take a look at the video clip below for more information:
Discover the Samsung SUR40 (with PixelSense) Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense PixelSense Development Partners Insights on Interactive Tabletops: A Survey of Researchers and Developers(pdf) Hrvoje Benko, Meredith Ringel Morris, A.J. Bernheim Brush, and Andrew D. Wilson 2009, Microsoft Research SOMEWHAT RELATED I've been interested in large screen displays and how they interact with smaller devices for a very long time. In 2007, I was taking graduate courses at UNC-Charlotte and planned to pursue further research and work related to this area. At the time, I prepared a paper to present at a conference, but was unable to present due a serious health emergency in my family. The abstract is below: "Large screen displays support the collaboration of two or more people, especially when the nature of the content is visual. These displays, in the form of walls, windows, boards, and touch-tables, will become ubiquitous in the future, and can be found in workplaces, educational institutions, museums, and other public spaces. New display systems have been developed that allow for co-located communication between groups of people, and also allow for collaboration with individuals in remote locations, using mobile computing or communication devices. This paper will provide an overview of the technologies that support this new way of communication, discuss the challenges involved in establishing "interoperability" within these new systems, and examine the possibilities for the future."
If this topic interests you, take a look at one of my Flickr collections: Ubiquitous Sightings of Urban Screens: Interactive Displays in Public Spaces, Digital Signage, and Screens of All Sizes Description: "All kinds of displays are cropping up in shopping centers, malls, banks, stores, airports, schools, businesses, and meeting places. What is the purpose of all of these displays? Displays and mobile devices, everywhere we go. It doesn't look like we've really figured out how to harness the potential of the technology that surrounds us."
I was at the auto dealership to get my car's oil changed a few weeks ago and noticed a large interactive display that featured an in-depth explanation of Hyundai's BlueLink technology. The display also provided touch-screen interaction to explore information and view videos about the features of new cars.
My toddler grandson loves cars, so when he came to visit, I brought him along. Since it is difficult to interact with a touch screen display and at the same time discreetly video the experience with a toddler in tow, I wasn't able spend much time exploring the display's features. The following video is what I managed to capture.
I am still hunting down information about the story behind the display. RELATED HYUNDAI's Interactive BlueLink website Overview of BlueLink The Tube (2008) This project was installed in 180 Hyundai dealerships in the U.S. It was created with a Papervision3D menu to display media types such as video, audio, animation, and zoomable bitmaps. The application was designed to run within a local network. I'm not sure if the display I saw at my local dealership was an updated version of this project or something new.
CFP for Special Issue of Personal and Ubiquitous Computing on Educational Interfaces, Software, and Technology (EIST) -Extended Deadline: December 9, 2012 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:
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
Step into a school and you might notice that older desktop computers have been replaced by an assortment of portable devices. In many cases, students still carry around book bags that contain an assortment of textbooks, binders, worksheets, along with something digital.
So what is that "something digital"? In some cases, it might be a school-issued laptop or net-book. In other cases, it could be an iPad, an e-reader, or another sort of tablet. In other cases, it could be whatever the student brings to school, as part of a "BYOD" (Bring Your Own Device) experiment. No one has yet figured all out, but many people, from a number of disciplines, are trying!
Stantum is an example of a company that has an interest in the use of innovative technology for education. Stantum develops multi-touch technology for mobile devices, including tablets, and follows trends in education closely. I've had the opportunity speak with Guillaume Largillier, Stantum's co-founder and CSO on several occasions, most recently in late October. I'm happy to say that Stantum looks like it will be making some important inroads in education. Why? Stantum is aware that as educational institutions, K-12 and above, leave textbooks behind, there will be an enormous need for devices that will seamlessly support teaching and learning, all around the world. Guillaume spoke of developments in countries such as South Korea, France, Turkey, Thailand, Columbia, Argentina, and China to adopt digital textbooks. Some of these countries have initiated pilot programs using some sort of tablet or mobile devices, or plan to do so in the very near future.
During our conversation, Guilluame pointed out that Stantum is involved in developing durable components and tablets made from materials that can withstand the knocking about that sometimes happens when handled by young hands. Unlike the iPad, the tablets will not need a rugged, more expensive case, so it is likely that the cost to schools will be lower. Since the tablets are open to most operating systems, they are likely to be easier for school IT administrators to deploy, update, and maintain.
A bit about the technology: Stantum's Interpolated Voltage Sensing Matrix (IVSM) technology supports 10 simultaneous touches and can handle touch and stylus input at the same time. It "knows" if it has been touched by a finger and can disregard a palm. This is a good feature to have if a tablet is used young people. Earlier this year, Stantum announced its partnership with NISSHA, a company based in Japan, and unveiled its newest development, Fine Touch Z Technology, powered by IVSM. It can support Windows and Android operating systems. It has a fast scanning engine, high-resolution handwriting input, and does not produce ghost or masking effects. (See video below). One appealing feature of this technology is that it provides has low power consumption. This is a plus when considering the need students to have a device that has an extended battery life.
RELATED A leap towards interactive digital "textbooks":
Although students have been accessing educational content in digital form on computers and through educational television programming for a long time, textbooks and paper-based assignments have been major tools used in school to transmit the curriculum. The tools are changing as we move to a digital, multimedia world of communication, collaboration, knowledge sharing, teaching, learning, and creating. There are many questions to consider.
What sort of digital content will replace traditional textbooks?
Who will create this content?
Will traditional textbook publishers simply transform textbooks into slightly more interactive versions of the ho-hum content students love to hate?
How will digital interaction change the way everyone learns? How will this be measured?
How will teachers and students be provided with opportunities to create new ways of sharing knowledge?
How will usability and accessibility concerns be addressed, for students, teachers - and family members, given that digital content will be accessed both in and outside of school?
What sort of software systems will need to be developed?
What sort of infrastructure will be needed to support this influx of online activity and transfer of large data files - at schools, in homes, and in communities?
How will the technological ecology support learning, given multiple devices, interactive whiteboards and other interactive surfaces?
With change, there is usually confusion as old ways are set aside and people explore new options. Apple is making some inroads with the iPad, providing educators (and students) to create interactive books with the free iBooks Author program. Some schools have 1-1 laptop programs in place, and provide access to educational content through more traditional course management systems or web-based activities that accompany existing textbooks. Schools are signing up for resources such as Google in Education and Microsoft Partners in Learning.
If you are looking for some resources about the rapid increase in interest and adoption of interactive digital textbooks, not just in the U.S., but around the world, take a look at my recent blog post, "Got Interactive (Multimedia) Textbooks Inside Your iPad or Tablet? Lots of Resources!". In the post, I provide a wealth of links to information from the LEAD commission, the FCC's Digital Textbook Playbook, and more. You might also want to take a look at Audrey Watters' article, The Truth About Tablets: Educators are getting iPads and e-readers into students'hands--but it's not easy, which was published online in the School Library Journal earlier this year. For a global perspective, read Alex Wukman's article, World Bank Begins Global Digital Textbook Initiative It wouldn't hurt to learn more about what the textbook publishers have in mind. For that reason, I've put together a sample of resources about interactive digital content from major educational media and textbook publishing organizations: DISCOVERY EDUCATION Techbooks In the following video, students and teachers from an elementary school in Winston-Salem give their reviews of the new Discovery Education Science Techbook. Students can access the Discovery Techbook via the web. In this video, students interact with the content using traditional desktop computers as well as interactive whiteboards. Techbooks are designed to work on tablets or laptops, too. At :39, a first grade teacher explains exactly why she likes the science techbook: "...everything is right here at your hands, it is interesting to the kids, they love to watch the videos, and you can take it further - beyond than that, and everything is done for you, it is just really helpful. It even has the prep, the content review, and it is all aligned to the curriculum." -Laurie Moran
PEARSON Pearson's new interactive textbook for the iPad "It is really going to revolutionize how we think about the classroom experience and what happens in the classroom in the way of learning, and what happens outside the classroom." -Joseph Levine, Author, Miller & Levine Biology
