CHI 2011! - Today's Highlights from the ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

I'm happy to share that I was approved for a press pass for the CHI 2011  conference I'm attending in Vancouver, Canada.   (I was one of the organizers for a pre-conference workshop held on Saturday, "Child Computer Interaction: Workshop on UI Technologies and Educational Pedagogy" and will share more information from the workshop in future blog posts.)


The press pass will provide me the opportunity to meet a number of key thinkers/researchers related to the field of Human Factors/Human Computer Interaction.  Here are a few of today's press highlights:


A conversation with ...Howard Rheingold
CHI 2011’s opening session features Howard Rheingold, an acknowledged authority on mobile communications, discussing the evolution and future of social media in teaching and learning. Rheingold, the author of Smart Mobs, innovator, and Stanford University lecturer, explains, "use of social media in higher education teaching sessions can provide opportunities for innovative and meaningful interactions that extend far beyond the traditional face-to-face classroom experience." -CHI 2011


A conversation with...the "PaperPhone Team"
Hang up the iPhone - here comes the paper phone: Bending the device will allow users to make calls and play music Gillian Shaw, Vancouver Sun, 5/5/11
UltraThin 'PaperPhone' bends to user's will Emily Chung, CBC News, 5/5/11


An Interview with Conference Organizers and Interaction Researchers ...
Desney Tan, Conference Chair and Microsoft Research
Bo Begole, Technical Program Co-Char and XEROX Palo Alto Research Center (PARC)
Wendy Kellogg, Technical Program Co-Chair and IBM


I can't wait until 4:00 PM - a special tour of the interactive demonstrations - here is the information I received from the CHI 2011 PR coordinator:



SPECIAL PRESS PREVIEW of the Interactive Demonstrations 4:00 - 5:30 PM  INTERACTIVITY PRESS TOUR
"This event will be highly visual & interactive http://chi2011.org/program/interactivity.html Press Release: Interactive Technologies Showcased at ACM Conference on Computer-Human Interaction http://chi2011.org/press/presskit/interactivity.html"


I'm sure this will be interesting:
Collecting the History of Interactive Devices
"An exhibit of interactive devices from the past 35 years that point to ways of interacting with computers in the future. First shown at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 2004 (and updated for 2011), the collection documents the history of pen computing, pointing devices, touch technologies, and illustrates the nature of how new technologies emerge." - CHI 2011


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Allison Druin's Workshop Keynote: "Mining the Imagination from Time Travel to Anti-Gravity" - CHI 2011, Vancouver, Canada

The Future... thoughts shared by Allison Druin at CHI 2011:

• Rethinking the meaning of interaction- well beyond the mouse,  beyond the icon
• Rethinking our relationships we have with our technologies
• Rethinking how to transform technology
• Rethinking ho transforming technology can change learning, to really change the future...

Paraphrasing ....."It starts with the experience of the child.  Have you ever asked them what they think about the future?  Backpacks with ice cream, storytelling machines that fly...  layered stories that are tall as building?

How do you get from low-tech prototyping to what gets on tech devices?  It's not about data analysis, analyzing things that are easy to analyse."

Allison works with kids and adults together, in a participatory manner, at her lab at the University of Maryland... 

Video demonstrating design techniques, including low-tech prototyping, involving children and ideas:

http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-kidsteam-dana-video


The researchers look at what children are doing today, in homes and in schools.  More recently, children's use of search at home, away from the eyes of their teachers.  


How do we figure out how designs and ideas become new technologies?  


Here is one example:  
Story kit is a freely available app for the iPhone that can be used as a prototyping tool.  Kids are asked to design music and create what it might sound like. It is considered to be a "mid-tech" tool, and supports creativity in the design process.


Three things that will happen in the future, according to Druin:

1. Technology Ecology -  apps are cross platforms and technologies.  Where ever kids are and need it (tech agnostic)
2. Physical/Virtual Switching --- interaction "bursts".    Designing for an activity that can be interrupted, in a good way.
3. Creation of new neighborhood for learning.  A blur between the local and the global,  "Local 2.0",  beyond the walls.  Technologies need to accept this, and embrace this.

Allison's inspiration comes from her many years of working with children in innovative and creative ways.


RELATED
From the Q and A:
Kids now know that technology rapidly changes.
Kids continue to be creative.
Kids seem to be more confident in their creativity, and that it matters. 
Kids aren't given enough opportunities to be creative these days, given all of the testing that they endure at school.


"There is a feeling that anything is possible....it does happen!"


LINKS
Children as Design Partners

www.childrenslibrary.org

www.cs.umd.edu/hcil

www.umiacs.umd.edu/~alisond

Workshop Website
CHI 2011 Workshop Program and Related Links:  UI Technologies ant Impact on Educational Pedagogy, Related Child-Computer Interaction Papers and Courses

Cross-post: TechPsych blog

At CHI 2011 - workshop starts soon!

The workshop agenda has been changed slightly, and I will update the blog to reflect the changes soon.  Here is a link to a previous post about the workshop:


CHI 2011 Workshop Program and Related Links: UI Technologies and Impact on Educational Pedagogy, Related Child-Computer Interaction Papers and Courses

Futurecasting and Science Fiction at Intel: Video of Brian David Johnson, Futurist.

"The Tomorrow Project" is an international program that explores and creates science fiction based on science fact. The project features science fiction stories, comics and short screen plays based on current research and emerging technologies and examines their affect on our future. -Intel
The Tomorrow Project-Seattle

RELATED
Intel's Context Aware Computing- Justin Rattner, Intel Chief Technology Office
Intel Developers Forum, 2010

CHI 2011 Workshop Program and Related Links: UI Technologies and Impact on Educational Pedagogy, Related Child-Computer Interaction Papers and Courses

WORKSHOP PROGRAM
CHI 2011 will be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver. The UI Technologies and Pedagogy workshop will be held on Saturday, May 7th,  in the West Building, Level 1, Room 119/120.  PDF versions of the following presentations can be found on the workshop's website.


9:00am – 09:05am Introduction
Edward Tse and Johannes Schöning
9:05am - 10:05am Paper Session I (8 min presentation, 4 min Discussion)
Chair: Yvonne Rogers
Evaluating Pervasive Classrooms
• Son Do-Lenh et al.: Classroom-experience evaluation: An ecological approach to evaluating pervasive technologies in classrooms 
• Kathryn Rounding et al.: Evaluating Interfaces with Children 
• Dan Morris et al.: Using Machine Learning to Scaffold Artistic Creativity in Education
• Tamara Polajnar et al.: Enabling Picture-based Querying and Learning with the JuSe Interface
• Hamed Alavi et al.: Lantern 2.0: A Pervasive Scripting Tool
•Quincy Brown et al.: Mobile Natives: Unlocking the Potential of Educational Technology
10:15am - 11:00am  Coffee Break and Preparation time for short talks
11:00am - 12:10pm  Paper Session II (8min presentation, 4min Discussion)
Chair: Max Mühlhäuser
Collaboration in Math: Fears, Myths, and Insights.
• Nicola Yull et al.: Pass the iPad: Comparing collaboration on paper and screen
• Veronika Irvine et al.: Math Education: A Creative Approach
• Group talk: Math and Embodied Agents
a.Kristina Richter et al.: Bridging Diagnosis and Learning for Mathematics Education in Classroom Setting
b.Lisa Anthony et al.: Handwriting Interaction for Math Tutors: Lessons for HCI in Education
c.Andrew Jensen et al.: Using Embodied Pedagogical Agents and Direct Instruction to Augment Learning for Young Children with Special Needs
• Group talk: Dispelling Myths About the Next Generation Classroom
a. Alex Thayer et al.: The Myth of the Paperless School: Replacing Printed Texts with E-readers
b.Sharon Oviatt: Designing Digital Tools for Thinking, Adaptive Learning and Cognitive Evolution
c.Alexandra Dunn et al.: Designing Classroom Technology to Meet the Needs of All
• Group talk: Games, Wearables and Fun Learning.
a.Christiane Moser et al.: Child-Centered Game Development
b.Lizbeth Escobedo et al.: Blue’s Clues: An Augmented Reality Positioning System
c.Si Jung Kim et al.: Wearable Story: A Story Telling Jacket for Young Children to Improve Their Independent Physical and Learning Activities
12:10pm - 1:30pm   Lunch
1:30pm - 2:30pm   Paper Session III (8 min presentation, 4 min Discussion)
Chair: Richard Beckwith
Tangibles and Tabletops
• Izdihar Jamil et al.:    Communication Patterns in Collaborative Peer Learning around Interactive Table
• Aura Pon et al.:   Graspable Music and Vuzik: Music Learning and Creativity using an Interactive Surface
• Ahmed Kharrufa et al.: Learning at interactive surfaces and designing for reflection
• Cristina Sylla et al.: TOK – a Tangible Interface for Storytelling
• Group talk: Tables and Tangibles
a.Robert Sheehan:    Constructionism, Programming and Touch Interfaces
b.Orit Shaer et al.:     Making the Invisible Tangible: Learning Biological Engineering in Kindergarten
c.Sebastien Kubicki: Evaluation of an interactive table with tangible objects: Application with children in a classroom
d.Cristina Emilia Costa et al.:  I-Theatre: developing narratives skills in kindergarten children
e.Wooi Boon Goh et al.:  Potential Challenges in Collaborative Game Design for Inclusive Settings
2:30pm - 3:00pm       Coffee Break
3:00pm - 4:00pm       Breakout Discussion (What are future challenges? Next years workshop?)
4:00pm - 4:45pm   Closing Keynote by Allison Druin: Mining the Imagination from Time Travel to Anti-gravity: The Future of Child-Computer Interaction
"If you’ve ever sat with a child imagining the future of new technologies, you will undoubtedly hear about “anti-gravity machines,” “peace-technologies that work by tickling people,” “backpacks of the future with ice cream makers,” and “time-travel-mobile-phones that when you call someone it takes you back in time.” The question is how can these child-like imagined technologies lead us to real answers for the future?


In my talk I will propose that “data mining” is not enough, that “mining the imagination” is critical to understanding the future. I will describe the “iChild” and the interactive, independent, international, imaginative child we need to consider designing for in the future. If we look for real change, we need to listen to children, not because they know more, but because they can help us question, explore, and push us in true directions for change."


Allison Druin is an Associate Dean for Research in the iSchool at the University of Maryland and is Director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab. For almost 14 years, she has led an intergenerational research team, where children, ages 7-11 years old partner with an interdisciplinary group of adult researchers to develop new technologies for children. With this team, she has helped to developed new digital library and storytelling tools with such partners as the U.S. National Park Service, Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon, Nokia, UNICEF, and many others. In 2010, she received with Ben Bederson the SIGCHI Social Impact Award for her work leading the International Children’s Digital Library (www.childrenslibrary.org).
4:45pm - 5:00pm Closing Remarks (All)
7:00pm Optional Workshop Dinner


RELATED CHILD-COMPUTER INTERACTION SESSIONS AT CHI 2011
CHI 2011 will be offering a variety of opportunities for people interested in interaction design and technologies for children.  Detailed information regarding the researchers/ presenters can be found on the IDC-SIG News/Events page.


CHI2011 COURSE - Evaluating Children's Interactive Technology
Monday 9th May 2011 - 16:00
Janet C Read - University of Central Lancashire
Panos Markopoulos - Technical University of Eindhoven
CHI2011 COURSE - New Methods for Designing for and with the iChild: Strategies for Today’s Mobile, Social, and Internet Technologies
Thursday 12th May 2011 - 09:00
Allison Druin - University of Maryland
Jerry Fails - Montclair State University
Mona Leigh Gubler - University of Maryland
CHI2011 Paper Session - Engaging Youth  Thursday 12th May 2011 - 11:00
Exploratory Evaluations of a Computer Game Supporting Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Adolescents
In the Mood: Engaging Teenagers in Psychotherapy Using Mobile Phones
Breaking Boundaries: Strategies for Mentoring through Textile Computing Workshops
Brick by Brick: Iterating Interventions to Bridge the Achievement Gap with Virtual Peers
CHI2011 - Other IDC Related Papers
Paper Session: Art, Music and  Movement: Monday 9th May 2011
MOGCLASS: Evaluation of a Collaborative System of Mobile Devices for Classroom Music Education of Young Children
MoBoogie: Creative Expression Through Whole Body Musical Interaction
Paper Session: Low-cost ICT4D Tuesday 10th May 2011
Utilizing Multimedia Capabilities of Mobile Phones to Support Teaching in Schools in Rural Panama
Infrastructures for low-cost laptop use in Mexican schools
Paper Session: Storytelling and Perceptual Crossing Wednesday 11th May 2011
ShadowStory: Creative and Collaborative Digital Storytelling Inspired by Cultural Heritage
Paper Session: Learning
Practical, Appropriate, Empirically-Validated Guidelines for Designing Educational Games

CHI2011 Paper Session - Families Tuesday 10th May 2011 - 11:00

Learning Patterns of Pick-ups and Drop-offs to Support Busy Family Coordination

Mediated Parent-Child Contact in Work-Separated Families

Hello, is Grandma there? Let’s Read! StoryVisit: Family Video Chat and Connected E-Books

Family Portals: Connecting Families Through A Multifamily Media Space

If these topics interest you, consider making plans to attend IDC 2011!
IDC 2011:  The 10th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children
June 19-23,  University of Michigan (My alma mater!)

TEDTalk: Carlo Ratti, of MIT's SENSEable City Lab - Flying Pixels-Helicopters, Sensors, Actuators, 3D Reconstruction of Movement, an Interactive "Cloud", and more

If you are interested in new interactive technologies, take 15 minutes to watch Carlo Ratti's TEDTalk about the work of MIT's SENSEable City lab:

Carlo Ratti is the director of the MIT SENSEable City Lab. He's a civil engineer and architect interested in sensors, hand-held electronics and the built environments of cities, and how data generated by sensors can be used to create new interactive, artistic environments.


In this March 2011 TED Talk, Ratti discusses how data from passive data sets, such as phone calls, can be harnessed to create visualizations that represent the life and interactions that take place in cities.  These visualizations are made interactive through the use of sensors and human gestures.


RELATED
SENSEABLE Website
Below are some examples of projects of the SENSEable City Lab:
Flyfire "...the Flyfire project sets out to explore the capabilities of this display system by using a large number of self-organizing micro helicopters.  Each helicopter contains small LEDs and acts as a smart pixel.  Through precisely controlled movements, the helicopters perform elaborate and synchronized motions and form an elastic display surface for any desired scenario...The Flyfire canvas can transform itself from one shape to another or morph a two-dimensional photographic image into an articulated shape...." -info from the Flyfire website
The Cloud (+atmos page)



"The CLOUD proposes an entirely new form of observation deck, connecting visitors for both the whole of London and the whole of the world, immersing them in euphoric gusts of weather and digital data.  Each individual footstep on the ascent to the CLOUD participates in a vast collective energy-harvesting effort.  Everyone around the world can contribute to the Cloud-whether by visiting or by sponsoring and LED, helping to keep the London lamp aflame." The CLOUD website
Real Time Rome
Trash|Track
Digital Water Pavillion