64 research outputs found

    Shortages and Challenges in Augmentative Communication through Tangible Interaction using a user-centered design and assessment process

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    In this article, we present an assessment process on a tangible interaction application oriented to individuals with complex communication needs, called ACoTI, and details about the main results obtained thus far. The process is based on a set of decisions that have been surveyed as key elements for assessing this type of experiences, based on a background review that was carried out. In addition to that, it has taken into account the contribution of key players from the special education field and it is the foundation for the user-centered and evolutionary design of the application. A number of findings and challenges that open up the door to keep contributing to this specific area was presented. For instance, creating an authoring tool that is available for the educators to be able to generate themselves customized activities for their students, considering the specific needs of each of them.Fil: Sanz, Cecilia Veronica. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Informática. Instituto de Investigación en Informática Lidi; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Artola, Verónica. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Informática. Instituto de Investigación en Informática Lidi; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Guisen, Maria Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Marco, Javier. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Cerezo, Eva. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Baldassarri, Sandra Silvia. Universidad de Zaragoza; Españ

    Shortages and Challenges in Augmentative Communication through Tangible Interaction Using a User-centered Design and Assessment Process

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    In this article, we present an assessment process on a tangible interaction application oriented to individuals with complex communication needs, called ACoTI, and details about the main results obtained thus far. The process is based on a set of decisions that have been surveyed as key elements for assessing this type of experiences, based on a background review that was carried out. In addition to that, it has taken into account the contribution of key players from the special education field and it is the foundation for the user-centered and evolutionary design of the application. A number of findings and challenges that open up the door to keep contributing to this specific area was presented. For instance, creating an authoring tool that is available for the educators to be able to generate themselves customized activities for their students, considering the specific needs of each of them.Instituto de Investigación en Informátic

    Shortages and challenges in augmentative communication through tangible interaction using a user-centered design and assessment process

    Get PDF
    In this article, we present an assessment process on a tangible interaction application oriented to individuals with complex communication needs, called ACoTI, and details about the main results obtained thus far. The process is based on a set of decisions that have been surveyed as key elements for assessing this type of experiences, based on a background review that was carried out. In addition to that, it has taken into account the contribution of key players from the special education field and it is the foundation for the user-centered and evolutionary design of the application. A number of findings and challenges that open up the door to keep contributing to this specific area was presented. For instance, creating an authoring tool that is available for the educators to be able to generate themselves customized activities for their students, considering the specific needs of each of them

    Playful User Interfaces:Interfaces that Invite Social and Physical Interaction

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    Practical, appropriate, empirically-validated guidelines for designing educational games

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    There has recently been a great deal of interest in the potential of computer games to function as innovative educational tools. However, there is very little evidence of games fulfilling that potential. Indeed, the process of merging the disparate goals of education and games design appears problematic, and there are currently no practical guidelines for how to do so in a coherent manner. In this paper, we describe the successful, empirically validated teaching methods developed by behavioural psychologists and point out how they are uniquely suited to take advantage of the benefits that games offer to education. We conclude by proposing some practical steps for designing educational games, based on the techniques of Applied Behaviour Analysis. It is intended that this paper can both focus educational games designers on the features of games that are genuinely useful for education, and also introduce a successful form of teaching that this audience may not yet be familiar with

    Mechanisms for collaboration: a design and evaluation framework for multi-user interfaces

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    Multi-user interfaces are said to provide “natural” interaction in supporting collaboration, compared to individual and noncolocated technologies. We identify three mechanisms accounting for the success of such interfaces: high awareness of others' actions and intentions, high control over the interface, and high availability of background information. We challenge the idea that interaction over such interfaces is necessarily “natural” and argue that everyday interaction involves constraints on awareness, control, and availability. These constraints help people interact more smoothly. We draw from social developmental psychology to characterize the design of multi-user interfaces in terms of how constraints on these mechanisms can be best used to promote collaboration. We use this framework of mechanisms and constraints to explain the successes and failures of existing designs, then apply it to three case studies of design, and finally derive from them a set of questions to consider when designing and analysing multi-user interfaces for collaboration

    A Spectrum of Tech: An Integrated Literature Review of Technologies to Target Social Skills in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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    Students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often have limited social or communication skills and, thus, need extra assistance in learning when and how to engage in appropriate interactions with those around them. However, because there are several different individual skills (e.g., joint attention, emotional expression, etc.) that fall under the categories of social and communication skills, and there are even more options of devices and programs to choose from within assistive technology (AT) and instructional technology (IT), it may seem daunting to find the right technology to meet a specific child’s needs and to determine whether that technology procedures lasting results. The purpose of this integrated literature review was to investigate whether devices used for social skills intervention in PreK-12 students with ASD function as either AT or IT, with the secondary goal of determining which technologies promote better maintenance and generalization than others in social skills interventions in PreK-12 students with ASD. Analysis of published research studies on Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Games, Video Modeling, Social Robots, and Wearable Assistive Technologies demonstrate that many of these technologies function as either AT or IT, depending on the context of the situation. Furthermore, it was found that certain devices, specifically Video Modeling and Social Robots, promote better maintenance and generalization

    Kaasaegsete kognitiivsete ja sotsiaalsete sekkumistehnikate loomine pediaatrilises neurorehabilitatsioonis ajukahjustusega lastel

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    Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneOmandatud ajukahjustusega lapsed vajavad kaasuva kognitiivse ja sotsiaalse defitsiidi diagnostikat ja rehabilitatsiooni, mis on oluline lapse akadeemilise edukuse ja elukvaliteedi parandamisel. Neurorehabilitatsioon on plaanipärane sekkumine, mille eesmärk on kompenseerida või kergendada ajukahjustusest põhjustatud defitsiiti. Antud doktoritöö eesmärk oli uute arvutipõhiste meetodite kasutuselevõtmine omandatud ajukahjustusega laste kognitiivses ja sotsiaalses neurorehabilitatioonis. Treeningdisainid loodi tähelepanu, ruumitaju ja sotsiaalse kompetentsi häirete raviks. Uuringus osales 59 epilepsia, ajutrauma või tikkide diagnoosiga ja 47 tervet kontrollgrupi last vanuses 8–12 aastat. Patsiendid läbisid rehabilitatsiooni (10 treeningut) koos eelneva ja treeningujärgse testimisega. Tähelepanu ja ruumitaju treeningus kasutati arvutipõhist ForamenRehab lastele kohandatud programmi väljatöötatud treeningprotokollidega. Sotsiaalsete häirete raviks loodi esmalt struktureeritud neurorehabilitatsiooni mudel, mis koosnes sotsiaalse kompetentsi olulistest komponentidest, nende hindamismeetoditest ja rehabilitatsiooni vahenditest: puutetundlikud lauad Snowflake Multiteach Tabletop ja Diamond Touch Table, ning virtuaalreaalsuse keskkonnad. Tulemusena esines patsientidel treeningu eelselt väljendunud tähelepanu, ruumitaju ja sotsiaalse kompetentsi defitsiit. Arvutipõhised ja virtuaalreaalsuse programmid olid efektiivsed kognitiivsete häirete ravis. Patsientidel esines treeningute järgselt oluline paranemine kahes tähelepanu komponendis (tähelepanu jagamine ja seiramine) ja kolmes ruumitaju komponendis (visuaal-konstruktiivsed võimed, visuaalne tähelepanu ja nägemis-ruumitaju) ning raviefekt oli säilinud järeltestimisel 1,3 aastat hiljem. Sotsiaalse rehabilitatsiooni järgselt paranesid oluliselt patsientide vaimuteooria (Theory of Mind) ja emotsioonide äratundmine, kasutati rohkem koostööoskuseid, verbaalset ja mitteverbaalset kommunikatsiooni ning pragmaatika oskuseid. Uuringute tugevuseks oli sajaprotsendiline ravisoostumus ning positiivne tagasiside. Olulised on töö käigus välja töötatud teaduspõhised sekkumisprotokollid ja uued tehnoloogiapõhised rehabilitatsioonimeetodid häirunud funktsioonide spetsiifiliseks raviks lastel.Children with acquired brain injury (ABI) need diagnosis of accompanying cognitive and socio-emotional deficits and neurorehabilitation to enhance their future academic success and quality of life. Neurorehabilitation is a systematic intervention designed to compensate for or remediate the impairments caused by brain injury. The main aim of the thesis was implementing new computer-based programs, multitouch-multiuser tabletops and virtual reality in cognitive and social neurorehabilitation for children with ABI. Rehabilitation designs were developed for the treatment of attention, visuospatial, and social competence deficits. 59 children aged 8–12 years with ABI diagnosis (epilepsy, traumatic brain injury or tic disorder) and 47 healthy controls participated. Study group patients completed 10 training sessions guided by therapists. Pre-intervention assessments, and outcome assessments immediately and 1.31 years after the rehabilitation were carried out. ForamenRehab computer-programme was adapted to children and intervention protocols were created for attention and visuospatial function remediation. For social deficit remediation, the structured neurorehabilitation model was created, composed of the main components of social competence with evaluation and intervention tools: Snowflake Multiteach Tabletop, Diamond Touch Table and virtual reality programmes. Pre-intervention assessments showed that children with ABI had significant deficits in attention, visuospatial abilities and social competence functions. Computer-based and virtual reality programs were effective in the remediation of cognitive deficits in patients. After training, the patients had improved performance in two attention (complex attention and tracking) and three visuospatial components (visual organization, visual attention and visuospatial perception). The positive training effect had preserved after 1.3 years in follow-up assessments. Additionally, after social deficit rehabilitation, the patients showed improvements in Theory of Mind and emotion recognition, and they used more cooperation, communication, and pragmatic skills. The patients’ compliance was 100% and feedback was positive for all three interventions. In sum, the developed evidence-based intervention protocols and new technology-based rehabilitation methods are important in the remediation of specific cognitive deficits in children.https://www.ester.ee/record=b528718

    Supporting Collaborative Learning in Computer-Enhanced Environments

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    As computers have expanded into almost every aspect of our lives, the ever-present graphical user interface (GUI) has begun facing its limitations. Demanding its own share of attention, GUIs move some of the users\u27 focus away from the task, particularly when the task is 3D in nature or requires collaboration. Researchers are therefore exploring other means of human-computer interaction. Individually, some of these new techniques show promise, but it is the combination of multiple approaches into larger systems that will allow us to more fully replicate our natural behavior within a computing environment. As computers become more capable of understanding our varied natural behavior (speech, gesture, etc.), the less we need to adjust our behavior to conform to computers\u27 requirements. Such capabilities are particularly useful where children are involved, and make using computers in education all the more appealing. Herein are described two approaches and implementations of educational computer systems that work not by user manipulation of virtual objects, but rather, by user manipulation of physical objects within their environment. These systems demonstrate how new technologies can promote collaborative learning among students, thereby enhancing both the students\u27 knowledge and their ability to work together to achieve even greater learning. With these systems, the horizon of computer-facilitated collaborative learning has been expanded. Included among this expansion is identification of issues for general and special education students, and applications in a variety of domains, which have been suggested
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