Choreographic and Somatic Approaches for the Development of Expressive Robotic Systems

As robotic systems are moved out of factory work cells into human-facing environments questions of choreography become central to their design, placement, and application. With a human viewer or counterpart present, a system will automatically be interpreted within context, style of movement, and form factor by human beings as animate elements of their environment. The interpretation by this human counterpart is critical to the success of the system's integration: knobs on the system need to make sense to a human counterpart; an artificial agent should have a way of notifying a human counterpart of a change in system state, possibly through motion profiles; and the motion of a human counterpart may have important contextual clues for task completion. Thus, professional choreographers, dance practitioners, and movement analysts are critical to research in robotics. They have design methods for movement that align with human audience perception, can identify simplified features of movement for human-robot interaction goals, and have detailed knowledge of the capacity of human movement. This article provides approaches employed by one research lab, specific impacts on technical and artistic projects within, and principles that may guide future such work. The background section reports on choreography, somatic perspectives, improvisation, the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System, and robotics. From this context methods including embodied exercises, writing prompts, and community building activities have been developed to facilitate interdisciplinary research. The results of this work is presented as an overview of a smattering of projects in areas like high-level motion planning, software development for rapid prototyping of movement, artistic output, and user studies that help understand how people interpret movement. Finally, guiding principles for other groups to adopt are posited.Comment: Under review at MDPI Arts Special Issue "The Machine as Artist (for the 21st Century)" http://www.mdpi.com/journal/arts/special_issues/Machine_Artis

Lecturers and students’ views of integrating technology in the fashion curriculum.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.As new educational technologies become available, resources in higher education are lacking but the demand for access to better quality higher education is dramatically increasing. As such, the quest for academics to employ a variety of educational technologies that enable, extend and enhance teaching and learning is urgent and necessary. The aim of this study was to examine the views of lecturers and students on integrating technology in the fashion design programme for the purpose of teaching and learning at the Butterworth campus of the Walter Sisulu University (WSU). This study employed the post-positivist paradigm to gather quantitative data to analyse the views of both lecturers and students about the integration of technology in the fashion programme. Based on the literature review, the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) were selected as theoretical frameworks in this study. The data was gathered through a questionnaire, which was adapted and modified from a study by Hossein and Kamal. All seven lecturers and a sample of seventy-nine fashion students participated in this study. The predetermined categories identified included technology knowledge, technology content knowledge, technology pedagogical knowledge, and technological pedagogical and content knowledge. These categories were measured with the view to generalize data to a wider population and to establish if there are any relationships between them. The main findings of the study were that, even though lecturers seem to have a high pedagogical content knowledge, the inclusion of appropriate technologies in the fashion programme requires a combination of robust content knowledge, a diverse array of teaching techniques and competency with emerging teaching technologies

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING AS A FACILITATOR OF SELF-REGULATION IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM

This study examined 56 middle school students' self-reflections and self-regulatory behavioral development in a project-based learning experience. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected providing a more comprehensive evaluation of 1) students' perceptions of their self-regulatory behaviors in the project-based learning experience and 2) both the teacher's and students' perceptions of what aspects of the project-based learning experience were beneficial in facilitating students' self-regulatory behaviors. The overall findings in this study suggest that students had success in using metacognitive processes to self-monitor the development of their self-regulatory skills. The self-monitoring process was a deliberate approach used to teach students to self-identify their weaknesses and strengths in terms of three self-regulatory skills: learning strategy use, goal setting and time management. These skills are instrumental in students' achieving success by independently completing a project. The outcomes of the study imply that students need scaffolding support in project-based learning in order to facilitate the development of self-regulatory skills. As students completed the social studies class project, they required careful guidance to learn to sift through and to synthesize information from a variety of resources. It was important to design a collaborative learning environment where students were encouraged to share in the decision-making process of the project outcomes and the curriculum. Students used the Student Weekly Reflection Form (SWRF) to engage in self-reflection throughout the project. NUD*IST N6 was used to quantify and analyze the data obtained from the SWRF. Students' pre- and post-test scores on the Goal Orientation Index (GOI) (Atman, 1986) showed a significant increase in the Reflecting and Planning Subscales at the .01 level of significance using a one-tailed t-test. The Bandura Self-Efficacy for Self-Regulated Learning Scale (as cited in Pajares and Urdan, 2006) was used to measure students' perceptions of their self-regulatory abilities to complete goals. There was no significant difference between the students' pre- and post-test scores as measured by a one-tailed t-test.This study adds to existing social cognitive understanding. In order for students to identify and develop self-regulatory skills in this project, they first had to experience the opportunity to participate as managers in their own learning

English language & third generation programming language pedagogical practice analysis

In an effort to provide better computer programming instruction to more students at an introductory level, pedagogical methods could be improved using a paradigm of instruction based on the same strategies used to teach students spoken languages. Although many different methodologies of instruction have been explored in the past, this document identifies relationships between spoken languages and computer languages that encourage the exploration of the best practices of teaching English Language Arts so that they could be applied to computer programming instruction. Those with backgrounds in mathematics and science initially completed programming tasks. Much literature about the problem solving aspects of programming is available; however, the researcher of this document found it difficult to obtain literature about the opportunities for growth provided by the humanities. This research is an attempt to foster the programming skills of students based on language skills. Given the similarities between spoken languages and object-oriented programming languages that have emerged, there is much encouragement that there may be possibilities for a new instructional paradigm. Following is an analysis of how computer languages are taught and how English is taught, as well as a description of fundamental learning theories. Example demonstrations in a high-level programming language and example problem sets that could be used in an introductory programming course are included that use the best practices employed in English classes, the best practices of computer programming instruction, and the generally accepted learning principles defined by educational theorists

STEAM Curriculum: Arts Education As An Integral Part Of Interdisciplinary Learning

This research project contains an extensive exploration of a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) approach to curriculum and instruction. STEAM is continually growing as an educational model in transition from the STEM educational (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) model. The research is a response to a two-fold problem in education: a lack of preparation for future leaders in careers that require innovative-thinking and a need for advocacy for the arts in public education. The literature review provides an expansive look at the present information available on STEAM frameworks, programs, curricula design, and teaching practices. Four emergent themes are illustrated within the research: problem solving practices, inquiry-based thinking, collaboration, and student choice. Currently there is not an official STEAM framework or a comprehensive STEAM curriculum plan for secondary educators. The product that evolved from the STEAM research is a secondary education curriculum plan that includes a semester-at-a-glance, Know-Understand-Do (KUD) charts, learning maps, and unit plans. This interdisciplinary curriculum provides a solution to the research problem as it is intended to promote innovative solutions and the value of arts education. In the discussion, the researcher explains how to utilize the curriculum components to foster interdisciplinary thinking and avoid superficial integrated or cross-curricular lesson plans by implementing the unit objectives

Three case studies of three high school teachers' definitions, beliefs, and implementation practices of inquiry-based science method including barriers to and facilitators of successful implementation

"This study involved three teachers in various stages of implementation of inquiry-based science method. The cases were chosen because one participant was a novice in using inquiry-based science method, one participant was in her second year of implementation, and the third participant was experienced with inquiry-based science method. The cases were set in a rural high school in three different science classrooms. One of the classrooms was a regular biology class. One of the classrooms was an honors oceanography class and another was an advanced placement environmental science classroom. Data sources included interviews, observations, and document collection. Interviews, observations, and document collection were used to triangulate data. Each classroom was observed five times. Interviews were conducted at the beginning of the semester with each participant and at the end of the semester. Follow-up interviews were conducted after each observation. Documents were collected such as each teacher's lesson plans, student work, and assignments. Data was initially organized according to the research areas of teacher's definition, teacher's beliefs, teacher's barriers to implementation, and teacher's enablers to implementation. Then, patterns emerging from each of these cases were organized. Lastly, patterns emerging across cases were compared in a cross-case analysis. Patterns shared between cases were: Participants related inquiry-based science method with hands-on learning activities. Participants saw students as the center of the learning process. Participants had positive beliefs about constructivist learning practices that were strengthened after implementation of inquiry-based teaching. Facilitators of successful implementation of inquiry-based science method were positive student motivation, students' retention of knowledge, and a positive experience for lower level students. Barriers to successful implementation were teachers not having complete control of the classroom, upper level students having difficulty with inquiry, time and curriculum being a factor, and teachers feeling unprepared to teach this methodology. The researcher culminated the study with practice and policy implications and reasons for further research. Overall, the findings were that these teachers in various stages of implementation with little training in this methodology were able to successfully implement inquiry-based science method based on the reform movement's definition despite barriers to implementation."--Abstract from author supplied metadata

Our Space: Being a Responsible Citizen of the Digital World

Our Space is a set of curricular materials designed to encourage high school students to reflect on the ethical dimensions of their participation in new media environments. Through role-playing activities and reflective exercises, students are asked to consider the ethical responsibilities of other people, and whether and how they behave ethically themselves online. These issues are raised in relation to five core themes that are highly relevant online: identity, privacy, authorship and ownership, credibility, and participation.Our Space was co-developed by The Good Play Project and Project New Media Literacies (established at MIT and now housed at University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism). The Our Space collaboration grew out of a shared interest in fostering ethical thinking and conduct among young people when exercising new media skills

Exploring Moroccan Music Through Experiential Learning

As a music educator, I value a comprehensive and well-rounded music education that is inclusive and dynamic – an education that introduces students to the global world they live in and fosters compassion and understanding of cultures different from their own. However, I did not fully understand how I could provide that for my students and how to do so in a respectful and appropriate way that did not other or appropriate the culture I was attempting to honor. That desire to learn more about teaching world musics and representation in the classroom drove me to pursue answers through the interdisciplinary project that combines music education and ethnomusicology. This research-based creative endeavor features a review of literature from the fields of music education and ethnomusicology regarding teaching world musics, an account of my experiences while studying in Morocco and learning Moroccan music and culture, the findings from my time abroad related to teaching world musics and representation, and a unit overview that directly applies the knowledge and skills I acquired from my research to a sixth-grade general music classroom