Evaluation of an Intelligent Assistive Technology for Voice Navigation of Spreadsheets

An integral part of spreadsheet auditing is navigation. For sufferers of Repetitive Strain Injury who need to use voice recognition technology this navigation can be highly problematic. To counter this the authors have developed an intelligent voice navigation system, iVoice, which replicates common spreadsheet auditing behaviours through simple voice commands. This paper outlines the iVoice system and summarizes the results of a study to evaluate iVoice when compared to a leading voice recognition technology.Comment: 10 Pages, 2 Colour Figures, 4 Table

Peripatetic electronic teachers in higher education

This paper explores the idea of information and communications technology providing a medium enabling higher education teachers to act as freelance agents. The notion of a ‘Peripatetic Electronic Teacher’ (PET) is introduced to encapsulate this idea. PETs would exist as multiple telepresences (pedagogical, professional, managerial and commercial) in PET‐worlds; global networked environments which support advanced multimedia features. The central defining rationale of a pedagogical presence is described in detail and some implications for the adoption of the PET‐world paradigm are discussed. The ideas described in this paper were developed by the author during a recently completed Short‐Term British Telecom Research Fellowship, based at the BT Adastral Park

Voice user interfaces (VUIs) emerge

Human beings use speech as the primary means of communication. Therefore, voice user interfaces (VUIs) represent a natural way for people to interact with computers (Fournier, 1996; Hyde, 1979; Teja and Gonnella, 1983; Witten 1982). Voice input facilitates a much higher computer input rate than keyboard or mouse driven input. Voice output permits computer generated output in devices when output screens are not available (e.g., most phones) or in situations where the user\u27s eyes are busy elsewhere (e.g., driving a car, assembling a product, etc.). Thus, VUIs are viewed as the logical next generation in computer interfaces. Forecasts call for a rapid expansion of voice technology within our work environments over the next few years (Cone, 1997; Schwartz and Brier, 1997). This paper discusses the current state of and potential future of VUIs

Smart-device Potential for Student Learning.

Smartphones/devices have become the ubiquitous tool of choice for professionals to support their productivity and are increasingly becoming more common on university campuses. Many of the advantages of these devices have the potential to support student learning engagement and provide new opportunities for learning. This paper reports on an academic study conducted over the last two years by two final year students, supported by two academic learning technology researchers, examining the level of student smartphone/device ownership on campus and the extent students are harnessed the use of these devices to support their learning. The research shows that student smartphone/device ownership is increasing; however, how students are using the devices to support their learning appears to narrowing as the year progresses and consequently the students are missing out on the learning opportunities these devices can provide. The paper finally presents an analysis of smartphone/device apps that have the potential to support student learning

Challenging the Computational Metaphor: Implications for How We Think

This paper explores the role of the traditional computational metaphor in our thinking as computer scientists, its influence on epistemological styles, and its implications for our understanding of cognition. It proposes to replace the conventional metaphor--a sequence of steps--with the notion of a community of interacting entities, and examines the ramifications of such a shift on these various ways in which we think