Multisensory Training Intervention for Hearing Impaired Children: Preliminary Results of a Pilot Study

This paper examines the influence of the Interactive Multisensory Environment (iMSE) on the training of deaf children in comparison to traditional methods. Over a 7-week duration, two groups of deaf children were evaluated and trained, one utilizing the iMSE (Experimental Group) and the other employing a traditional PC-based method (Control Group). The training encompassed four different thematic categories, each with nine associated sounds. The iMSE offered an immersive and dynamic learning experience, while the PC-based method presented stimuli through a desktop computer. Results indicate that the iMSE yielded positive effects on the training outcomes of deaf children, as evidenced by improved performance and engagement. This research sheds light on the potential benefits of innovative multisensory technology in educational settings for children with hearing impairments, offering insights for future educational interventions

Innovating Pedagogy 2020: Open University Innovation Report 8

This series of reports explores new forms of teaching, learning and assessment for an interactive world, to guide teachers and policy makers in productive innovation. This eighth report, produced by The Open University in collaboration with the National Institute for Digital Learning (NIDL) in Ireland, describes ten innovations that have the potential to influence education in the coming years

MusicTraces: A collaborative music and paint activity for autistic people

Painting and music therapy approaches can help to foster social interaction for autistic people. However, the tools sometimes lack of flexibility and fail to keep people’s attention. Unknowns also remain about the effect of combining these approaches. Though, very few studies have investigated how Multisensory Environments (MSEs) could help to address these issues. This paper presents the design of a full-body music and painting activity called “MusicTraces” which aims to foster collaboration between people with moderate to severe learning disabilities and complex needs, and in particular autism, within an MSE. The co-design process with caregivers and people with neurodevelopmental conditions is detailed, including a workshop, the initial design, remote iterations, and a design critique

Design and Tourism, Value to Territories

How can tourism give value to a territory while respecting its cultural and environmental heritage and local identity? What if that territory is a UNESCO world heritage site? Talking about tourism also means talking about social aspects, mobility, economy and education, topics that are often dealt separately, with a linear perspective focused on profit and short-term feedback. But a more active tourism is increasing. Terms such as sustainable, responsible, slow are spreading and are well combined with areas of high cultural and landscape value, shifting from the concept of conservation to that of promotion. Design, which is shifting from product to process, can revitalize territories, optimizing exchanges and creating synergies to encourage a necessarily more responsible use of tourism

Smart Learning Environments y ergonomía: una aproximación al estado de la cuestión

Educational technology evolves constantly, in line with the innovative technologies we implement, but always catering for the improvement of teaching and learning. For this, Smart Learning Environments (SLE) emerge as an optimal alternative to traditional teaching as, through ergonomics, an inclusive outlook which is bound to enhance the educational experience of every student is provided. The method utilized is based on a systematic review of the existing literature which has allowed us to analyze in depth a final sample of 19 documents after an initial review of 633, being these all the works published between 2013 and 2019. Therefore, the principal objective of the present work is carrying out an analysis of the state of the art in relation to ergonomics, inclusiveness and the SLE. The analysis of results is performed utilizing a semantic network, generated through atlas.ti. v.8, by means of which 3 categories, 10 codes and 33 quotes are extracted. Namely, the results reveal the emerging nature of the thematic line researched and how ergonomics is linked to inclusiveness and stands out as one of the most defining components when designing an educational proposal based on SLE.La tecnología educativa se ve de forma continua transformada en función de las tecnologías innovadoras que vamos incorporando, pero siempre con la vista puesta en la mejora del proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Para ello, los Smart Learning Environments (SLE) se convierten en una alternativa óptima a la enseñanza tradicional, puesto que a través de la ergonomía se brinda una perspectiva inclusiva que mejorará la experiencia educativa de cualquier estudiante. Por lo tanto, el principal objetivo de este trabajo consiste en realizar un análisis del estado del arte en relación con la ergonomía, la inclusión y los SLE. El método utilizado se basa en una revisión sistemática de literatura que nos ha permitido analizar en profundidad una muestra final de 19 documentos tras una revisión inicial de 633, habiendo sido todos los trabajos publicados entre 2013 y 2019. El análisis de los resultados se realiza a través de una red semántica generada con atlas.ti. v.8, a partir de la cual se extraen 3 categorías, 10 códigos y 33 citas. Principalmente, los resultados reflejan el carácter emergente de la línea temática investigada y cómo la ergonomía se relaciona con la inclusión y se posiciona como uno de los principales componentes para diseñar una propuesta educativa basada en los SLE

Olly: A tangible for togetherness

This research explores how tangible interactive technology might offer opportunities for socialization and sensory regulation. We present a study carried out in an educational setting during leisure activities with a small group of children with autism who like music. We introduce Όλοι (pronounced Olly), a sonic textile Tangible User Interface (TUI) designed around the observations of five minimally verbal children with autism aged between 5-10 years. The TUI was tested for an average of 24 minutes once per week, over a period of five weeks in a specialized school based in North-East London, UK. We propose a methodological approach that embraces diversity and promotes designs that support repetitive movements and self-regulation to provide the children with a favorable environment and tools to socialize with peers. The findings show positive outcomes with regards to spontaneous social interactions between peers particularly when children interacted with or around Olly. These were observed in the form of eye-contact, turn-taking, sharing (of the space, the object and experience), and more complex social play dynamics like associative and cooperative play. We illustrate how the TUI was a positive stimulus of social behaviors and discuss design implications for novel technologies that aim to foster shared experiences between children with autism