Elderly gaming on tabletop interfaces

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e Computação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 201

An experience on natural sciences augmented reality contents for preschoolers

[EN] Early education is a key element for the future success of students in the education system. This work analyzes the feasibility of using augmented reality contents with preschool students (four and five years old) as a tool for improving their learning process. A quasi experimental design based on a nonequivalent groups posttest-only design was used. A didactic unit has been developed around the topic animals by the participant teachers. The control group followed all the didactic activities defined in the developed didactic materials, while the experimental group was provided in addition with some augmented reality contents. Results show improved learning outcomes in the experimental group with respect to the control group.The Spanish Ministry Economy and Competitiveness partially supported this work (Project ref. TIN2010-21296-C02-01).Cascales, A.; Laguna, I.; Pérez López, DC.; Perona Ruiz, PD.; Contero, M. (2013). An experience on natural sciences augmented reality contents for preschoolers. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 8022:103-112. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39420-1_12S1031128022Barnett, W.S.: Effectiveness of Early Educational Intervention. Science 333(6045), 975–978 (2011)OECD: Investing in high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC). OECD Publishing, http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/0/28/48980282.pdf (retrieved)Campos, P., Pessanha, S.: Designing Augmented Reality Tangible Interfaces for Kindergarten Children. In: Shumaker, R. (ed.) Virtual and Mixed Reality, HCII 2011, Part I. LNCS, vol. 6773, pp. 12–19. Springer, Heidelberg (2011)Lim, J., Kim, S.: A Study on Markerless AR-based Infant Education System using CBIR. Communications in Computer and Information Science 78, 52–58 (2010)Chen, C.H., Su, C.C., Lee, P.Y., Wu, F.G.: Augmented Interface for Children Chinese Learning Technologies. In: 7th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, pp. 268–270. IEEE Press, New York (2007)Azuma, R.: A Survey of Augmented Reality. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 6(1), 355–385 (1997)Winkler, T., Herczeg, M., Kritzenberger, H.: Mixed Reality Environments as Collaborative and Constructive Learning Spaces for Elementary School Children. In: Barker, P., Rebelsky, S. (eds.) Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2002, pp. 1034–1039. AACE, Chesapeake (2002)Hsieh, M.C., Lee, J.S.: AR Marker Capacity Increasing for Kindergarten English Learning. In: International Multi Conference of Engineers and Computer Scientists, vol. 1, pp. 663–666 (2008)Hsieh, M.C., Lin, H.C.K.: Interaction Design Based on Augmented Reality Technologies for English Vocabulary Learning. In: Wong, S.L., et al. (eds.) Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Computers in Education, vol. 1, pp. 663–666. Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education (2010)Lee, H., Lee, J.: Mathematical Education Game Based on Augmented Reality. Technologies for E-Learning and Digital Entertainment, 442–450 (2008)Hyun, E., Choi, K., Kim, G.J., Han, J., Jo, M., Kim, N.: Delphi Survey on the Use of Robot Projector based Augmented Reality in Dramatic Activity for Young Children. International Journal of Digital Content Technology and its Applications 5(11), 272–282 (2011)Kim, H.M., Song, T.H., Jung, S.M., Kwon, K.H., Jeon, J.W.: Virtual Storyteller Using Marker Based AR and FPGA. In: IEEE 54th International Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems, pp. 1–4. IEEE Press, New York (2011)Dunleavy, M., Dede, C., Mitchell, R.: Affordances and Limitations of Immersive Participatory Augmented Reality Simulations for Teaching and Learning. Journal of Science Education and Technology 18, 7–22 (2009)Martín-Gutiérrez, J., Saorín, J.L., Contero, M., Alcañiz, M., Pérez-López, D., Ortega, M.: Design and validation of an augmented book for spatial abilities development in engineering students. Computers & Graphics 34(1), 77–91 (2010)Cook, T.D., Campbell, D.T., Day, A.: Quasi-experimentation: Design and Analysis Issues for Field Settings, pp. 19–21. Houghton Mifflin, Boston (1979)Buendía, L., Colás, P., Hernández-Pina, F.: Métodos de Investigación en Psicopedagogía. McGraw Hill, Madrid (1997

Development platform for elderly-oriented tabletop games

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e Computação. Universidade do Porto. Faculdade de Engenharia. 201

Our ten years of work on transparet box business simulation

Traditional business games are of the so-called black-box type (BBBS=Black box business simulator); that is to say, the internal structure which generates the results of the simulation after decision-making is not known. As a result, the player normally operates by trial and error and bases his decisions on the symptoms of the problem (the observed behaviors of the system's variables) and not on the real causes of the problem (the system's structure). Since 1988 José A.D. Machuca has insisted that the business games based on System Dynamics models should be Transparent-box business simulators (TBBSs). That means that, during the game, the user has access to the structure of the underlying model and is able to relate it to the observed behaviors. The hypothesis is that such transparency would facilitate causal reflection and favor systemic learning of business problems. In 1990, the G.I.D.E.A.O. Research Group took action on this idea and centered one of its lines of research on this matter, with three main objectives: a) Creation of TBBSs, b) Introduction of TBBSs in undergraduate and graduate Management courses as well as in executive training, c) Experimentation in controlled environments in order to test the hypothesis mentioned in the above paragraph. Now, ten years after the birth of the idea, we would like to share in this paper the results obtained during that period

Higgins\u27 Hunt: An Educational Game

The goal of this project was to develop an educational game in Adobe Flash, inspired by the history of the Higgins Armory Museum. In order to further development of the game and support future works a database and system for educational game evaluation were created. All aspects have significant implications for future works

Magnification Vision – a Novel Gaze-Directed User Interface

We present a novel magnifying tool for virtual environments, where users are given a view of the world through a handheld window controlled by their real-time eye gaze data. The system builds on the optics of real magnifying glasses and prior work in gaze-directed interfaces. A pilot study is run to evaluate these techniques against a baseline, that reveals no significant improvement in performance, though users appear to prefer the new technique

Meta-Literacy in Gameworlds

This paper proposes the notion of "meta-literacy", understood as the player's ability to navigate between spheres of reality and/or cross boundaries when interacting with a gameworld. We examine how meta-aesthetics functions in vide ogames and argue that it is relevant at both the fictional level (intertextual literacy) and at the ludic level (self-referential literacy). The user will have to activate their meta-literacy in order to understand relationships between the levels of a video game, several different video games or the video game itself and "reality". We present examples in every category and show how players naturally navigate this complexity. We propose that meta-literacy works in this media as an ability to recreate a bridge between the ludic and the fictional, to use our game repertoire, and to connect disparate levels of reality in an aesthetic experience that is no less unified than that of other art forms. We'll conclude that accounting for meta-literacy is indeed relevant for understanding the pleasures of inhabiting not only gameworlds but also virtual worlds of all kinds.Este artículo propone el concepto de «metaalfabetización», entendida como la habilidad del jugador para navegar entre las esferas de realidad y cruzar fronteras, al tiempo que interactúa con el mundo lúdico. Examinamos cómo funciona la metaestética en los videojuegos y sostendremos que resulta relevante tanto en el nivel ficcional (alfabetización intertextual) como en el lúdico (alfabetización autorreferencial). El usuario deberá activar su metaalfabetización para comprender las relaciones entre los niveles del videojuego, distintos videojuegos o el propio videojuego y la «realidad». Presentamos ejemplos en cada categoría y mostramos cómo los jugadores navegan con naturalidad tal complejidad. Proponemos que la metaalfabetización funciona en este medio en tanto que habilidad para construir un puente entre lo lúdico y lo ficcional, para utilizar nuestro repertorio lúdico y para conectar niveles no semejantes de realidad en una experiencia estética que no resulta menos unificada que otras formas artísticas. Concluiremos que es necesario tener en cuenta la metaalfabetización para comprender los placeres de habitar no solo mundos lúdicos, sino también mundos virtuales de todo tipo.Aquest article proposa el concepte de «metaalfabetització», entesa com l'habilitat del jugador per navegar entre les esferes de realitat i creuar fronteres al mateix temps que interactua amb el món lúdic. Examinem com funciona la metaestètica en els videojocs i sostindrem que resulta rellevant tant en l'àmbit de ficció (alfabetització intertextual) com en el lúdic (alfabetització autoreferencial). L'usuari haurà d'activar la seva metaalfabetització per comprendre les relacions entre els nivells del videojoc, diferents videojocs o el videojoc i la «realitat». Presentem exemples en cada categoria i mostrem com els jugadors naveguen amb naturalitat en aquesta complexitat. Proposem que la metaalfabetització funciona en aquest mitjà com a habilitat per a construir un pont entre el que és lúdic i el que és ficcional, per a utilitzar el nostre repertori lúdic i per a connectar nivells no semblants de realitat en una experiència estètica que no resulta menys unificada que altres formes artístiques. Conclourem que és necessari tenir en compte la metaalfabetització per a comprendre els plaers d'habitar no només mons lúdics sinó també mons virtuals de tot tipus