Inspirational Bits - Towards a Shared Understanding of the Digital Material

In any design process, a medium’s properties need to be considered. This is nothing new in design. Still we find that in HCI and interactive systems design the properties of a technology are often glossed over. That is, technologies are black-boxed without much thought given to how their distinctive properties open up design possibilities. In this paper we describe what we call inspirational bits as a way to become more familiar with the design material in HCI, the digital material. We describe inspirational bits as quick and dirty but fully working systems in both hardware and software built with the aim of exposing one or several of the dynamic properties of a digital material. We also show how they provide a means of sharing design knowledge across the members of a multi-disciplined design team

Evaluating Augmented and Virtual Reality in Education Through a User-Centered Comparative Study

none5Augmented and virtual reality proved to be valuable solutions to convey contents in a more appealing and interac- tive way. Given the improvement of mobile and smart devices in terms of both usability and computational power, contents can be easily conveyed with a realism level never reached in the past. Despite the tremendous number of researches related with the presentation of new fascinating applications of ancient goods and artifacts augmenta- tion, few papers are focusing on the real effect these tools have on learning. Within the framework of SmartMarca project, this chapter focuses on assessing the potential of AR/VR applications specifically designed for cultural heritage. Tests have been conducted on classrooms of teenagers to whom different learning approaches served as an evaluation method about the effectiveness of using these technologies for the education process. The chapter argues on the necessity of developing new tools to enable users to become producers of contents of AR/VR experiences.openPierdicca, Roberto; Frontoni, Emanuele; Puggioni, Maria Paola; Malinverni, Eva Savina; Paolanti, MarinaPierdicca, Roberto; Frontoni, Emanuele; Puggioni, Maria Paola; Malinverni, Eva Savina; Paolanti, Marin

Geometry with a STEM and Gamification Approach: A Didactic Experience in Secondary Education

Recent societal changes have meant that education has had to adapt to digital natives of the 21st century. These changes have required a transformation in the current educational paradigm, where active methodologies and ICT have become vehicles for achieving this goal, designing complete teaching sequences with STEM approaches that help students to learn. Under a gamified approach, this document addresses a didactic proposal in geometry focused on STEM disciplines. This proposal combines tools such as AR, VR, manipulative materials, and social networks, with techniques such as m-learning, cooperative-learning, and flipped-learning, which make methodological transformation possible. The research was carried out during two academic years under an action research framework. It departed from a traditional methodology and, in two cycles, methodology was improved with the benefits that gamification brings to STEM proposals in Secondary Education. The data gathered in the experiment were analysed following a mixed method. Learning produced, strategies employed, successes and errors, and results of a questionnaire are presented. Evidence shows an improvement in academic performance from 50% fails to 100% pass, most of the students ended up motivated, participation was of the whole group, more than 80% showed positive emotions, and thanks to the cooperative-learning, group cohesion was improved.This study was partially funded by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) research project from the FEDER-Andalusian Regional Government grant UAL2020-SEJ-B2086 and by University of Málaga (Spain). Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga

Game of Blazons: Helping teachers conduct learning situations that integrate web tools and multiple types of augmented reality

Producción CientíficaSeveral studies have explored how to help teachers carry out learning situations involving Augmented Reality (AR), a technology that has shown different affordances for learning. However, these proposals tend to rely on specific types of AR, focus on particular types of spaces, and are generally disconnected from other technologies widely used in education, such as VLEs or Web 2.0 tools. These constraints limit the possible range of activities that can be conducted and their integration into the existing classroom practice. GLUEPS-AR is a system that can help overcome these limitations, aiding teachers in the creation and enactment of learning situations that may combine multiple types of AR with other common web tools. This paper presents an evaluation study conducted on Game of Blazons, a learning situation carried out by two university teachers using GLUEPS-AR, and framed within two days of outdoor activities in a village in Spain. The evaluation showed that GLUEPS-AR provided an affordable support to the participant teachers to integrate several activities that made use of multiple types of AR, common web tools and augmented paper, into a unique learning situation.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Projects TIN2011-28308-C03-02 and TIN2014-53199-C3-2-R)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. VA082U16

Assessing Foreign Language Learning Through Mobile Game-Based Learning Environments

With increasing globalization, foreign language skills have become one of the main requirements when applying for a job in leading ICT companies. Due to their ubiquity and multi-functionality, mobile devices allow teachers to provide technology-friendly students with highly dynamic learning contents in line with their lifestyle. Unfortunately, most of the available APPs still support a mainly one-way interaction (teacher to learner or computer-client interaction). The authors have designed an APP based on a highly interactive, ubiquitous and constructive learning approach. The current paper illustrates firstly how the APP has helped learners to get actively involved in their own learning process sharing and assessing their foreign language knowledge. And secondly, how students’ logs can be used to automate the assessment of different skills such as the ability to explain terms in a foreign language or to assess definitions created by other game players

Tools That Teach Too: Exploring the Role of Interaction in the Development of Useful Cognitive Residuals

Tools help us perform tasks. But they also change the way we think. In five studies, I explored the lasting effects — the cognitive residuals — of using two common forms of automated spelling assistance, spell-checking and autocorrect. These different spelling assistance systems aim to provide similar spelling outcomes, but users interact quite differently with each. By comparing differences in spelling skills after using these different types of spelling assistance, I assessed differences in the cognitive residuals that arise from direct interaction (spell-checking) and passive support (autocorrect). Results suggest that the passive support provided by autocorrect is just as good as for the development of spelling skill as the direct interaction offered by traditional forms of spell-checking. However, I also demonstrate a new type of direct-interaction spell-checking that outperforms traditional approaches in creating cognitive residuals for users that help improve their spelling skills