Virtually brushing my tooth

Apresentamos uma instalação direccionada para o público infantil, onde através da visualização de uma projecção de bactéria virtuais sobre a superfície de um dente construído em gesso, as crianças eliminam as bactérias com uma escova gigante sendo assim sensibilizadas para a importância da higiene oral. A conjunção de um objecto físico com um meio multimédia proporciona às crianças uma experiência nova, muito estimulante, que suscita nelas um conjunto de emoções, levando-as a uma identificação com o objecto e facilitando deste modo o processo de aprendizagem

Finalmente limpinho! Interface física para os meus primeiros contactos com a higiene oral

Discutimos o ciclo de desenvolvimento de uma interface direccionada para o público infantil, cuja finalidade é a de sensibilizar as crianças para a importância da higiene oral. São relatados os processos de entrevista e observação, a elaboração dos requisitos, desenvolvimento de protótipos e a observação informal da interacção das crianças com o sistema. Observamos que a combinação de elementos multimédia com um objecto físico, concreto proporciona às crianças uma experiência aliciante e é um excelente veículo para a realização de actividades pedagógicas

TUIs vs. GUIs: comparing the learning benefits for kindergarten children

Tese de mestrado em Tecnologia e Arte Digital (área de especialização em Tecnologias e Sistemas de Informação)In recent years numerous examples of tangible interfaces have been developed targeting the educational domain, however their impact on learning is not clear when compared to educational software based on a graphical user interface. Most evaluation studies on the benefits of tangible interfaces for learning are rather informal and there are very few empirical studies comparing tangible and graphical interfaces. The evaluation methodology of technology for very young children, 4 to 5 years old, poses some additional challenges given their limited ability of verbal or written expression; the majority of assessment methods are generally suitable for use with older children. In an effort to better understand the learning impact of a tangible interface we conducted a comparison study between a tangible and a graphical user interface for teaching kindergarten children about good oral hygiene. The study was carried with two groups of children aged 4 to 5 years. Questionnaires to parents, children drawings’ and interviews were used for data collection and analysis, and revealed important indicators about children’s involvement and preferences on the interfaces. The questionnaires showed a remarkable change of attitude towards tooth brushing for the children that interacted with the tangible interface; particularly children’s motivation increased significantly. Children drawings’ were used to assess children’s degree of involvement with the interfaces. The drawings from the children that interacted with the tangible interface were very complete and detailed suggesting that children felt actively involved with the experience. Regarding the methodology used, drawing intervention seems to be a promising method to work with pre-literate children; however it is advisable to use it together with other methods, since the evaluation of drawings is rather subjective and can depend on various internal and external factors. The results suggest that the tangible interface was capable of a stronger engagement and impact on children.Nos últimos anos têm sido desenvolvidos inúmeros exemplos de interfaces tangíveis visando o domínio educativo; no entanto o seu impacto na aprendizagem não é ainda claro quando comparado com software educativo baseado em interfaces gráficas. Os estudos comparativos sobre os benefícios da utilização das interfaces tangíveis versus interfaces gráficas são quase inexistentes, sendo que a maioria é bastante informal. A metodologia de avaliação com crianças dos 4 aos 5 anos de idade coloca desafios adicionais devido à sua limitada capacidade de expressão verbal e escrita; para além disso grande parte dos métodos de avaliação é geralmente adequada a crianças mais velhas. Com o intuito de compreender melhor o impacto das interfaces tangíveis na aprendizagem, foi realizado um estudo comparativo entre uma interface tangível e uma interface gráfica, desenvolvidas com o intuito de sensibilizar as crianças para uma boa higiene oral. O estudo foi realizado com dois grupos de crianças com idades compreendidas entre os 4 e os 5 anos. A recolha e análise de dados foi realizada através de questionários distribuídos aos pais das crianças, desenhos feitos pelas crianças após a sua interacção com as interfaces, assim como entrevistas; revelando-se indicadores importantes sobre a experiência das crianças e as suas preferências acerca das interfaces. Os questionários mostraram uma mudança notável de atitude em relação à lavagem dos dentes, no grupo de crianças que interagiu com a interface tangível; particularmente a motivação aumentou significativamente. Os desenhos do grupo de crianças referido revelaram-se muito detalhados e completos sugerindo que as crianças se sentiram activamente envolvidas na experiência. Relativamente à metodologia utilizada, a análise dos desenhos mostrou ser um método promissor para trabalhar com crianças desta faixa etária, no entanto, é aconselhável utilizá-lo juntamente com outros métodos, dado que a interpretação dos desenhos é bastante subjectiva podendo depender de vários factores internos e externos. Os resultados do estudo sugerem que a interface tangível possibilita um envolvimento mais forte das crianças

A close look into the storytelling process: the procedural nature of interactive digital narratives as learning opportunity

Differently from traditional narratives, which focus on the output, i.e. the oral or written text, interactive digital narratives provide a more holistic view of the storytelling process, considering as integral part of it the system, the user, the process and the output. In this framework, the procedural nature of IDN as a reactive and generative system becomes prominent. Such an approach is particularly interesting when considering educational appli- cations of IDN and how they can support early literacy practices in pre-and primary school children. Here, we take a close look into the procedural nature of IDN, presenting observations and results from two pilot studies carried out with six to seven-years old children, arguing that interactive digital narratives can provide a window into (i) how the children plan their story, (ii) how, along the storytelling process, the children learn the rules and constraints provided by the IDN system, which they appropriate and incorporate in their storytelling to achieve a certain output, (iii) how the children empathize with the story characters, diving into the story world and (iv) how the system provides opportunities for mediating new knowledge in a meaningful way, which was visible e.g. in the way the children immediately appropriated and used the new conveyed vocabulary.This work has been financed by national funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) - and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program under the reference POCI/01/0145/FEDER/032580

Designing a tangible interface for collaborative storytelling to access 'embodiment' and meaning making

This work presents an ongoing study of the design and development of a physical interface that addresses storytelling. The current prototype is the result of several design iterations with four to five years old preschoolers and six preschool teachers. The interaction model was motivated by findings from research on tangible user interfaces as well as embodied cognition. Although research in these areas has revealed potential benefits of the use of physical interfaces, until now no extended in depth study of a prolonged use in the classroom of such interfaces has been carried. This work proposes to carry such an investigation, observing a group of preschoolers interacting with the interface for a period of six months.(undefined

Developing a tangible interface for storytelling

This paper describes a first study of a paper based interface, consisting of a large format book and a set of picture cards that children can use to create stories. The handling of the picture cards has shown to be highly motivating and engaging, helping children to build a storyline creating logical relations among different characters and objects. The interface has shown to be an experimental space where children can play with the language and simultaneously reflect over it, in a collaborative process. We present the data collected with a group of five years old preschoolers and report our findings regarding the interaction design, as well as a reflection over future work.FC

A digital manipulative for embodied "stage-narrative" creation

This paper presents a study of the use of a digital manipulative developed to promote creative narrative construction and storytelling. The study was carried with 27 groups of preschoolers, of five years of age, who interacted with the digital manipulative during free-play time, during a period of six months. The study sought to assess aspects of children’s embodiment of the narratives, and how they shaped the creation of stories. We observed that by using the digital manipulative, children’s narrative construction occurred in two levels, as children shared the stage, (controlling the characters, the location, the props, and the nature elements) and simultaneously performed on this stage. The sharing of the input devices (blocks) gave children equal control of the performance and orchestration of the story, while promoting and supporting peer collaboration. We conclude that the digital manipulative enables the performance of what we call embodied stage-narratives, promoting children’s imagination and creative thinking, as well as fostering early literacy skills and metalinguistic awareness.Fundação para a Ciência e TecnologiaCIEC – Research Centre on Child Studies, UM (FCT R&D 317

Play platforms for children’s creativity

Serie : Springer series on cultural computing, ISSN 2195-9056Children’s imagination and their natural need for exploration and discovery can be stimulated when they are in contact with rich contexts and environments (Van Scoter et al. 2001; Van Scoter 2008); this inherent tendency offers an enormous opportunity for researchers and designers to develop tools that unleash children’s potential, involving them in creating meaningful projects (Papert 1993). Research on this field has highlighted that well-design technological tools for children need to be compelling, support exploration, encourage creativity, develop curiosity and promote interaction and collaboration with peers while being simple and intuitive to use (Plowman et al. 2012; Resnick et al. 2005; Resnick and Silverman 2005).FCT, QREN, COMPETE, FEDRCIEC – Research Centre on Child Studies, IE, UMinho (FCT R&D unit 317), Portuga

Beyond the binding : exploring the future book

We have reached a special moment in the story of the book: today’s youngest generation will experience literature in a vastly different way than the generation preceding. What we call a book has always morphed over time, but digital capabilities and the ubiquity of mobile electronics are changing the landscape at an unprecedented pace. This workshop will be a forum for creative exploration and discussion of the future of the book, motivated by this particular historical moment and a desire to bring together researchers from diverse backgrounds who are working on book-related technologies. We will share and document visions, approaches, and techniques.(undefined