Inclusive AR-games for Education of Deaf Children: Challenges and Opportunities

Game-based learning has had a rapid development in the 21st century, attracting an increasing audience. However, inclusion of all is still not a reality in society, with accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing children as a remaining challenge. To be excluded from learning due to communication barriers can have severe consequences for further studies and work. Based on previous research Augmented Reality (AR) games can be joyful learning tools that include activities with different sign languages, but AR based learning games for deaf and hard of hearing lack research. This paper aims to present opportunities and challenges of designing inclusive AR games for education of deaf children. Methods involved conducting a scoping review of previous studies about AR for deaf people. Experts were involved as co-authors for in-depth understanding of sign languages and challenges for deaf people. A set of AR input and output techniques were analysed for appropriateness, and various AR based game mechanics were compared. Results indicate that inclusive AR gameplay for deaf people could be built on AR based image and object tracking, complemented with sign recognition. These technologies provide input from the user and the real-world environment typically via the camera to the app. Scene tracking and GPS can be used for location-based game mechanics. Output to the user can be done via local signed videos ideally, but also with images and animations. Moreover, a civic intelligence approach can be applied to overcome many of the challenges that have been identified in five dimensions for inclusion of deaf people i.e., cultural, educational, psycho-social, semantic, and multimodal. The input from trusted, educated signers and teachers can enable the connection between real world objects and signed videos to provide explanations of concepts. The conclusion is that the development of an inclusive, multi-language AR game for deaf people needs to be carried out as an international collaboration, addressing all five dimensions

Aspectos importantes de los proyectos ict4d, hacia un modelo para la evaluación de calidad

Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) is an approach adopted to improve the socio-economic situation in poor countries. It includes e-learning,open and free software, e-democracy, digital media, e-government, capacity building and infrastructure development. Billions of dollars are invested in such programs financed by international aid organizations, state funded aid agencies and multinational private companies. Well known problems are poor infrastructure, crime and poor adaptations to the socio-cultural context. It is a complex multidisciplinary, multi stakeholder and multimedia field with an emerging theoretical framework. This paper identifies and examines important quality aspects of ICT4D projects and provides empirical ICT4D examples illustrating each aspect. The overall research question in this study is: What makes some ICT4D projects more successful than others? Based on the authors own experience of projects in Sri Lanka, Uganda and Vietnam as well as analysis of other projects, the following quality aspects are considered as crucial for successful implementation of ICT in development projects: 1) Authentic local needs, 2) Local ownership, 3) Realistic limitations, 4) Competence network, 5) Communication strategy, 6) Planning horizon, 7) Documentation/measurable results, 8) Resources and sustainability and 9) Fun/Motivation.The relevance of these aspects are discussed and exemplified in the article. The thematic areas identified provide a basis for an emerging model, intended to be useful inLa Tecnología de Comunicación e Información para el Desarrollo [Information and Communications Technology (ict4d)] es un enfoque adoptado para mejorar las condiciones socioeconómicas en países pobres. Esta incluye e-learning, software abiertos y cerrados, e-democracia, medios digitales, e-gobierno, capacidad de construcción y desarrollo de infraestructura. Billones de dólares son invertidos en dichos programas, financiados por organizaciones internacionales de beneficencia, agencias financiadas por el Estado, y compañías multinacionales privadas. Algunos problemas bien conocidos son la falta de infraestructura, el crimen, y la falta de adaptación a los contextos socioculturales. Es un campo multidisciplinario, con múltiples acreedores, y un campo multimedia complejo, con un marco teórico emergente.Este ensayo identifica y examina aspectos de calidad importantes de los proyectos ict4d y provee ejemplos empíricos para ilustrar cada aspecto. La pregunta general de este estudio es: ¿Qué hace que algunos proyectos ict4d sean más exitosos que otros? Basados en la experiencia personal del autor, con proyectos en Sri Lanka, Uganda y Vietnam, así como en análisis de otros proyectos, los siguientes aspectos de calidad son considerados como cruciales para la implementación exitosa de la ict (Tecnología de Comunicación e Información) en proyectos de desarrollo: 1) Necesidades locales auténticas; 2) Propiedad local; 3) Limitaciones reales; 4) Redes de aptitudes; 5) Estrategia de comunicación; 6) Horizonte de planeación; 7) Documentación/resultados medibles; 8) Recursos y sustentabilidad; 9) Diversión/Motivación. La importancia de los aspectos mencionados es discutida y explicada en este artículo.Las áreas temáticas identificadas proveen una base para un modelo emergente, previsto para ser útil en la fase de diseño y planeación, y para la evaluación y monitoreo de los proyectos ict4d

Furnishing Active Learning Classrooms for Blended Synchronous Learning

Technology enhanced learning has been a rapidly expanding field in the 21st century, while most university classrooms and lecture halls look the same as they did one hundred years ago. A new classroom concept that seem to have potential to renew education is the so called Active learning classrooms (ALCs). The fundamental idea for ALCs is to furnish for active group learning with technology enhancement such as computers, digital screens, whiteboards and Internet connection.Today higher education settings are not only technology blended, but also blended in other ways. In the standard definition of blended learning the blend consists of traditional face-to-face education and technology enhanced online sessions.  A subclass of blended learning is blended synchronous learning (BSL), a blend where on-campus students work together with distance students in common synchronous teaching and learning activities. The BSL concept should also build on active and collaborative learning in groups with participants from both the described student groups.  The aim of the study was to analyse and discuss how active group learning in BSL settings are depending on the ALC furnishing and the technology. The study for this chapter was conducted with a case study approach with two active learning classrooms as the investigated case units. Nine teachers and three persons from the service staff focus group were interviewed. Answers from the semi-structured interviews were analysed by use of the qualitative data analysis tool Atlas.ti. The more technical parts of the evaluation were analysed with the Technology Acceptance Model as a theoretical framework. A result from the analysis was that there was not only one BSL model but two. The first one is more dependent on furnishing than on technology enhancement and the recommendation is here to choose a low-cost and low-tech 'light version'. Regarding the second BSL model with a synchronous mix of on-campus and distance students the recommendation is to go for high-tech equipment and- rich-media communication and communication tools. Finally, it seems difficult to reach any consensus regarding the spatial design, and the recommendation, for both BSL models, is a flexible design with movable furniture and enhanced communication and collaboration technology.Chapter 7HEE

Scripted collaboration for enhanced learning outcomes in virtual crisis management exercises

Exercises on management of crises such as forest fire and flooding disasters must for several reasons be carried out as simulations. Beside the advantage of an infinite number of replications without additional costs a virtual crisis management exercise allows participants to make mistakes without serious consequences (Urban & Oulehlová, 2017). As suggested byRothkrantz and Fitrianie (2018), virtual exercises on water management and flooding disasters can be orchestrated with serious games. However, free and unstructured gaming does not automatically lead to high-level interaction and quality learning outcomes. An identifiedtechnique for enhancing communication and learning outcomes in computer-supportedexercises is scripted collaboration (Kobbe et al., 2007).Findings from a literature study show that scripted collaboration is an instructional methodfor stimulating interaction, that could enhance the quality of learning outcomes in seriousgames (Hummel et al., 2010). Scripted collaboration can be further specialised into the categories of conflict scripts (van der Meij, Albers & Leemkuil, 2011), and role-play scripts(Strijbos & Weinberger, 2010). Both these identified specialisations of scripted collaboration seem to have a potential to reinforce collaboration and learning outcomes in virtual crisis management exercises.GSS

Teaching The Teachers To Teach Programming : On Course Design and Didactic Concepts

Involving computer programming in primary and secondary school is an urgent issue in many countries, and in Sweden this should be rapidly implemented during 2018. First subjects that should implement programming in the teaching and learning activities are mathematics and technology. Some teachers have earlier experiences of programming, but for many primary and secondary school teachers programming is a new discipline. The aim of this paper is to describe and discuss how requirements have been gathered and implemented in a course for teacher training on programming for mathematics and technology in K-12 education. The study was carried out as two phases of a development process inspired by design science. In the first phase requirements were gathered and discussed in a brainstorming workshop were the course developers tried to align learning outcomes with didactic ideas. In the second phase the requirements from the first phase were implemented in the actual course development. Conclusions are that the idea of teaching the teachers needs a different course outline than how traditional design of programming courses. Higher education have a tradition of training students for system development in the industry. Teacher training should have a focus on didactic concepts that later could be reused in courses on mathematics and technology in K-12 settings. Examples of such didactic concepts are, computational thinking, pair programming, visualisation and game-based learning

Game-Construction Students Experiences of Educational Games : Gaming Outcomes and Learning Outcomes

Game-based learning has been a rapidly expanding field in the 21th century, with research reports praising the motivational effects and learning outcomes of games. At the same time there have been doubts on the learning outcomes of even the most seriously designed learning games. The generation that today enrols for university programmes is in general a gaming generation, and game construction students are often so called hard core gamers. What are the game construction students’ experiences of educational games, and what are their perceived learning outcomes? This study is based on student essays on gaming habits and game-based learning outcomes, written by students taking a course on game-based learning. Essays from four course batches have been thematically analysed to answer the two research questions. Findings show that students have a rich experience of various kinds of games, but that they do not make any clear distinction between games developed for educational purposes, and other games. Students also perceive that there are cognitive, behavioural as well as affective learning outcomes from both standard entertainment games, and more serious learning games

With the Aim of Multi-directed and Work-integrated Professional Development

In a time when most countries are facing a rapidly emerging knowledge society, the investment in human resources is essential for companies and organisations. In parallel, technology enhanced learning has enabled more flexible forms of professional development with work-integrated learning, an interesting shift that also challenges the traditional university model. An interesting concept for realising the work-integrated learning principle of solving practical problems in the industry, is the offer to participants and companies to 'Bring Your Own Data ' (BYOD). This case history is based on the BUFFL project, where the acronym BUFFL could be translated from Swedish to English as 'Industry development at bank and insurance companies through flexible lifelong learning'. A case story that involves several aspects of knowledge management such as how theories from the university could be applied to data provided by companies and organisations. The BUFFL project is a cross-disciplinary collaboration between six companies, three universities, and researchers from different university departments. The aim of this study is to present, analyse and discuss the design and implementation of a pilot project for a technology enhanced and multi-directed lifelong professional development. The main research question to answer was: "What are the bank and insurance company staff perceptions of the BUFFL project design of technology enhanced professional development, and the idea of bringing their own data to course activities?". Data for a preliminary project evaluation have been gathered by course evaluation questionnaires from 14 instances of 9 course modules. Questionnaires comprised 30 questions with a mix of Likert-scale questions and questions with open-ended free-text answers. With the aim of finding data that have a potential to answer the research question 10 Likert-scale questions and 4 free-text questions were selected. Results from the Likert-scale questions were presented as a descriptive statistical analysis that discusses frequency, central tendency and variation. Open-ended free-text answers have been categorised in a deductive thematic analysis and compared to the results from the Likert-scale questions. The study was conducted entirely in Swedish with questions and answers translated to English by the author. Findings indicate that a technology enhanced and workplace integrated course design is appreciated by the participants, when information and communication technologies work. On the other hand, technology incidents have caused irritation and the provisional support model needs a further development that also could survive the project span. The complaints on too theoretical course literature, and that course design lacks adaption to the participants’ actual workplace situations are contradicted by the result of the quantitative analysis. However, the course design would need redesign to better match the conditions for full-time working participants.BUFF