Showing posts with label HCI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HCI. Show all posts

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Cute NAO robot performs "Evolution of Dance" and is an active participant in research with young people who have autism spectrum disorders

The following is a cross-post from the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog:


I came across a cute video of a NAO robot performing the Evolution of Dance, and as I smiled, I remembered that the robot was used in some research about interventions for young people with autism. 


The technology behind the NAO robot was developed by Aldebaran Robotics, and more details can be found on thecompany's website, along with the video and links I've provided below. (Aldebaran Robotics is hiring, btw.)


Enjoy the dance performance!


Evolution of Dance by NAO Robot 


DEPCO NAO Robot and Notre Dame Autism Research 



NAO Next: Gen: The New Robot of Aldebaran Robotics



New Robot Helps Autistic Children Interact (UConn) Research with Tim Giffort, CEO of Movia Robotics, and UConn professor Anjana Bhat 


(Above)Bruno Maisonnier of Aldebaran Robots Highlights Therapeutic Uses of the NAO Robot 

RELATED 
Aldebaran Robotics NAO Developer Website Psychologist explores effective treatment options for children with autism disorders 
Susan Guibert, Notre Dame News, 4/16/10 
Robot Speaks the Language of Kids 
Beth Krane, UConn Today, 8/5/10 
Movia Robotics: Systems for Learning, Training, Education and Therapy 
Timothy Gifford and Anjana Bhat on Using Robots to Help Autistic Children 
Rachel Z. Arndt, FastCompany, 4/1/11 
Anjana N. Bhat, University of Connecticut Timothy Gifford 
Social story powerpoint for children with autism who are participate in research at the FUN Lab at Notre Dame (ppt)

Thursday, May 05, 2011

CHI 2011 Workshop Program and Related Links: UI Technologies and Impact on Educational Pedagogy, Related Child-Computer Interaction Papers and Courses

I'll be heading to CHI 2011 for a few days and plan to write a few posts while I'm at the conference. (I'd like to stay for the entire conference, but it is a busy time of year for me at work.)


Below is the program for a workshop I've helped to organize, along with a few related presentations and events that will take place during the course of the conference.


WORKSHOP PROGRAM
CHI 2011 will be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver. The UI Technologies and Pedagogy workshop will be held on Saturday, May 7th,  in the West Building, Level 1, Room 119/120.  PDF versions of the following presentations can be found on the workshop's website.


9:00am – 09:05am Introduction
Edward Tse and Johannes Schöning
9:05am - 10:05am Paper Session I (8 min presentation, 4 min Discussion)
Chair: Yvonne Rogers
Evaluating Pervasive Classrooms
• Son Do-Lenh et al.: Classroom-experience evaluation: An ecological approach to evaluating pervasive technologies in classrooms 
• Kathryn Rounding et al.: Evaluating Interfaces with Children 
• Dan Morris et al.: Using Machine Learning to Scaffold Artistic Creativity in Education
• Tamara Polajnar et al.: Enabling Picture-based Querying and Learning with the JuSe Interface
• Hamed Alavi et al.: Lantern 2.0: A Pervasive Scripting Tool
•Quincy Brown et al.: Mobile Natives: Unlocking the Potential of Educational Technology
10:15am - 11:00am  Coffee Break and Preparation time for short talks
11:00am - 12:10pm  Paper Session II (8min presentation, 4min Discussion)
Chair: Max Mühlhäuser
Collaboration in Math: Fears, Myths, and Insights.
• Nicola Yull et al.: Pass the iPad: Comparing collaboration on paper and screen
• Veronika Irvine et al.: Math Education: A Creative Approach
• Group talk: Math and Embodied Agents
a.Kristina Richter et al.: Bridging Diagnosis and Learning for Mathematics Education in Classroom Setting
b.Lisa Anthony et al.: Handwriting Interaction for Math Tutors: Lessons for HCI in Education
c.Andrew Jensen et al.: Using Embodied Pedagogical Agents and Direct Instruction to Augment Learning for Young Children with Special Needs
• Group talk: Dispelling Myths About the Next Generation Classroom
a. Alex Thayer et al.: The Myth of the Paperless School: Replacing Printed Texts with E-readers
b.Sharon Oviatt: Designing Digital Tools for Thinking, Adaptive Learning and Cognitive Evolution
c.Alexandra Dunn et al.: Designing Classroom Technology to Meet the Needs of All
Group talk: Games, Wearables and Fun Learning.
a.Christiane Moser et al.: Child-Centered Game Development
b.Lizbeth Escobedo et al.: Blue’s Clues: An Augmented Reality Positioning System
c.Si Jung Kim et al.: Wearable Story: A Story Telling Jacket for Young Children to Improve Their Independent Physical and Learning Activities
12:10pm - 1:30pm   Lunch
1:30pm - 2:30pm   Paper Session III (8 min presentation, 4 min Discussion)
Chair: Richard Beckwith
Tangibles and Tabletops
• Izdihar Jamil et al.:    Communication Patterns in Collaborative Peer Learning around Interactive Table
• Aura Pon et al.:   Graspable Music and Vuzik: Music Learning and Creativity using an Interactive Surface
• Ahmed Kharrufa et al.: Learning at interactive surfaces and designing for reflection
• Cristina Sylla et al.: TOK – a Tangible Interface for Storytelling
• Group talk: Tables and Tangibles
a.Robert Sheehan:    Constructionism, Programming and Touch Interfaces
b.Orit Shaer et al.:     Making the Invisible Tangible: Learning Biological Engineering in Kindergarten
c.Sebastien Kubicki: Evaluation of an interactive table with tangible objects: Application with children in a classroom
d.Cristina Emilia Costa et al.:  I-Theatre: developing narratives skills in kindergarten children
e.Wooi Boon Goh et al.:  Potential Challenges in Collaborative Game Design for Inclusive Settings
2:30pm - 3:00pm       Coffee Break
3:00pm - 4:00pm       Breakout Discussion (What are future challenges? Next years workshop?)
4:00pm - 4:45pm   Closing Keynote by Allison Druin: Mining the Imagination from Time Travel to Anti-gravity: The Future of Child-Computer Interaction
"If you’ve ever sat with a child imagining the future of new technologies, you will undoubtedly hear about “anti-gravity machines,” “peace-technologies that work by tickling people,” “backpacks of the future with ice cream makers,” and “time-travel-mobile-phones that when you call someone it takes you back in time.” The question is how can these child-like imagined technologies lead us to real answers for the future?


In my talk I will propose that “data mining” is not enough, that “mining the imagination” is critical to understanding the future. I will describe the “iChild” and the interactive, independent, international, imaginative child we need to consider designing for in the future. If we look for real change, we need to listen to children, not because they know more, but because they can help us question, explore, and push us in true directions for change."


Allison Druin is an Associate Dean for Research in the iSchool at the University of Maryland and is Director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab. For almost 14 years, she has led an intergenerational research team, where children, ages 7-11 years old partner with an interdisciplinary group of adult researchers to develop new technologies for children. With this team, she has helped to developed new digital library and storytelling tools with such partners as the U.S. National Park Service, Sesame Workshop, Nickelodeon, Nokia, UNICEF, and many others. In 2010, she received with Ben Bederson the SIGCHI Social Impact Award for her work leading the International Children’s Digital Library (www.childrenslibrary.org).
4:45pm - 5:00pm Closing Remarks (All)
7:00pm Optional Workshop Dinner


RELATED CHILD-COMPUTER INTERACTION SESSIONS AT CHI 2011
CHI 2011 will be offering a variety of opportunities for people interested in interaction design and technologies for children.  Detailed information regarding the researchers/ presenters can be found on the IDC-SIG News/Events page.


CHI2011 COURSE - Evaluating Children's Interactive Technology
Monday 9th May 2011 - 16:00
Janet C Read - University of Central Lancashire
Panos Markopoulos - Technical University of Eindhoven
CHI2011 COURSE - New Methods for Designing for and with the iChild: Strategies for Today’s Mobile, Social, and Internet Technologies
Thursday 12th May 2011 - 09:00
Allison Druin - University of Maryland
Jerry Fails - Montclair State University
Mona Leigh Gubler - University of Maryland
CHI2011 Paper Session - Engaging Youth  Thursday 12th May 2011 - 11:00
Exploratory Evaluations of a Computer Game Supporting Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Adolescents
In the Mood: Engaging Teenagers in Psychotherapy Using Mobile Phones
Breaking Boundaries: Strategies for Mentoring through Textile Computing Workshops
Brick by Brick: Iterating Interventions to Bridge the Achievement Gap with Virtual Peers
CHI2011 - Other IDC Related Papers
Paper Session: Art, Music and  MovementMonday 9th May 2011
MOGCLASS: Evaluation of a Collaborative System of Mobile Devices for Classroom Music Education of Young Children
MoBoogie: Creative Expression Through Whole Body Musical Interaction
Paper Session: Low-cost ICT4D Tuesday 10th May 2011
Utilizing Multimedia Capabilities of Mobile Phones to Support Teaching in Schools in Rural Panama
Infrastructures for low-cost laptop use in Mexican schools
Paper Session: Storytelling and Perceptual Crossing Wednesday 11th May 2011
ShadowStory: Creative and Collaborative Digital Storytelling Inspired by Cultural Heritage
Paper Session: Learning
Practical, Appropriate, Empirically-Validated Guidelines for Designing Educational Games
CHI2011 Paper Session - Families Tuesday 10th May 2011 - 11:00
Learning Patterns of Pick-ups and Drop-offs to Support Busy Family Coordination
Mediated Parent-Child Contact in Work-Separated Families
Hello, is Grandma there? Let’s Read! StoryVisit: Family Video Chat and Connected E-Books
Family Portals: Connecting Families Through A Multifamily Media Space

If these topics interest you, consider making plans to attend IDC 2011!
IDC 2011:  The 10th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children
June 19-23,  University of Michigan

Cross Posted on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Child-Computer Interaction Workshop on May 7th at CHI 2011: Deadline extended to February 18th!

The deadline for submissions to the CHI 2011 Child Computer Interaction: 2nd Workshop on UI Technologies an their Impact on Educational Pedagogy has been extended to February 18, 2011.

The workshop will be held on May 7, 2011, Vancouver, Canada, in conjunction with ACM's CHI 2011 conference. Interested researchers should submit a 4-page position paper in the ACM CHI adjunct proceedings style to the workshop management system.

Note that the best 3 papers will be pre-accepted for a upcoming for a theme issue of the Springer Journal Personal and Ubiquitous Computing on “Child Computer Interaction”.



IMPORTANT DATES
Submission Deadline: February 18th, 2011
Author Notification: March 15th, 2011
Final Version Deadline: April 1st, 2011
Workshop Date: May 7th, 2011


DETAILS 
2011 Workshop Website
Call for Papers
Workshop Management System
Note:  Deadlines for several other CHI 2011 workshops have also been extended to February 18th. (Pictures and links from the CHI 2010 workshop are located at the end of this post.)

CALL FOR PAPERS

IN CONJUNCTION WITH CHI 2011
Child Computer Interaction: Workshop on UI Technologies and Educational Pedagogy
in conjunction with CHI 2011, Vancouver
May 7th, 2011


Topic: Given the emergence of Child Computer Interaction and the ubiquitous application of interactive technology as an educational tool, there is a need to explore how next generation HCI will impact education in the future. Educators are depending on the interaction communities and to deliver technologies that will improve and adapt learning to an ever- changing world. In addition to novel UI concepts, the HCI community needs to examine how these concepts can be matched to contemporary paradigms in educational pedagogy. The classroom is a challenging environment for evaluation, thus new techniques need to be established to prove the value of new HCI interactions in the educational space. This workshop provides a forum to discuss key HCI issues facing next generation education.


We invite authors to present position papers about potential design challenges and perspectives on how the community should handle the next generation of HCI in education. Topics of interest include:


• Gestural input, multitouch, large displays, multi-display interaction, response systems
• Mobile Devices/mobile & pervasive learning
• Tangible, VR, AR & MR, Multimodal interfaces, universal design, accessibility
• Console gaming, 3D input devices, 3D displays
• Co-located interaction, presentations, tele-presence, interactive video
• Child Computer Interaction, Educational Pedagogy, learner-centric, adaptive “smart” applications,
• Empirical methods, case studies, linking of HCI research with educational research methodology
•Usable systems to support learning and teaching: Ecology of learning, any where, anytime, (UX of cloud computing to support teaching and learning)


Submission: The deadline for workshop paper submissions is February 18, 2011. Interested researchers should submit a 4-page position paper in the ACM CHI adjunct proceedings style to the workshop management system. Acceptance notifications will be sent out March 15, 2011. The workshop will be held May 7, 2011 in Vancouver, Canada. Please note that at least one author of an accepted position paper must register for the workshop and for one or more days of the CHI 2011 conference.


The best 3 papers will be pre accepted for a upcoming for a theme issue of the Springer
journal Personal and Ubiquitous Computing on “Child Computer Interaction”. Other authors are also invite to submit/ resubmit their work. We will send a separate call for paper for this special issue soon.

Contact: Edward Tse, SMART Technologies, edwardtse@smarttech.com

CHI 2010
NEXT GENERATION OF HCI AND EDUCATION
Join an interdisciplinary, international group of like-minded peers and colleagues.


Brainstorm with thought leaders.

After the workshop, relax, dine, and converse with interesting people.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

SMALLab Update: Embodied and Engaged Learning - ASU researchers partner with GameDesk


SMALLab is an interdisciplinary collaborative project at the Arts, Media and Engineering program at Arizona State University, and includes people from fields such as education, art, theatre, computer science, engineering, and psychology.  The SMALLab provides students with a multi-sensory, multi-modal way of learning concepts in an immersive environment, and uses a motion capture system that tracks the position of the students as they move and interact within the environment.

SMALLab's project lead is David Birchfield,  a media artist, researcher, and educator who focuses on K-12 learning, media art installations, and live computer music performances.  SMALLab researchers have recently partnered with GameDesk to develop a 6th grade curriculum for a GameDesk charter school in 2012. (Information and links related to GameDesk are located in the RELATED section of this post.)



Below is a detailed excerpt from an overview of SMALLab:
"In today’s world, digital technology must play a central role in students’ learning. A convergence of trends in the learning science and human-computer interaction (HCI) research offers new theoretical and technological frameworks for learning. in particular, mixed-reality, experiential media systems can support learning in a way that is social, collaborative, multimodal, and embodied. These systems comprise a new breed of student-centered learning environments [SCLE’s]. Importantly, they must address the practicalities of today’s classrooms and informal learning environments (eg.: space, infrastructure, financial resources) while embracing the innovative forms of interactivity that are emerging from our media research communities (eg: multimodal sensing, real time interactive media, context aware computing)...
...SMALLab is an extensible platform for semi-immersive, mixed-reality learning. By semi-immersive, we mean that the mediated space of SMALLab is physically open on all sides to the larger environment. Participants can freely enter and exit the space without the need for wearing specialized display or sensing devices such as head-mounted displays (HMD) or motion capture markers. Participants seated or standing around SMALLab can see and hear the dynamic media, and they can directly communicate with their peers that are interacting in the space. As such, the semi-immersive framework establishes a porous relationship between SMALLab and the larger physical learning environment. By mixed-reality, we mean that there is an integration of physical manipulation objects, 3D physical gestures, and digitally mediated components. By extensible, we mean that researchers, teachers, and students can create new learning scenarios in SMALLab using a set of custom designed authoring tools and programming interfaces."

Below are a few videos about SMALLab, and information about GameDesk, an organization that is collaborating with SMALLab in California.



SMALLab Learning from SMALLab on Vimeo.

Below is a demonstration of a Smallab learning activity:

Gamedesk Smallab Session from Gamedesk on Vimeo.

SMALLab from SMALLab on Vimeo.



RELATED
Learning by Playing: Video Games in the Classroom
Sara Corbett, NYTimes Magazine, 9/15/10
People of SMALLab
SMALLab and Related Publications
ASU's SMALLab, a Mixed Reality Learning Environment - Multi-modal and Collaborative 
SMALLab Learning Lab at Quest to Learn School
Embodied Learning, GameDesk


Info about GameDesk, from the GameDesk website:
"GameDesk is a 501(c)3 nonprofit research and outreach organization that seeks to reshape models for learning through game-play and game development. The organization looks to help close the achievement gap and engage students to learn core STEM curriculum. It develops project-based learning with a strong focus on purpose, ownership, and personal value. The organization (originally developed out of research and support at the University of Southern California's IMSC) has now been in development, practice, and/or evaluation for over two years in various schools in the Los Angeles area."-Gamedesk

Gamedesk Concept Chart

Gamedesk People

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

EyeTube for YouTube! Eye-gaze interaction software, free and downloadable from GazeGroup


Gaze interaction systems provide access to computers and the rich content now available on the web for many people with disabilities.  Unfortunately, commercial gaze tracking systems are very expensive and at times, difficult to calibrate.  There is hope!



Following up on my recent post, "Open-source Eye-tracking: The ITU Gaze Tracker 2.0 Beta", I thought I'd share the GazeGroup's EyeTube for YouTube interface.  What is great about EyeTube for YouTube is that it provides two different interfaces. The simplified version looks good for younger children or people with cognitive disorders, and is icon-based.  The second version is appropriate for people who can navigate through more complex visual representations of content. EyeTube requires a Windows-based system and .Net 3.5 at this time. It can be downloaded from the GazeGroup website.  If you plan to download the application, you must also make sure you have a YouTube account. To get the application up and running, you'll need to change the settings (EyeTubeSettings.xml) to match your account.   (If you don't know much about changing settings or xml, ask someone you know who works in IT.)
Below is the icon-based version of the eye-gaze interface for YouTube:
EyeTube - Gaze Interaction for YouTube (simplified version)

Feature-rich version of the EyeTube interface for YouTube:
EyeTube - Gaze Interaction for YouTube

From the GazeGroup site:
"The EyeTube prototype offers a feature rich eye controlled interface for the popular YouTube service. Instead of emulating a mouse pointer and interacting with a web browser the EyeTube interface is especially designed to be driven by gaze input. It offers a wide range of features such as keyword searching, popular video feeds, favorites and social aspects such as subscriptions, friends and commenting on videos.The highly optimized interfaces allows for a streamline interaction which is aleviated from the Midas Touch problem. In most previous gaze interfaces selection is made by a dwell time activator, e.g fixat a button for a specific amount of time and it will execute the function. In the EyeTube interface a fixation on a U.I element will highlight it and a second fixation on the activation button is required to execute the function. This removes the stress of having to constantly move the eyes to avoid unintentional activation."

"The EyeTube also exists in another simplified incarnation developed for users whom are distracted by a larger number of options. It supports basic features such as browsing categories, optional keyword searching and favorites."
RELATED
The GazeGroup
(The individuals mentioned below may be currently working elsewhere, but involved in the gaze research in some way.)
GazeGroup Research Areas
COGAIN (Communication by Gaze Interaction)
ACM CHI Conference Articles
San Agustin, J., Skovsgaard, H., Hansen, J. P., and Hansen, D. W. 2009. Low-cost gaze interaction: ready to deliver the promises. In Proceedings of the 27th international Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Boston, MA, USA, April 04 - 09, 2009). CHI EA '09. ACM, New York, NY, 4453-4458. DOI= http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1520340.1520682
San Agustin, J., Hansen, J. P., Hansen, D. W., and Skovsgaard, H. 2009. Low-cost gaze pointing and EMG clicking. In Proceedings of the 27th international Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Boston, MA, USA, April 04 - 09, 2009). CHI EA '09. ACM, New York, NY, 3247-3252. DOI= http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1520340.1520466 
Tall, M., Alapetite, A., San Agustin, J., Skovsgaard, H. H., Hansen, J. P., Hansen, D. W., and Møllenbach, E. 2009. Gaze-controlled driving. InProceedings of the 27th international Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Boston, MA, USA, April 04 - 09, 2009). CHI EA '09. ACM, New York, NY, 4387-4392. DOI= http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1520340.1520671

UPDATE
Eye-controlled games and leisure applications from the COGAIN wiki: http://www.cogain.org/wiki/Leisure_Applications
  • EyeArt - EyeArt eye-drawing program, developed by Andre Meyer and Markus Dittmar, Technical University of Dresden, Applied Cognitive Research Unit, Germany.
  • GazeTrain - Gaze-controlled action oriented puzzle game, developed by Lasse Farnung Laursen, Technical University of Denmark
  • Puzzle - Simple puzzle game that can be played with eye movements, developed by Vytautas Vysniauskas, Siauliai University, Lithuania
  • Road to Santiago - Gaze-controlled adventure game (full game), developed by Javier Hernandez Sanchiz, Universidad Publica de Navarra, Spain
  • Snap Clutch - An application that uses eye gaze data to generate key and mouse events for playing games such as World of Warcraft and Second Life.
  • ASE: Accessible Surfing Extension for Firefox - Follow this link to access ASE, an Accessible Surfing Extension for Firefox, developed by Emiliano Castellina and Fulvio Corno at Politecnico di Torino. (Note that this is a beta version.)
  • Eye Gaze Music (SAW Selection Sets) - Point and Play – eye gaze (direct pointing) musical activities, developed by DART. Please note that SAW (Special Access to Windows) framework application is needed to play these 15 music selection sets. SAW is available for free athttp://www.oatsoft.org/Software/SpecialAccessToWindows
  • EyeTube - Gaze interaction for YouTube - Follow this link to get more information and download EyeTube at ITU GazeGroup's web pages
  • Eye3D and other head eye mouse software - Eye3D for education, and a collection of links to free software that works with head or eye mouse. Includes links to downloads and original sites.
  • Gaze-controlled Breakout - Follow this link to access a modified version of the LBreakout2 game which can be operated by an SMI eye tracker, developed by Michael Dorr et al. at University of Luebeck
  • Oleg Spakov's Freeware games for MyTobii - Follow this link to access MyTobii compatible games developed by Oleg Spakov, University of Tampere, Finland
  • Free ITU Gaze Tracker and applications - Download a webcam based open-source gaze tracker and several applications that work with it, developed at IT University of Copenhagen
  • GameBase - Check out the Eye-Gaze Games category at the SpecialEffect GameBase!
  • More information about Gaze-Controlled Games - Follow this link to see a list of online information resources on using gaze for the control of games and other leisure applications



Cross-posted on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog.

Monday, October 11, 2010

SMARTTable Activities from the SMARTClassroom YouTube Channel


SMARTTable at Wolfe School

Below are links to a variety of videos from the SMARTClassroom YouTube Channel that demonstrate new SMARTTable lessons. 

If you are interested in getting more in-depth SMARTTable training, you can register for certification events via the SMART Learning Center.