Immobile Learning
27th April, 2007
The application of technology to learning is broad. As technology becomes more ubiquitous, chips get smaller and more complex and their cost comes down we will see many applications that now seem odd. Everyday objects will have embedded intelligence.
This month my attention has been draw to specific examples that are to do with attention. Much research has been done to show that on-task time is a good measure of educational effectiveness. Staying put and working ie immobile learning.
Ash Kapoor at Microsoft in Redmond, working with the gesture group at MIT Media Lab have taken a new approach to b*ms on seats( reported in International Journal of Human-Computer Studies). They have fitted pressure sensors to the back and seat of a chair, have a web cam noting head movement and measure the grip on the mouse. They have software that uses these inputs to recognize frustration and fidgiting – and identify those who are engaged and those who are not (with 79% accuracy). This allows the teacher to let those that can get on with it and those that need more help can be identified. Not so much enquiring minds as…..
In a similar vein New Scientist (Mar 24, 2007, p 30) report a robotic computer (RoCo) with a monitor for a head (also in MediaLab). It builds a rapport with the user by being in tune with their needs. If you slump at your desk, the monitor will also slump. The article goes on to discuss affective engagement with computers. This too is aimed at fostering greater attention and persistence.
Is this stupid? I don’t think so. It may well be that these invisible small devices sensing our being in the environment that make the biggest difference to our lives (learning lives or whatever) in the longer term.
Bob Harrison
Ben Williamson
Dan Sutch
Richard Sandford
Leon Cych
Martin Owen
Sarah Grier
Tim Reader
May 24th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
[...] There is as ever much to do about the personalisation of learning through technology. This takes various different forms: it can, for example revolve around content and it can focus on the benefits or not and the personal devices that learners can use to support their learning and mobility. Of course one of the key ways in which each learner’s experience is individual and personal is through the different contexts in which they live their lives. A primary facet of this context for most school aged learners is through their interactions with their families. So are we doing enough to help families ‘make it personal’ and help each other learn effectively? [...]