Advances in miniaturization have brought significant computing power to devices the size of a pocket calculator. These devices represent the next generation of computing devices. Handheld computers allow the power of computing to be truly portable and accessible to everyone. Recent innovations such as the Palm VII TM ,Palm Vx TM [4] and the Handspring Visor TM [3] have pushed the envelope of possible applications available to handheld device users.
As computers become increasingly important in everyday life, exposure to computers becomes important at an early age. However, traditional desktop computers are still too expensive and classrooms do not have enough available to allow pervasive access at an early age. Handheld computers are generally less expensive and more accessible than desktop systems making them ideal candidates for increasing access to computers in the classroom. To realize this, the challenge is to develop useful applications for handheld platforms to be used by students and teachers in an educational setting.
Current Projects:
Geney is a collaborative problem solving application to teach children about genetics. This project explores development of handheld educational applications for children using a user-centered, iterative design process. The design methodology utilized mock-ups of representative tasks and scenarios, pre-design meetings with target users, prototype development, and the use of a think aloud protocol for feedback sessions with target users. The results of this work provide important insights into the design of handheld applications for children and illustrate the necessity of user-centered design.
Geney is designed to simulate the breeding of an arbitrary species across a distributed population. The goal of the game is to use knowledge of genetics to breed within a species with a specified set of genetic characteristics.
In the first iteration, a fish having four genetic traits was chosen as the animal for the game. The game involves users marrying fish, which will in turn produce one to three offspring. In addition, unmarried fish can be transferred from one Palm to another, allowing the users to distribute the gene pool among the Palms. The main idea of the game is to make it necessary for users to collaborate and share knowledge in order to complete the goal of breeding a specific fish.
This project explores a new interaction paradigm for handheld computing: the use of multiple interconnected devices to form a shared virtual workspace. Given the importance of rich, social interactions of children, we wanted to explore ways to effectively support children's collaboration on handheld computers. The notion of distributing shared information across handheld displays was investigated by applying user-centered design techniques for children. Based on these ideas, the WHAT-IF feature was developed to extend GeneyTM, a collaborative activity for handheld computers where children can explore genetics concepts. The WHAT-IF feature facilitated children's synthesis of information and discussion during the collaborative activity. An exploratory study was conducted to observe children's use of this new interaction paradigm, and gain feedback on the WHAT-IF feature. The results of this work illustrate the potential of handheld computers for supporting children's social interactions in collaborative learning activities.
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