Before Christmas I was lucky enough to visit the Technology-Enhanced Learning team at Durham University and learn more about their extended research into multi-touch desks and building a classroom environment that made the most of this technology.
Yesterday I returned for my second visit and caught up with their developments and also discussed my own recent experiences of using the SMART Table in my classroom.
Since I was last with them they have made some very important steps forward, including:
- Installed a 10 camera/mic ceiling rig in their main laboratory to record and document students working on the multi-touch desks. (They are building their own video review software to best review, tag and explore the resulting evidence)
- Conducted early primary pupil investigations, with the children completing some simple group tasks on the tables. As I said to the team in my first visit, once children are using the devices all of the bugs and glitches will be pointed out!
- Finalised the build of the table hardware, unfortunately they have had trouble with the first prototype and it was on its way back to Germany so I didn’t get a chance to see it.
- Completed the second build of their multi-touch software.
The most significant step for me, really illustrates the direction this project is heading – they are not just developing stand alone devices but how the environment can work together. It is about how children can work together and communicate and how the multi-touch technology can facilitate this. In this film you will see what I mean!
We talked about the potential of a mobile device for the teacher in the multi-touch classroom – perhaps adding comments and content to the children’s table on the fly. In a similar way to the iPhone contacts application Bump. Another crucial discussion was about the importance of building a framework of activity creation so that teachers would be able to quickly build appropriate tasks and make the most of this sort of environment.
I am always excited to see the work this very talented team are up to and once again I wasn’t disappointed. They have invited me to write an academic paper with them about my experiences of creating learning content for multi-touch and also to attend a steering group meeting in November. The next update about the work Durham are doing may be before then as I am hoping to get hold of their software and help them develop it over the coming months.
This is definitely very exciting technology especially the ability for Multitouch surfaces to communicate with each other in that way. Passing work from one group table to the next by just flicking your wrist gives handing out books a new context. Your input into the development of the technology from a teacher’s point of view is invaluable.