Multi-Touch Interactive Desk from Durham University

SMART TablePublished onUpdated on13 Comments on Multi-Touch Interactive Desk from Durham University

Yesterday I visited Durham’s Technology-Enhanced Learning Research group who had invited me to see their multi-touch interactive desk that hit the headlines recently. It was in fact my Mum who sent me a newspaper clipping about the device and following my TeachMeet presentation Dr Liz Burd invited me to visit.

It is always thrilling to see the birth place of new technologies and I have been priveleged to have seen two such concept labs. It is motivating and inspiring to meet innovative people such as the team working at Durham University and equally exciting to hear their open philosophy towards the interactive desk development. 

Andrew Hatch and his pride and joy

The interactive desk is one element of a much bigger picture approach to this research and development looking to redefine what a collaborative learning environment can be. Durham have won funding for 4 years for the project. It is very refreshing as it is not just about a single device or product but deals with as they state in their grant proposal “the design of an educational technology that is strongly supportive of social pedagogy.” They call the wider learning environment concept “SynergyNet”. 

This learning environment will be technology rich, where ICT is seamlessly integrated into the fabric of a classroom but the technology does not intrude on the main focus of the activity (Smith and Harrison 2001). Our enthusiastic claims for the positive impact of this technology on learning are based on its ability to facilitate classroom dialogue and pupil collaboration. Central to SynergyNet is a new form of desk that contains a large built-in multi-touch surface.

The team go on to explain that:

This research aligns directly to TLRPs (Teaching and Learning Research Programme) evidence-informed pedagogic Principle 7 (James and Pollard, 2007) that effective teaching and learning foster not only individual but also social processes and outcomes. Thus this research aims:

  • Aim 1: To create a radically new technology-rich learning environment that integrates with traditional classroom layouts and collective activities.
  • Aim 2: To design and implement a new form of user interface for educational multi-touch systems.
  • Aim 3: To formulate a new pedagogy that eases transition and movement between teacher-centric and pupil centric interaction.
  • Aim 4: To analyse pupils’ learning strategies to inform fundamental research by capturing data as pupils use the SynergyNet environment

Doctors Liz Burd, Andrew Hatch (seated in the picture above) and Phyo Kyaw played as my hosts for the day and showed me their Techno Cafe which was the inspiration for the SynergyNet project. It was an informal learning space for leactures and seminars, divided up into small booths in the style of a diner. Each booth was rich with technology: SMARTBoard, hard wiring available for tablets and other devices, speakers, cameras to monitor the activity in the booths from a central teacher’s podium.

The multi-touch desk itself has been developed with learning in mind from the beginning and actually using it was very exciting. However the design was unexpected, it was a large podium with the surface itself at about a 40 degree angle. The surface itself was a synthetic fabric like a drum skin and Liz Burd explain that they had tried all sorts of different surfaces to facilitate touch and she thought a tracing paper texture would be ideal.

As I have said the open approach to the project was a refreshing change and they openly encouraged me to take pictures and video and to blog about the project. Here are three videos I took currently available on YouTube – please use them in your own blog posts and to show staff to instigate discussion.

Both of these simple application are very much to prove the code and application architecture that underpins the use of the device. You can see that they are simple and rudimentary but this is the first step. We talked about the possibilities of applications and I was delighted to hear that Liz, Andrew and Phyo would be willing to take ideas and contributions from educators who are working with a range of different age groups.

This is the inner workings of the device and you can see the projector/camera/infra red construction, again their willingness for me to film “behind the scenes” underlines their open source philosophy to many of the project elements.

In fact the project’s research outcomes clearly state these ideas:

  • A revolutionary learning environment using integrated ICT – We will develop free, open-source software to enable pupils to use the SynergyNet multi-touch tables and teachers to control the immersive classroom environment.
  • A new integrated pedagogy – Through the use and the design of the SynergyNet environment, we will evolve a new technology-supported social pedagogy.
  • A data capture system – We will develop free, open-source software to enable researchers automatically to capture video and audio data and simultaneously record user-interactions with PC or multi-touch technology.
  • A data-rich repository of classroom activity – We will record pupils’ collaborative exchanges (verbal and non-verbal) as they use the system. This will used to inform the evaluation and evolution of the research but the richness of the data means that it has great potential to support other research projects within TLRP and beyond.

Our final conversation of the day centred on the next steps for the SynergyNet project and I raised the huge potential that social networking tools have in terms of gathering ideas and insight from wider education communities. I have agreed to help the team from Durham to facilitate the way our networks can make an impact on this research and how the voices of many teachers and educators could contribute to their project aims.

You have the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing development of this exciting project as at this stage the team need ideas. Contribute your ideas and thoughts for development using the newly created Flickr group “Multi-Touch Interactive Desk: Applications and Gesture Ideas”

You can contribute in two ways.

  1. Possible learning activities from any age range that would benefit from multi-touch capabilities. Upload screenshots or photos of classroom activities that could be transformed with multi-touch. Ensure you explain what you are adding and your ideas for how it could be improved.
  2. It is also a place to suggest gestures that could be developed for the device, think the iPhone “pinch” and “twist” but what else would you like? Upload a diagram or better still a short video of the gesture and what it would do.
     

The potential for this project is huge and if it continues to listen to the voices of wider communities it should have a strong and exciting future. No doubt we will explore the prospects of other online tools to gather your ideas but for now take a look again at the films and think what could you have done differently in your classroom with that sort of tool? What activities could you imagine with many of these desks working together in a classroom? Why not show your students the films and encourage them to suggest their ideas.

I know that the team would love to hear your comments, reactions and learning activity ideas – whether here, on the YouTube videos or with an image or video contribution to the Flickr group. I think this is a wonderful opportunity for us to help define the future of classroom interactive devices and not just be the consumer, so please get the word out and let’s see if we can make a difference.

You never know maybe in years to come you will have these devices at your school and you could say you played your part.

Woices and Google Earth for Digital Fiction

Google Earth, Literacy, Mapping, My class, VoicethreadPublished onUpdated on11 Comments on Woices and Google Earth for Digital Fiction

These are some of the ideas I have been brewing over during my half term break from school. Today I managed to have a great few hours and got 3 solid looking weeks of planning done which incorporate all of these concepts. As the next few weeks pass I will reflect on their effectiveness in the classroom with our classes.

Photostory

2993337752 6f758e02f4Not a particularly new idea as this is a firm favourite for digital storytelling. I have always spoken highly of this simple application from Microsoft because it has such a clearly set out structure to follow. It is particularly beneficial for young children as there is noa chance they will get lost in an open application searching for features or trying to remember how to do things. Photostory is linear in structure and so each step has to be passed by to finish.

We have had success in the past with Photostory so it is familiar territory for the staff in Year 5 but our classes have yet to look at it with us. They had some brief experience with their classes last year but not on the scale we want to use it.

The children will be generating illustrations, clay models, images and paintings to help tell the story of James and the Giant Peach for the first few days. We are not taking on the whole story though, as the children have already written a letter explaining about his early predicament to an imaginary character. We are going to use Photostory to bring that letter to life and make it multi modal in nature. The prior writing will be a good source of support and the children will add audio and narration of their correspondence in this new digital way.

Comiqs

I first came across Comiqs from Steve Kirkpatrick’s excellent blog. There are growing numbers of online comic and cartoon sites but the feature that makes this so useful in the classroom is its simplicity. I am looking forward to mashing up their writing into this different digital form following our Photostory work. The children will have to reappraise their writing and look at the direct speech of characters in more detail due to the comic book genre.

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I have contacted Michael at Comiqs regarding multiple logins and just asking advice in general about using it with a class of 30 or even 60 children in total. It is clear that a class sign in system, like Voicethread, is not yet in place so I wanted his opinion – single login for the class or multiple logins. He replied:

Currently, it might be best to use a single login and password for the site. However, managing the photos, etc, would be a bit of an issue. However, we might look into implementing a paid service with better much login and classroom support.

If this is the case it should be interesting looking out for this in the future. I am excited about letting the children loose on Comiqs and know they will enjoy using it for their digital narrative, nonetheless it remains to be seen how well it copes with large amounts of media in a single account, accessed by many children.

Google Earth

During a seminar at the Scottish Learning Festival Ewan McIntosh explained about using Google Earth for narrative in Penguin’s 21 Steps examples from Charles Cumming. The idea struck me that beginning with a journey would be a great way to tell a story and combined with the children’s general confidence around Google Earth it should be a great medium for narrative.

The idea for our own work is using James and the Giant Peach as our launch pad, but taking it in a different direction. I thought today that the class could write his escape from the clutches of his Aunt and to write the ongoing story using placemarks in Google Earth.

I spent some time hunting around for a place in England somewhere that matched the location of the house from the Dahl story. I found somewhere in Dorset I think, on a hill with a thin sliver of sea visible in the distance.

I will show the children how to create a path using Google Earth and talk through James’ possible escape. We will use the real features of the land to help inform the narrative. I will ask the children to write 6-10 parts of the escape story from James’ point of view. Each placemark could form a paragraph and must refer to the real environment around it.

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I love the idea of a visual pathway beginning the story rather than traditional plans or notes. I think the children will respond well to this digital form of stroytelling and perhaps we can make it an option in the future for writing narrative. The possibilities are huge for the scope of this work and combined with other information and creative media within Google Earth layers it could really support children’s storytelling. This is the one I am most looking forward to exploring.

Woices

To support the location driven narrative of Google Earth and to provide the children with the opportunity to talk through their writing ideas prior to using GE, I have decided to plan in a few sessions using Woices. This is a geotagging audio site and is meant to be used for recording audio references “echoes” about places in the world, they then can be combined together to form a “walk” of “echoes” with something in common.

An echo is an audio record that is attached to a physical real-world location or object. Echoes are words, left by one person at some precise place, that can be listened to by anyone, as if their author was still there. Echoes can speak about any topic and respond to any user’s purpose. They can speak about local history, art, curiosities, personal memories, and so on. Just something you think its worth to leave that may make the world a more interesting place.

As soon as I saw this tool i thought digital storytelling on a map! And that is how I am planning on using it, the children will take their journey from Google Earth (see above) and record audio of James’ escape story. The children have to navigate on a world map to the location of the first piece of audio, so giving them a real location to search will be important, and then they record part of the narrative. Whereas Google Earth placemarks are the written version, Woices is the spoken version.

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This is still very much an unknown service and I am unsure how it will cope with the media we will throw at it in a very short time. I will be getting in touch with the folk at Woices to forewarn them and to get some advice about usage. Once again their is an issue around many users on one single login and with lots of media being generated.

I am planning that the children will work in pairs to create their Woices audio on the map – once the “echoes” have been created they then can choose a bunch of them to create a “walk” and this will tie in together theor work creating a seamless narrative.

Of course now thinking about it the pooled audio provides for an interesting option of generating a whole variety of “walks” by combining different children’s ideas. I also had the thought that the Google Earth journey type narrative could lead from one path to another. The starting point for one child’s story could be the end of another, the whole class has the same theme and you begin with a shared/modelled piece of work and then the children take different parts of the journey. Combining to form a whole class digital journey narrative.

There are many unanswered elements here and a completely new application to explore in the classroom, but there is also the reliability of Photostory and the exciting prospect of geo-narrative in Google Earth. I am looking forward to what the children make of it all and broadening their horizons to the nature of storytelling and narrative.

TeachMeet – Be Inspired

TeachmeetPublished on5 Comments on TeachMeet – Be Inspired

Back in September I was fortunate enough to attend both the Scottish Learning Festival and the most recent TeachMeet. A TeachMeet is an unconference, there is no organising committee and anyone could arrange one or attend – all it takes is a date on the wiki. People sign up to talk about technology in classrooms and it’s free. It is driven by the passion and enthusiasm of those participating.

Learn something new, be amazed, amused and enthused. This is an informal gathering of those curious about technologies. Anyone can share cool ideas they have or great ideas they’ve trialled in their classrooms.

Participants can talk about any topic, following some simple rules (defined by the participants of course) in 7 minute or 2 minute (nano) slots. My first TeachMeet in Glasgow saw me open the show with the first 7 minute presentation. In January of this year I took part in the FlashMeeting (online coverage) for the TeachMeet at BETT 2008, however the experience of meeting people face to face has no substitute. 

It was such a positive and inspiring experience in Glasgow that I decided to try and organise something closer to home. I enquired with Stuart Sutherland about whether we could host a midlands TeachMeet at the National College for School Leadership in Nottingham. In my opinion this is a venue that is befitting the inspiring nature of TeachMeet and I am thrilled that the NCSL have agreed to support TeachMeet Midlands which will take place on the 15th May 2009. Just pop your name on the wiki if you can make it.

It seems that there has never been a more abundant time for TeachMeets and if you cannot come along to Nottingham in May then you may be able to attend one of the others in the pipeline.

I have even mentioned the idea of taking it to Australia with me at Christmas and organising a TeachMeet Adelaide and Sydney, but I think I might just enjoy my holidays (Unless someone wants to help!)

In my opinion nothing comes close to the energy and passion for learning technologies you experience at a TeachMeet and in every way it is as Ollie Bray once said “My best continuing professional development”.

All of the TeachMeets are dependant on support from sponsors for food, drink, venues, wifi etc. If you think you can help with any of the events above and would like to partner the most inspiring professional development events currently available, then your support would be appreciated.

Sign up and be inspired.

Discovery

My classPublished on4 Comments on Discovery

Last week as I was helping a child in my class with some data entry using the excellent Create-a-Graph, I watched as a child sitting next to them learned something new. I was simply using the TAB keyboard short-cut to move between fields when adding some data. I could see that the boy next to me had looked up from the work on his own laptop. I continued supporting this child and I again noticed their neighbour peering around my arm trying to spot which key I was using to move between fields. He then looked back at his own keyboard and found the TAB key, he navigated to his own data on his own graph and began trying his newly found keyboard short-cut. 

As I finished up with the child I was originally helping and moved away, I could not help but notice a big grin had spread across the boy’s face as he put into action what he just discovered for himself. I have to say it also made me smile. It is pretty amazing witnessing someone discover something for themselves and benefit from using it.

My Proposal to use Google Docs for Online Reporting to Parents

Google DocsPublished on34 Comments on My Proposal to use Google Docs for Online Reporting to Parents

What follows is a proposal I submitted to my headteacher regarding a trial of the use of Google Docs (as part of the Education Apps) to deliver online reporting to the parents in my class. I have spent considerable time working with Google Docs both on a personal level, organising planning files and within the classroom as a tool to support learning. The ease with which you can share a document is central to the idea that I could share a collaborative report throughout the whole year – updated at times when units of work are completed or at opportune moments of review.

My headteacher gave me his consent for me to explore the idea and I suggested to him posting the original proposal for reaction from a wider audience, he was also keen for this to happen – as this post and hopefully your reactions will help us develop and refine the whole concept.

What is the proposal?

I am proposing to use Google Docs as a platform to trial the delivery of online reporting to the parents and children in my class for this academic year 2008/2009.

What is the National Picture?

It is clear that the government is positioning itself to deliver real-time online reporting by the target year of 2010 for secondary schools and 2012 for all primary. According to Schools Minister Jim Knight:

“Real time reporting will deepen the school-parent relations and is not a substitute for regular personal contact with teachers. Effective technology systems can actually significantly cut the staff workloads – but it has to be to be manageable for individual schools and meaningful for parents.” Jan 2008

The aim is to develop a real-time reporting system that means parents will be able to access frequently updated information on children’s achievement, progress, attendance, behaviour and special needs wherever, whenever they want.

According to this announcement from the DCSF Primary schools must meet the basic requirement to provide information to parents covering achievement, progress, attendance, behaviour and special needs, on a timely and frequent basis – this should be at least once per term by September 2010 and the real time requirement by 2012.

According to Tanya Byron:

“Schools already using online reporting methods have noted that teachers spend less time in total producing three reports each year online than they did when producing just one by hand. The anytime, anywhere aspect of online reporting allows teachers to have greater control and flexibility of the use of their time. And, importantly, online reporting allows teachers to see the ‘bigger picture’ for each student because they are able to view grades and progress in other subjects.”

Why Google Docs?

This tool presently has three main advantages:

  1. It is already in place to be used within school, therefore no new software or programme has to be installed or found.
  2. It is free – we will not need to buy into any contracts or purchase new software.
  3. It delivers the real-time aspect of the online reporting requirement. This is because parents and children will have complete access throughout the year to the document. It is always on.

What will be the differences with the current end of year system?

We will have to unlearn some things. The sense of a formalised report at one time of the year will no longer exist. In this proposed system the parents (and children) will have continued and timely access to a single document that is the child’s report. That document will be periodically updated by the teachers as various units of work are completed and key assessments are finished throughout the year – not just at the end of the year. There will be key contributions from the children as they also comment on the work they have done and explore their own targets for improvement. Parents will have room to make comments based upon the contributions from teachers and children.

Will it increase the workload for a teacher?

For many their first reactions will be that it will, as you are in effect reporting throughout the whole academic year. However in my opinion the timely nature of reporting extends to the teachers too. I believe I will be able to better report to parents if I have the opportunity to just write comments about, for example, a history unit completed at Christmas time. As opposed to doing it 2 terms later alongside all of the other subjects. I believe I will find it easier to write subject comments if it is all fresh in my mind, consequently this will increase the quality of reporting to parents.

When would the report be updated?

I would expect that comments are updated when major units of work are completed in Design and Technology or History for example. Specific times throughout the school year must be negotiated for adding comments about Literacy and Numeracy and some of the other subjects.

What about parents who do not have access at home?

Although more and more families in the community have access to the internet, due to lowering costs, not all of the children in my class (2008/09) have access at home. For the 2 or 3 families that do not have access I will operate an open door policy in terms of the access to the report document at school. The parents will be welcome to come into the classroom immediately after school and access the document.

What is the teacher’s role?

As the year progresses I will schedule times that I will add comments about particular subjects – at the end of units of work, after major pieces of work in the unit are completed. I will also plan time for children to add their comments about the work that has been completed and support them in adding examples of what they have done. I will also collect evidence that is suitable for the online form of the report. I will notify the parents when these updates have been completed or if there is something that needs their attention.

What is the parents’ role?

In the document there will be room for the parents to add comments and feedback about the examples of work and subject comments about their child.

What is the children’s role?

The children will take an active role in updating the document with examples of their work and comments about their learning. At the end of units of work a structured class activity will see them remark upon what they have learned from a subject unit and the highlights from it.

What is the headteacher’s role?

The fourth collaborator on the report document will be the headteacher who will act as overseer on the process throughout the year. A final end of year comment will still be present but the document will be open to any comments from the headteacher throughout the year.

What might the report look like?

The report will be similar to the existing paper version with areas for subject comments. Room must be made for comments from all of the different stakeholders. Photos of the children working will be able to be included as well as examples of work. Links to other online documents and work examples will be used.

What needs to be in place if we were to begin?

  • Parents consent.
  • Email addresses need to be collected from the parents.
  • Schedule of commenting mapped to curriculum.
  • Information letter to parents.
  • An agreed report layout in Google Docs – what would we want to include in the report?
  • What will happen to effort and achievement grades?
  • What do we need to unlearn about the current reporting system.
I have much to iron out but would really appreciate your take on the idea, pitfalls that you might see and your general commentary on the proposal. Your comments will help us to develop the proposed system.