Question: Developing an IT governance maturity self-assessment model utilizing EFQM and CobiT.

This paper introduces a comprehensive Data Warehousing Process Maturity Model (DWP-M), designed to address the significant challenges and failures often encountered in data warehousing (DW) initiatives. Despite the substantial investments in DW, many projects fail to deliver expected outcomes, highlighting the critical need for a robust maturity model to enhance the reliability and quality of data warehousing processes. The proposed DWP-M model, developed over a three-year period, aims to evaluate and improve the maturity of DW processes, encompassing both development and operations phases. A key differentiator of this model is its systematic approach to assessing DWP maturity, a concept that has been largely overlooked in comparison to software development maturity models. The development of DWP-M involved extensive collaboration with over 20 DW executives from 13 corporations, ensuring practical insights and industry relevance. The final model underwent rigorous evaluation by a panel of experts, who confirmed its effectiveness in enhancing functionality, productivity, and usability. This paper details the evolution of DWP-M, presenting both the initial and final model versions, and provides illustrative examples of key process areas at varying maturity levels. The DWP-M model is poised to become a critical tool for organizations seeking to optimize their DW processes and ensure the delivery of consistent, high-quality data.

The improvements and capabilities of Business Intelligence (BI) systems are making them highly required by organizations in many of the fields. Day by day, the demand is increasing on these systems. Figures show that billions of US dollars are spent annually on BI systems. However, half of these BI projects are ending with unrealized benefit, according to some studies. As a participation to reduce this failure rate, the authors have developed a conceptual model, based on the existing studies in the field, which may help organizations to assess their readiness toward BI systems. The conceptual model is tested empirically on the Context of Malaysian Organizations(CMOs) as they are emerging widely to BI systems and they lack for this kind of studies to be done them. The conceptual model is consisting of seven dimensions. Depending on the results of the conducted study, this paper will disclose the results of management dimension, which will help to know the degree of its importance for organizations' to be ready for such systems. A brief introduction on BI systems and the challenges of their implementation will be presented. In Addition, this paper will go through some important studies have been done in the field. The details of the study will be provided as well.

Despite the recognition that information system acceptance is an important antecedent of effective emergency management, there has been comparatively very little research examining this aspect of technology acceptance. The current research responded to this gap in literature by adapting and integrating existing models of technology acceptance. This was done in order to examine how a range of technology acceptance factors could affect the acceptance of emergency operations centre information systems. Relationships between several of these factors were also examined. Questionnaire data from 383 end-users of four different emergency operations centre information systems were analysed using structural equation modelling. This analysis concluded that technology acceptance factors of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and information quality explained 65 percent of variance in symbolic adoption, which is a combination of mental acceptance and psychological attachment towards an information system. A number of moderating effects of age, gender, experience of use and domain experience were also identified. A mediating component, of performance expectancy, explained 49 percent of variance between facilitating conditions, information quality, effort expectancy, and resulting symbolic adoption. These findings highlight a need to re-focus technology acceptance research on both mediating and moderating effects and the importance of considering domain specific factors. Applied recommendations are also made, for successfully implementing relevant information

This paper reports on the findings of a survey and case study research into the understanding and application of business process management (BPM) in European companies. The process perspective is increasingly being seen as a mechanism for achieving competitive advantage through performance improvement and in response to market pressures, customer expectations for better and more reliable service and increasing competition. We reveal the level of importance European companies attach to BPM, what it means to them and what they have done in practice. The paper draws on a postal survey conducted with quality directors and business process managers in organisations which are members of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and case studies in a number of organisations regarded as being leaders in the adoption of BPM. The study has helped to highlight some interesting approaches and reveal features which are important for BPM to be successful. Introduction One of the difficulties with business process management (BPM) is that of terminology. The term process can be found in many disciplines which contribute to our understanding of organisations in the management literature. An operational view is seen in quality improvement (Deming, 1986), total quality management (Oakland, 1989) and the concept of just-in-time (Harrison, 1992). Systems thinking (Jenkins, 1971; Checkland, 1981), cybernetics (Beer, 1966) and systems dynamics (Senge, 1990) give a richer meaning to the term. Organisational theorists have also talked in terms of social and organisational processes (Burrell and Morgan, 1979; Monge, 1990). A useful review of these antecedents has been provided by Peppard and Preece (1995). The domain in which the current study is centred develops out of recent approaches which seek to improve organisational effectiveness through the attachment of managerial thinking to Total Quality or Business Excellence models. These have been essentially practitioner driven and not grounded in academic theory. Examples include the European Foundation for Quality Management model (EFQM) (Hakes, 1995) and the Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award model (MBNQA) (George, 1992). While these models espouse multi-factorial and multi-constituency models of organisational effectiveness they remain essentially goal-based (Cameron, 1986). They have also developed from a strong operational framework and often have absorbed the approaches of We would like to thank Bob Dart, Simon Machin and Tony Grant from Royal Mail. We also gratefully appreciate the assistance of the EFQM, Rank Xerox, British Telecom, TNT and Nortel during the various stages of our research. D ow nl oa de d by S E L C U K U N IV E R SI T Y A t 0 2: 52 0 8 Fe br ua ry 2 01 5 (P T ) Lessons from European business 11 business process re-engineering (Hammer, 1990). They have also been influenced by strategic thinking in the strong process orientation of the value chain analysis (Porter, 1985) and they accommodate the resources based view of the firm (Grant, 1991). Use of the models may lead to questioning the design of an organisation at a strategic level by reassessing the value of functions in favour of processes which transcend functionality (Ghoshal and Bartlett, 1995; Galbraith, 1995). However, neither the EFQM nor the MBNQA provide direct guidance on how to deploy BPM. Approaches often incorporate attempts to identify business processes and to classify them as being operational, supporting or direction setting. This activity is often facilitated by consultants using a range of methods but commonly including aspects of process mapping at least at the top level of the organisation. There is evidence that adopting the process paradigm is favoured at least by senior managers (Garvin, 1995), although it is by no means clear that this is a widely held opinion throughout organisations. While it is possible to point to aspects of good practice in BPM, at least at an operational level (Armistead, 1996), we do not know how organisations apply the notion in practice and what they have found to be the key components of a BPM approach. Method The aim of the research has been to develop a better understanding of BPM and how it can be applied as a route to achieving organisational effectiveness. We have been especially interested to find out how companies have used a business process perspective as a way of managing their whole organisation, rather than just the application of process improvement techniques. In particular we have sought to explore the following questions: . How important is BPM for European managers? . Is there a common understanding of BPM among European organisations? . How are European organisations implementing BPM in practice? In addressing these questions we hope to shed light on how organisations conceptualise BPM and draw on their experiences in order to enlighten others both in terms of strategy formulation and deployment. This paper discusses the findings of the research and proposes lessons which can be learnt. During our research we have built up a rich databank of case study material. The case studies have been compiled using an open-ended interview format where senior executives (usually the quality director or business process manager) have been invited to elaborate on their organisation's approach to BPM. The interviews were recorded and transcribed and a cognitive map was developed to identify concepts. In some cases data from the interviews were supplemented by material used for internal self assessments against the EFQM model. Organisations were typically chosen because they were known to have adopted BPM approaches. This paper refers specifically to case studies with Rank Xerox, Nortel, British Telecom and TNT, all of whom have been winners in some form (either directly of through subsidiaries) of European Quality Awards. D ow nl oa de d by S E L C U K U N IV E R SI T Y A t 0 2: 52 0 8 Fe br ua ry 2 01 5 (P T )

Article history: Received 18 June 2007 Received in revised form 9 June 2008 Accepted 20 June 2008 Available online 25 June 2008 Firms increasingly rely on outsourcing for strategic IT decisions, and themany sophisticated forms of outsourcing require significant management attention to ensure their success. Two forms of interorganizational governance–formal control and relational–have been used to examine the management of IT outsourcing relationships. Contrary to the conventional substitution view, recent studies have found that these two governance modes are complementary; however, the dynamics of their interactions remain unexplored. Based on the commitment–trust theory, this paper focuses on how the formal controlmechanism can influence the relational governance in an outsourcing engagement. Using service level agreements (SLAs) as a proxy for formal control, this studyfinds that eleven contractual elements, characterized as foundation, governance, and change management variables in an SLA, are positively related to the trust and relationship commitment among the parties. Trust and commitment, in turn, positively influence relational outcomes that we theorize would contribute to outsourcing success. Both research and practical implications of the results are discussed. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

● To understand the complexity of e-commerce and its many facets. ● To explore how e-business and e-commerce fit together. ● To identify the impact of e-commerce. ● To recognise the benefits and limitations of e-commerce. ● To use classification frameworks for analysing e-commerce. ● To identify the main barriers to the growth and development of e-commerce in organisations.  Even today, some considerable time after the so called 'dot com/Internet revolution', electronic commerce (e-commerce) remains a relatively new, emerging and constantly changing area of business management and information technology. There has been and continues to be much publicity and discussion about e-commerce. Library catalogues and shelves are filled with books and articles on the subject. However, there remains a sense of confusion, suspicion and misunderstanding surrounding the area, which has been exacerbated by the different contexts in which electronic commerce is used, coupled with the myriad related buzzwords and acronyms. This book aims to consolidate the major themes that have arisen from the new area of electronic commerce and to provide an understanding of its application and importance to management. In order to understand electronic commerce it is important to identify the different terms that are used, and to assess their origin and usage. According to the editor-in-chief of International Journal of Electronic Commerce , Vladimir Zwass, 'Electronic commerce is sharing business information , maintaining business relationships and conducting business transactions by means of telecommunications networks'. 1 He maintains that in its purest form, electronic commerce has existed for over 40 years, originating from the electronic transmission of messages during the Berlin airlift in 1948. 2 From this, electronic data interchange (EDI) was the next stage of e-commerce development. In the 1960s a cooperative effort between industry groups produced a first attempt at common electronic data formats. The formats, however, were only for purchasing, transportation and finance data, and were used primarily for intra-industry transactions. It was not until the late 1970s that work began for national Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standards, which developed well into the early 1990s. EDI is the electronic transfer of a standardised business transaction between a sender and receiver computer, over some kind of private network or value added network (VAN). Both sides would have to have the same application software and the data would be exchanged in an extremely rigorous format. In sectors such as retail, automotive, defence and heavy manufacturing, EDI was …

According to Enterprise Architecture (EA) approaches, organizations have motivational concepts that are used to model the motivations that underlie its design or change, which represent the organization’s Business Motivation Model (BMM). Likewise, this BMM is also present in the organizations who provide IT services. ITIL has become a reference for IT service providers, but is commonly modeled as a process-oriented approach to IT Service Management, often disregarding the remaining EA domains or its motivational elements. Conversely, we believe that like EA, ITIL has an important motivation model that should be formally represented.

Purpose – Aims to review the key concepts of competency management (CM) and to propose method for developing competency method. Design/methodology/approach – Examines the CM features of 22 CM systems and 18 learning management systems. Findings – Finds that the areas of open standard (XML, web services, RDF), semantic technologies (ontologies and the semantic web) and portals with self-service technologies are going to play a significant part in the evolution of CM systems. Originality/value – Emphasizes the beneficial attributes of CM for private and public organizations.

With the widespread adoption of electronic government services, there has been a need to ensure a seamless flow of information across public sector organizations, while at the same time, maintaining confidentiality, integrity and availability. Governments have put in place various initiatives and programs including information security awareness to provide the needed understanding on how public sector employees can maintain security and privacy. Nonetheless, the implementation of such initiatives often faces a number of challenges that impede further take-up of e-government services. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the challenges contributing towards the success of information security awareness initiatives implementation in the context of e-government. Political, organizational, social as well as technological challenges have been utilized in a conceptual framework to signify such challenges in e-government projects. An empirical case study conducted in a public sector organization in Greece was exploited in this research to reflect on these challenges. While, the results from this empirical study confirm the role of the identified challenges for the implementation of security awareness programs in e-government, it has been noticed that awareness programmers often pursue different targets of preserving security and privacy, which sometimes results in adding more complexity to the organization.

Citizen confidence in the competence of the government and the reliability of the technology used to implement egovernment initiatives is imperative to the wide-spread adoption of e-government. This study analyzes how citizens’ trust in technology and government affect their willingness to engage in e-government transactions. We proposes a model of egovernment trust composed of disposition to trust, institution-based trust (IBT), characteristic-based trust (CBT) and perceived risk. Data were collected via a survey of 214 citizens ranging in age from 14 to 83 old. The model was tested using Structural Equation Modeling techniques. Results indicate that disposition to trust positively affects IBT and CBT trusts, which in turn affect intentions to use an e-government service. CBT trust also affects negatively perceived risk, which affects use intentions as well. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Big Data governance requires a data governance that can satisfy the needs for corporate governance, IT governance, and ITA/EA. While the existing data governance focuses on the processing of structured data, Big Data governance needs to be established in consideration of a broad sense of Big Data services including unstructured data. To achieve the goals of Big Data, strategies need to be established together with goals that are aligned with the vision and objective of an organization. In addition to the preparation of the IT infrastructure, a proper preparation of the components is required to effectively implement the strategy for Big Data services. We propose the Big Data Governance Framework in this paper. The Big Data governance framework presents criteria different from existing criteria at the data quality level. It focuses on timely, reliable, meaningful, and sufficient data services, focusing on what data attributes should be achieved based on the data attributes of Big Data services. In addition to the quality level of Big Data, the personal information protection strategy and the data disclosure/accountability strategy are also needed to achieve goals and to prevent problems. This paper performed case analysis based on the Big Data Governance Framework with the National Pension Service of South Korea. Big Data services in the public sector are an inevitable choice to improve the quality of people's life. Big Data governance and its framework are the essential components for the realization of Big Data service.


Question: Creating a framework for tangible interaction in multimedia learning environments for preschool children.

Introducing the Curlybot: A Novel Computational Toy for Early Childhood Learning

This paper presents the Curlybot, an innovative educational toy designed for preschool-aged children (4 years and older), which introduces a new category of interactive learning tools. The Curlybot is a self-contained, two-wheeled vehicle equipped with advanced electronics that enable it to record and precisely replicate the movements it experiences on a flat surface. This unique capability allows children to explore and grasp complex mathematical and computational concepts, such as differential geometry, through playful activities that do not require a traditional computer interface.

Our initial research indicates that children adapt to using the Curlybot with ease and enthusiasm. The toy's ability to accurately capture and recall the nuances of a child's interaction, including pauses, changes in speed, and even slight hand tremors, fosters a strong emotional and physical connection. This method of learning by example ensures that the underlying educational objectives of the Curlybot are naturally integrated into the play experience, making them accessible and engaging for young learners.

Foldios are foldable interactive objects with embedded input sensing and output capabilities. Foldios combine the advantages of folding for thin, lightweight and shape-changing objects with the strengths of thin-film printed electronics for embedded sensing and output. To enable designers and end-users to create highly custom interactive foldable objects, we contribute a new design and fabrication approach. It makes it possible to design the foldable object in a standard 3D environment and to easily add interactive high-level controls, eliminating the need to manually design a fold pattern and low-level circuits for printed electronics. Second, we contribute a set of printable user interface controls for touch input and display output on folded objects. Moreover, we contribute controls for sensing and actuation of shape-changeable objects. We demonstrate the versatility of the approach with a variety of interactive objects that have been fabricated with this framework.

The field of Shape-Changing Interfaces explores the qualities of physically dynamic artifacts. At furniture-scale, such artifacts have the potential of changing the ways we collaborate and engage with interiors and physical spaces. Informed by theories of proxemics, empirical studies of informal meetings and design work with shape-changing furniture, we develop the notion of proxemic transitions. We present three design aspects of proxemic transitions: transition speed, stepwise reconfiguration, and radical shifts. The design aspects focus on how to balance between physical and digital transformations in designing for proxemic transitions. Our contribution is three-fold: 1) the notion of proxemic transitions, 2) three design aspects to consider in designing for proxemic transitions, and 3) initial exploration of how these design aspects might generate designs of dynamic furniture. These contributions outline important aspects to consider when designing shape-changing furniture for informal workplace meetings.

The Participatory Simulations Project explores how a new kind of collaborative learning environment, which is supported by small, wearable computers, can facilitate collaborative theory-building and lead to a richer understanding of scientific experimentation. In a Participatory Simulation, participants become "agents" in a full-scale simulation. Unlike previous work, Participatory Simulations combines the notion of a microworld with the affordances of real world experience. By involving a large number of people (typically between 15 and 30) in a "life-sized" experience, the project brings a microworld off of the computer screen and into the physical world. In particular, this study explored the use of a series of Participatory Simulations in a high school Biology class. The students became "agents" in a simulation of a disease infecting their community. The results of this project show that Participatory Simulations fully engage participants in the simulation, facilitate collaborative problem solving, provide a substrate for collaboratively designing and running experiments, and support the definition of new vocabulary to discuss the underlying rules of the simulation. Thesis Advisor: Mitchel Resnick Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences Fukutake Career Development Professor of Research in Education This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (grant # CDA-9616444), the Lego Group, and the Things That Think and Digital Life consortia. Participatory Simulations: Building Collaborative Understanding through Immersive Dynamic Modeling

Active, constructive, and interactive are terms that are commonly used in the cognitive and learning sciences. They describe activities that can be undertaken by learners. However, the literature is actually not explicit about how these terms can be defined; whether they are distinct; and whether they refer to overt manifestations, learning processes, or learning outcomes. Thus, a framework is provided here that offers a way to differentiate active, constructive, and interactive in terms of observable overt activities and underlying learning processes. The framework generates a testable hypothesis for learning: that interactive activities are most likely to be better than constructive activities, which in turn might be better than active activities, which are better than being passive. Studies from the literature are cited to provide evidence in support of this hypothesis. Moreover, postulating underlying learning processes allows us to interpret evidence in the literature more accurately. Specifying distinct overt activities for active, constructive, and interactive also offers suggestions for how learning activities can be coded and how each kind of activity might be elicited.

In this paper we describe the design evolution of a novel technology that collects and displays presence information to be used in the homes of older adults. The first two iterations, the Ambient Plant and Presence Clock, were designed for higher socio-economic status (SES) older adults, whereas the Check-In Tree was designed for low SES older adults. We describe how feedback from older adult participants drove our design decisions, and give an in-depth account of how the Check-In Tree evolved from concept to a final design ready for in situ deployment.

This paper explores the problem of designing enclosures (or physical cases) that are needed for prototyping electronic devices. We present a novel interface that uses electronic components as handles for designing the 3D shape of the enclosure. We use the .NET Gadgeteer platform as a case study of this problem, and implemented a proof-of-concept system for designing enclosures for Gadgeteer components. We show examples of enclosures designed and fabricated with our system.

Two studies examined user engagement in two type multimedia training systems -a more passive medium, videotape, and a less passive medium, interactive softw Each study compared engagement in three formats: the Text format contained text and still images, the Audio format contained audio and still images, and the Video format contained audio and video images. In both studies, engagement was lower in the Text condition than in the Video condition. However, there were no differences in engagement between Text and Audio in the videotapebased training, and no differences between Audio and Video in the computer-based training.

Advances in interactive media technologies have reached the stage where users need no longer to act as passive observers. As the technology evolves further we will be able to engage in computer based synthetic performances that mimic events in the real or natural world. Performances in this context refers to plays, films, computer based simulations, engineering mock-ups, etc. At a more fundamental level, we are dealing with complex interactions of the human sensory and perceptual systems with a stimulus environment (covering visual, auditory and other components). Authors or rather directors of these new media environments will exploit computer generated perceptual illusions to convince the person (participant) who is interacting with the system that they are present in the environment. Taken to the limit the participant would not be able to distinguish between being in a real or natural environment compared with being in a purely synthetic environment. Unfortunately, the performance of current technology falls considerably short of even getting even close to providing a faithful perceptual illusion of the real world. Eventually, VR authoring tools will become more sophisticated and it will be possible to produce realistic virtual environments that match more closely with the real world. Some VR practitioners have attempted to collect data that they purport to represent the degree of presence a user experiences. Unfortunately, we do not yet have an agreed definition of presence and seem undecided whether it is a meaningful metric in its own right. This paper will examine the dangers of attempting to measure the 'presence' of a VR system as a one-dimensional parameter. The question of whether presence is a valid measure of a VR system will also be addressed. An important differentiating characteristic of VR systems compared with other human-computer interfaces are their ability to create a sense of 'being-in' the computer generated environment. Other forms of media such as film and TV are also known to induce a sense of 'being-in' the environment. Some VR practitioners have tended to use the term presence to describe this effect This means that people who are engaged in the virtual environment feel as though they are actually part of the virtual environment. In order to be perceptually present in a virtual environment it is first important to understand what it means to be present in the real-world. A good example of real world experience is that of a roller coaster ride. The sensory …

This paper considers the ways in which the interactive whiteboard may support and enhance pedagogic practice through whole-class teaching within literacy and numeracy. Data collected from observations of whole-class lessons, alongside individual interviews and focus group discussions with class teachers and Initial Teacher Education students, has provided opportunities to consider the potential of such technology to facilitate a more creative approach to whole-class teaching. The data suggests that, in the first instance, the special features of information and communications technology such as interactivity, ‘provisionality,’ speed, capacity and range enhance the delivery and pace of the session. This research seems to indicate that it is the skill and the professional knowledge of the teacher who mediates the interaction, and facilitates the development of pupils’ creative responses at the interface of technology, which is critical to the enhancement of the whole-class teaching and learning processes. Introduction The globalising phenomenon of information and communication technologies (ICT) is a distinct characteristic of modern times. The speed and immediacy of ICT, coupled with opportunities for increased information flow through multiple routes of communication, suggest that we are living in a time of unprecedented change, with ICT affecting the way we live and function as individuals and as a society (Castells, 2004). Within the context of education there are some technologies that appear to have attracted more interest than others; however, the degree to which they have been British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 39 No 1 2008 84–96 doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00703.x © 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA. successfully integrated into the classroom environment has been varied. In recent years, there has been a growing level of interest in the electronic or interactive whiteboard (IWB), well documented by the educational press. Such technology is generally comprised of a triangulation between data projector, computer and an electronic screen. This allows an individual to interact with software at the front of a class rather than from the computer. Effectively, the computer screen is projected onto the electronic whiteboard and presented to the class with the teacher, or perhaps student, selecting, activating and interacting with the programs. At a time in England when the government has promoted whole-class interactive teaching, particularly within Literacy and Numeracy, access to IWB technology through targeted government funding is also increasing, and the IWB is steadily becoming a feature of most numeracy and literacy lessons. In January 2004, Charles Clarke, the Secretary of State for Education in England, announced that, in addition to the £25 million previously made available to schools in September 2003; a further £25 million would be released for the purchase of IWBs. This technology is therefore likely to become a key resource in most schools. Introduction of new technologies such as this within the classroom context raises questions regarding the ways in which pedagogic practice may be supported and enhanced; this being the focus of this study, specifically, the links between three areas; whole-class direct teaching, creativity and the integration of technology. As IWBs are becoming more familiar within the educational market, additional challenges, which imply new priorities, have arisen from recent demands for ‘a much stronger emphasis on creative and cultural education and a new balance in teaching and in the curriculum.’ (The National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education [NACCCE], 1999) The teacher educator is therefore faced with a complex set of demands that require resolution in terms of pedagogic practice. The aim of this study is to investigate how IWBs can provide opportunities for creativity in teaching and learning, particularly within whole-class lessons, by drawing upon observations of, and discussions with, classroom practitioners and ITE students. In so doing, the study will contribute to debates within educational fields (Bleakley, 2004; Craft, 2005; NACCCE, 1999) regarding the notion of creativity in primary teaching and learning. Current developments in creativity, interactivity and whole-class direct teaching The current focus on direct whole-class teaching, particularly in mathematics, developed in response to concerns in England about the level of children’s performance in English and mathematics compared to those in other countries. In particular, in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study of 1999 (Mullis et al, 2000) England was placed low in basic number skills although as Muijs and Reynolds (2001) note, faring better in geometry and problem solving. Research conducted by Professor David Reynolds, chair of the newly established Numeracy Task Force, singled out a substantial amount of direct whole-class teaching as a key feature of mathematics sessions in the top-attaining countries (Reynolds & Farrell, 1996), these findings The use of the interactive whiteboard in literacy and maths: a case study 85 © 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. echoing those of previous studies, (Galton & Croll, 1980; Rosenshine, 1979), and more recently, Bierhoff (1996), Bierhoff and Prais (1995) and Burghes (1995). In response to these concerns about attainment and the related research findings, the National Literacy Strategy (NLS; DfEE, 1998) and National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) were introduced into most state-funded primary schools; the NLS in 1998 and the NNS in 1999, both providing a clear framework for the content of the curriculum and recommended teaching approaches. In both Literacy and Numeracy, sessions were expected to consist of a substantial amount of direct, whole-class teaching. A wholeclass approach, it was claimed, enables the teacher to interact more with each pupil; adapt activities quickly in response to pupils’ responses; use errors and misconceptions as a teaching point for the whole class and keep pupils on task for longer periods of time (Muijs & Reynolds, 2001). However, Muijs and Reynolds also noted that this approach was not necessarily the best to use in all circumstances. Brophy and Good (1986) are cited as finding this method more suited for teaching rules, procedures and basic skills, especially to younger pupils. Less structured and teacher-directed approaches, Muijs and Reynolds (2001) suggest, would be more appropriate when the aims of the lesson are more complex or open-ended (eg, developing students’ thinking skills) With the IWB featuring widely in whole-class teaching, there is a concern that its full interactive potential may not be explored through this structured, teacher-directed approach as the teaching and modelling of rules, procedures and basic skills is likely to take precedence over more complex and cognitively demanding activities. Where whole-class interactive teaching in mathematics lessons is concerned, the Numeracy Task Force stressed that ‘it is the quality of the whole class teaching which determines its success’ (Department for Education and Employment [DfEE], 1999) rather than the whole-class approach per se. They note that whole-class teaching should not be viewed as a purely transmission-based approach, with children given instruction regarding knowledge and understanding in a product-driven mode of teaching. Rather, it should be seen as an interactive, process-oriented approach to learning with the quality of the interaction within the classroom being of prime importance, maximised effectively and efficiently through good whole-class teaching. The NNS goes on to state that ‘interaction is a two-way process in which pupils are expected to play an active part’ and that ‘high quality interactive teaching is oral, interactive and lively’, which is fundamental to a social constructivist view of learning (Vygotsky, 1978). This may be a laudable claim, however; Muijs and Reynolds (2001) caution that with direct whole-class teaching, pupils may find it easy to adopt a more passive role, becoming too dependent on the teacher and failing to develop independent learning skills. Nevertheless, it may be within a more social, interactive and lively learning environment that the IWB could be seen to make a valuable contribution. At present, there is a limited amount of research available that focuses specifically upon the IWB and associated pedagogy, however, Smith, Hardman and Higgins (2006) have undertaken a substantial study involving observations made in primary schools of 184 lessons in literacy and numeracy conducted over a 2-year period. The study suggests that, although the use of IWBs engages the pupils and sessions are generally faster in 86 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 39 No 1 2008 © 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. their pace of delivery, the underlying pedagogy of whole-class teaching appears to remain unaffected, with teacher-led recitation and emphasis upon recall dominating proceedings. Previous research has highlighted the motivational impact of IWBs upon pupils, with the large screen, the multimedia capability and the element of fun enhancing the presentational aspects of a lesson (Glover & Miller, 2001; Levy, 2002). Essentially, there appears to be the potential for enhancements in whole-class teaching and learning through the use of IWBs if pedagogic practice were to adapt and change through creative and innovative use of the particular features of this new technology. Creativity Creativity has been described as ‘the word of the moment’ (Bruce, 2004, p. vi

This paper presents a proposal for the use of Spatial Augmented Reality as a tool for 3D data visualizations. The use of traditional display technologies such as LCD monitors provides a fish tank metaphor for the user, i.e. the information is behind a plane of glass. The use of VR technologies allows the user to be immersed in the 3D volume and remove this fish tank problem, but can limit the set of techniques that allow users to interact with spatial data. Spatial Augmented Reality employed in conjunction with a highresolution monitor provides an elegant blend of spatial reasoning, tangible interaction, and detailed information viewing. This paper purposes a range of usages for SAR in 3D visualizations.


Question: Creating a framework for tangible interaction in multimedia learning environments for preschool children.

**Similar Documents**: Can Personalized e-Learning Revitalize Individual Learning Experiences?

Despite its long-standing presence, e-Learning is still evolving, with many existing systems primarily focusing on the technical and organizational facets of education rather than fostering personalized learning experiences. This oversight has resulted in learners being reduced to undifferentiated users, lacking the critical engagement that is essential for effective learning. A potential remedy for this issue lies in the creation of customized e-Learning materials. To achieve this, a flexible, multidimensional data model is crucial, as it enables the generation of content tailored to individual learners. It is imperative to facilitate interactive engagement between learners and the content within e-Learning platforms, mirroring the dynamic nature of traditional learning environments. This approach not only enhances the learning experience but also promotes a more inclusive and adaptive educational landscape.

In the past decade, multi-touch-sensitive interactive surfaces have transitioned from pure research prototypes in the lab, to commercial products with wide-spread adoption. One of the longer term visions of this research follows the idea of ubiquitous computing, where everyday surfaces in our environment are made interactive. However, most of current interfaces remain firmly tied to the traditional flat rectangular displays of the today's computers and while they benefit from the directness and the ease of use, they are often not much more than touch-enabled standard desktop interfaces.
 In this paper, we argue for explorations that transcend the traditional notion of the flat display, and envision interfaces that are curved, three-dimensional, or that cross the boundary between the digital and physical world. In particular, we present two research directions that explore this idea: (a) exploring the three-dimensional interaction space above the display and (b) enabling gestural and touch interactions on curved devices for novel interaction possibilities. To illustrate both of these, we draw examples from our own work and the work of others, and guide the reader through several case studies that highlight the challenges and benefits of such novel interfaces. The implications on media requirements and collaboration aspects are discussed in detail, and, whenever possible, we highlight promising directions of future research. We believe that the compelling application design for future non-flat user interfaces will greatly depend on exploiting the unique characteristics of the given form factor.

Parental scaffolding is an important mechanism utilized by infants during their development. Infants, for example, pay stronger attention to the features of objects highlighted by parents and learn the way of manipulating an object while being supported by parents. Parents are known to make modifications in infant-directed actions, i.e. use “motionese”. Motionese is characterized by higher range and simplicity of motion, more pauses between motion segments, higher repetitiveness of demonstration, and more frequent social signals to an infant. In this paper, we extend our previously developed affordances framework to enable the robot to benefit from parental scaffolding and motionese. First, we present our results on how parental scaffolding can be used to guide the robot and modify robot’s crude action execution to speed up learning of complex actions such as grasping. For this purpose, we realize the interactive nature of a human caregiver-infant skill transfer scenario on the robot. During reach and grasp attempts, the movement of the robot hand is modified by the human caregiver’s physical interaction to enable successful grasping. Next, we discuss how parental scaffolding can be used in speeding up imitation learning. The system describes how our robot, by using previously learned affordance prediction mechanisms, can go beyond simple goal-level imitation and become a better imitator using infant-directed modifications of parents.

THIS PAPER is concerned with the nature of the tutorial process; the means whereby an adult or "expert" helps somebody who is less adult or less expert. Though its aim is general, it is expressed in terms of a particular task: a tutor seeks to teach children aged 3, 4 and 5 yr to build a particular three-dimensional structure that requires a degree of skill that is initially beyond them. It is the usual type of tutoring situation in which one member "knows the answer" and the other does not, rather like a "practical" in which only the instructor "knows how". The changing interaction of tutor and children provide our data. A great deal of early problem solving by the developing child is of this order. Although from the earliest months of life he is a "natural" problem solver in his own right (e.g. Bruner, 1973) it is often the ease that his efforts are assisted and fostered by others who are more skilful than he is (Kaye, 1970). Whether he is learning the procedures that constitute the skills of attending, communicating, manipulating objects, locomoting, or, indeed, a more effective problem solving procedure itself, there are usually others in attendance who help him on his way. Tutorial interactions are, in short, a crucial feature of infancy and childhood. Our species, moreover, appears to be the only one in which any "intentional" tutoring goes on (Bruner, 1972; Hinde, 1971). For although it is true that many of the higher primate species learn by observation of their elders (Hamburg, 1968; van Lawick-Goodall, 1968), there is no evidence that those elders do anything to instruct their charges in the performance of the skill in question. What distinguishes man as a species is not only his capacity for learning, but for teaching as well. It is the main aim of this paper to examine some of the major implications of this interactive, instructional relationship between the developing child and his elders for the study of skill acquisition and problem solving. The acquisition of skill in the human child can be fruitfully conceived as a hierarchical program in which component skills are combined into "higher skills" by appropriate orchestration to meet new, more complex task requirements (Bruner, 1973). The process is analogous to problem solving in which mastery of "lower order" or constituent problems in a sine qua non for success with a larger jjroblcm, each level influencing the other—as with reading where the deciphering of words makes possible the deciphering of sentences, and sentences then aid in the deciphering of particular words (F. Smith, 1971). Given persistent intention in the young learner, given a "lexicon" of constituent skills, the crucial task is often one of com-

Following up on an earlier issue of The Curriculum Journal (Vol. 16, No. 1), this article focuses on learning outcomes in the context of video games. Learning outcomes are viewed from two theoretical frameworks: Kirkpatrick’s levels of evaluation and the CRESST model of learning. These are used to analyse the outcomes claimed in journal articles that report empirical work, indicating the usefulness of the frameworks, and the necessity to consider the role of affective learning. The article ends with some comments on the relationship of instructional design to effective games and learning outcomes.

In this paper we describe the design evolution of a novel technology that collects and displays presence information to be used in the homes of older adults. The first two iterations, the Ambient Plant and Presence Clock, were designed for higher socio-economic status (SES) older adults, whereas the Check-In Tree was designed for low SES older adults. We describe how feedback from older adult participants drove our design decisions, and give an in-depth account of how the Check-In Tree evolved from concept to a final design ready for in situ deployment.

We propose an intuitive user interaction system with virtual objects by directly using user's hands through a physics simulation. This system aims to provide a more direct way to manipulate and interact with virtual objects and to induce more realistic reactions of the virtual objects in the interaction than the existing methods. The key contribution of this paper is to model the deformations of the user's hands in two ways: global deformation by the hand poses and the local deformation by contacts with objects. By the two deformation models, objects can be manipulated with better stability and robustness without any predefinition of interaction methods depending on the object shapes, by solely using a physics simulation. The experiment shows that the proposed method enables a user to intuitively manipulate virtual object accurately.

One often meets successful adults, professionals, or scientists who recall that their lifelong vocational interest was first sparked by a visit to a museum. In these accounts the encounter with a real, concrete object from a different world an exotic animal, a strange dress, a beautiful artifact is the kernel from which a n entire career of learning grew For others with an already developed curiosity about some field such as zoology, anthropology, or art, the museum provided an essential link in the cultivation of knowledge a place where information lo'it its abstractness and became concrete. In either case, many people ascribe powerful motivation to a museum visit, claiming that their desire to learn more about some aspect of the world was directly caused by it. Granted that these accounts of "crystallizing experiences" (Waiters and Gaidner 1986) attributed to museums might often be embellished and exaggerated in retrospect, i t would be rash to dismiss them entirely, for the fascination of museums seems to be a very real psychological phenomenon. The question rather becomes. How do museums motivate viewers to learn? Is there a unique, sui generis "museum experience" that helps viewers start on the long journey of learning? How do museums present information in a meaningful way, a way that deepens a person's experience and promotes further learning? To begin answering these questions, it will be useful to review what we know about human motivation in relation to learning. Children are born with a desire for knowledge, and some of the most stupendous feats of learning to walk, talk, get along with others, to take care of oneself are accomplished without seeming effort in the first few years of life. It would be difficult to see how a species as dependent on learning as we are could have

The Tele-immersive Dance Environment (TED) is a geographically distributed, real-time 3-D virtual room where multiple participants interact independent of physical distance. TED, a highly interactive collaborative environment, offers digital options with multiple viewpoints, enhancing the creative movement composition involved with dance choreography. A symbiotic relationship for creativity and design exists between dance artists and computer scientists as the tele-immersive environment is analyzed as a creativity and learning tool. We introduce the advancements of the interactive digital options, new interface developments, user study results, and the possibility of a computational model for human creativity through Laban Movement Analysis.

Within the Human-Computer Interaction community there is a growing interest in designing for the whole body in interaction design. The attempts aimed at addressing the body have very different outcomes spanning from theoretical arguments for understanding the body in the design process, to more practical examples of designing for bodily potential. This paper presents Kinesthetic Interaction as a unifying concept for describing the body in motion as a foundation for designing interactive systems. Based on the theoretical foundation for Kinesthetic Interaction, a conceptual framework is introduced to reveal bodily potential in relation to three design themes --- kinesthetic development, kinesthetic means and kinesthetic disorder; and seven design parameters --- engagement, sociality, movability, explicit motivation, implicit motivation, expressive meaning and kinesthetic empathy. The framework is a tool to be utilized when analyzing existing designs, as well as developing designs exploring new ways of designing kinesthetic interactions.

The field of new methods and techniques for building electronics is quickly growing - from research in new materials for circuit building, to modular toolkits, and more recently to untoolkits, which aim to incorporate more off-the-shelf parts. However, the standard mediums for circuit design and construction remain the breadboard, protoboard, and printed circuit board (PCB). As an alternative, we introduce a method in which circuits are hand-made on ordinary paper substrates, connected with conductive foil tape and off-the-shelf circuit components with the aim of supporting the durability, scalability, and accessibility needs of novice and expert circuit builders alike. We also used electrified notebooks to investigate how the circuit design and build process would be affected by the constraints and affordances of the bound book. Our ideas and techniques were evaluated through a series of workshops, through which we found our methods supported a wide variety of approaches and results - both technical and expressive - to electronics design and construction.


Question: Creating a framework for enhancing tangibility in multimedia learning for preschool children.

This paper outlines a conceptual framework for understanding human memory, particularly in the context of multimedia learning environments for young children. The proposed system integrates the cognitive processes involved in memory formation, retention, and retrieval, focusing on how these mechanisms can be effectively engaged through multimedia content designed for preschoolers. The framework emphasizes the role of tangibility in learning, suggesting that interactive and tangible elements in multimedia can enhance memory retention by providing multisensory experiences. This system is designed to facilitate the control processes necessary for optimal learning outcomes, including attention management, encoding strategies, and retrieval cues. By incorporating these elements, the framework aims to create a more engaging and effective learning environment for preschool children, leveraging the strengths of multimedia to support memory development in early education settings.

**Question**: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUES FOR PREDICTING STOCK MARKET TRENDS

**Documents**: An empirical comparison of machine learning techniques for credit scoring: neural networks, support vector machines, and adaptive boosting

**Similar Documents**: This study presents a comprehensive evaluation of various machine learning algorithms in the context of stock market trend prediction, drawing parallels with the empirical analysis of machine learning techniques in credit scoring. Similar to credit scoring models, where neural networks, support vector machines (SVM), and adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) have been extensively compared, this research assesses the efficacy of these same algorithms in forecasting stock market movements. The comparative analysis focuses on the predictive accuracy and robustness of each technique when applied to historical stock data. The findings reveal that, much like in credit scoring, SVM and neural networks exhibit strong performance in stock trend prediction, with AdaBoost showing promise in specific market conditions. This analysis not only highlights the potential of machine learning in financial markets but also underscores the importance of selecting the appropriate algorithm based on the characteristics of the data and the specific objectives of the predictive model.

Graphics editors often suffer from a large number of tool palettes that compete with valuable document space. To address this problem and to bring back physical affordances similar to a painter’s palette, we propose to augment a digital tabletop with spatially tracked handheld displays. These displays are dynamically updated depending on their spatial location. We introduce the concept of spatial Work Zones that take up distinct 3D regions above the table surface and serve as physical containers for digital content that is organized as stacks of horizontal layers. Spatial Work Zones are represented either by physical objects or on-screen on the tabletop. Associated layers can be explored fluently by entering a spatial Work Zone with a handheld display. This provides quick access and seamless changes between tools and parts of the document that are instantly functional, i.e., ready to be used by a digital pen. We discuss several use cases illustrating our techniques and setting them into context with previous systems. Early user feedback indicates that combining dynamic GUI functionality with the physicality of spatially tracked handheld displays is promising and can be generalized beyond graphics editing.

Actuated Interfaces are receiving a great deal of interest from the research community. The field can now present a range of point designs, illustrating the potential design space of Actuated Interfaces. However, despite the increasing interest in Actuated Interfaces, the research carried out is nevertheless primarily preoccupied with the technical challenges and potential application areas, rather than how users actually approach, experience, interpret and understand Actuated Interfaces. Based on three case studies, investigating how people experience Actuated Interfaces, we point to; magic, movement and ambiguity as fruitful perspectives for understanding users' experiences with Actuated Interfaces. The three perspectives are employed to reflect upon opportunities and challenges, as well as point to open questions and relevant areas for future research for Actuated Interfaces.

In this paper, we propose the attention extraction method on a textbook of physics by using eye tracking glasses. We prepare a document including text and tasks in physics, and record reading behavior on the document from 6-grade students. The result confirms that students pay attention to a different region depending on situations (using the text as a material to learn the content, or using it as hints to solve tasks) and their comprehension.

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FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS SCHOOL OF ELECTRONICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE Doctor of Philosophy A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR SERIOUS GAMES AND ITS VALIDATION

Most textbooks in HCI and CSCW do not offer a coherent and over–arching understanding of social and technological issues. They present a variety of techniques and technologies, and outline a little history, but offer little in terms of theory that addresses the complexity of collaborative systems’ structure and use. The majority of practitioners and researchers do not see theory as one of the things that they do. Immersed in their craft, focusing on technological innovation or ethnomethodological detail, they do not engage in theoretical abstraction. Technologists contentedly explore new tools and devices, with little heed to older disciplines or deeper discussion about the limits and assumptions inherent in their craft. The area of sociology most influential in CSCW, ethnomethodology, deliberately keeps theorising and generalisation at a distance, seeing abstraction as brutish and creativity as foreign. In our field, theory is like the public library. If asked, most of us would say that we are glad that it is around—but few of us actually go there. Most see it as a haven for the old, the unemployed and the eccentric. Paul Dourish is a card–carrying member, however. He reads avidly and widely, but is also a skilful system designer and developer. The result is a book that is deep, accessible and useful, which is a rare thing nowadays. In the introduction, Dourish lays out the structure of the book. He describes and reflects on two current trends in system design: tangible and social computing. By looking at the usually hidden assumptions in system design, he makes his later theoretical discussion more relevant and accessible to a computer science audience. He does not develop new philosophy or social theory, but draws upon established 20th century philosophy of language and phenomenology. Much of this material is likely to be unfamiliar to ‘the average programmer’ and, although Dourish presents it well, it may still be challenging to the reader. However, its use is one of the book’s main contributions. He uses it to ground a conceptual framework and a corresponding set of principles for system design practice. He aims to do justice to the sociality and heterogeneity of interactive media, and to avoid putting theory above practice—or vice versa. His ideal is balance: “the ability to develop systemsthat resonate with, rather than restrict (or, worse, refute), the social organization of action”. The term ‘tangible computing’ is used very broadly in this book. The chapter on this theme covers the designs of Hiroshi Ishii’s group at MIT’s Media Lab, but also ubiquitous computing work such as the badges, tabs and LiveBoards of Xerox PARC, and augmented reality systems such as Pierre Wellner’s DigitalDesk. Although ‘UbiComp’ is more fashionable nowadays, Dourish chooses a term that helps him focus more on our perception and “the ways we experience the everyday world” than on computation and technology. Much of this discussion centres on exemplary systems, and the way that an increasing number and variety of computational devices and sensors are distributed in our environment. This contrasts with older systems that used very few media and which were encapsulated in the beige box of the traditional PC. The following chapter is on social computing: “the application of sociological understanding to the design of interactive systems”. This stands in contrast to the more traditional tendency for designers to treat people as isolated system users, with little account taken of organisational and social context. Dourish draws upon some influential studies of existing technology such as that of an air traffic control room by Hughes et al., and the ethnography of a print shop by Bowers, Button and Sharrock. Compared to the previous chapter, exemplary systems are scarce. There are none of the previous chapter’s attractive images of exotic displays and devices, so beloved in undergraduate lectures and conference presentations, as this chapter addresses systems’ internal structure rather than external interaction. Dourish has developed more systems in the ‘social’ category than the ‘tangible’, and here he offers as examples Mansfield et al.’s Orbit and some of his own work: using a system design technique, computational reflection, to offer users an account of deep system structure. In describing this particular technique, Dourish touches on the essence of the entire book: What is radical is the relationship it proposes between technical design and social understandings. It argues that the most fruitful place to forge these relationships is at a foundational level, one that attempts to take sociological insights into the heart of the process and fabric of design. (p. 87)

Research experiences for undergraduates are considered an effective means for increasing student retention and encouraging undergraduate students to continue on to graduate school. However, managing a cohort of undergraduate researchers, with varying skill levels, can be daunting for faculty advisors. We have developed a program to engage students in research and outreach in visualization, virtual reality, networked robotics, and interactive games. Our program immerses students into the life of a lab, employing a situated learning approach that includes tiered mentoring and collaboration to enable students at all levels to contribute to research. Students work in research teams comprised of other undergraduates, graduate students and faculty, and participate in professional development and social gatherings within the larger cohort. Results from our first two years indicate this approach is manageable and effective for increasing students' ability and desire to conduct research.

The Tele-immersive Dance Environment (TED) is a geographically distributed, real-time 3-D virtual room where multiple participants interact independent of physical distance. TED, a highly interactive collaborative environment, offers digital options with multiple viewpoints, enhancing the creative movement composition involved with dance choreography. A symbiotic relationship for creativity and design exists between dance artists and computer scientists as the tele-immersive environment is analyzed as a creativity and learning tool. We introduce the advancements of the interactive digital options, new interface developments, user study results, and the possibility of a computational model for human creativity through Laban Movement Analysis.

Distance learning is becoming a popular mode of learning among individuals seeking to add new skills to their repertoire or acquire an advanced degree. The availability of online course materials from institutions in academia aid this process, lending standardized and validated information to the audience seeking such knowledge. Although the online system of learning is extremely convenient for acquiring theoretical knowledge, the scope of hands-on experience is limited to the use of simulation software or involves the purchase of expensive laboratory kits. The proliferation of new technology like Virtual Reality (VR), Fifth Generation cellular networks (5G), and industrial robotics can be leveraged to bridge this gap, however. This will enable effective delivery of traditional disciplines like Electrical, Computer, or Mechanical Engineering using the online mode. This paper discusses the enabling technologies for implementing such a system. An ongoing effort to establish a proof-of-concept system in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is presented.

This article reports the results of a meta-analysis of technology-based intervention studies for children with autism spectrum disorders. We conducted a systematic review of research that used a pre-post design to assess innovative technology interventions, including computer programs, virtual reality, and robotics. The selected studies provided interventions via a desktop computer, interactive DVD, shared active surface, and virtual reality. None employed robotics. The results provide evidence for the overall effectiveness of technology-based training. The overall mean effect size for posttests of controlled studies of children with autism spectrum disorders who received technology-based interventions was significantly different from zero and approached the medium magnitude, d = 0.47 (confidence interval: 0.08-0.86). The influence of age and IQ was not significant. Differences in training procedures are discussed in the light of the negative correlation that was found between the intervention durations and the studies' effect sizes. The results of this meta-analysis provide support for the continuing development, evaluation, and clinical usage of technology-based intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.


Question: Creating a framework for tangible interaction in multimedia learning environments for preschool children.

In "Where the Action Is: The Foundations of Embodied Interaction," Paul Dourish presents a comprehensive examination of embodied interaction in human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW). Unlike many textbooks in these fields, which often focus on techniques and technologies without delving deeply into theory, Dourish's work offers a coherent understanding of the social and technological aspects of collaborative systems. He addresses the gap in theoretical engagement among practitioners and researchers, who are typically absorbed in technological innovation or detailed analysis, by integrating established 20th-century philosophy of language and phenomenology into his discussion.

Dourish's book is structured around two contemporary trends in system design: tangible and social computing. By critiquing the implicit assumptions in system design, he makes his theoretical insights more accessible to a computer science audience. Rather than developing new philosophy, he skillfully applies existing theories to ground a conceptual framework and principles for system design. His aim is to balance theory and practice, creating systems that harmonize with social organization rather than imposing restrictions.

The term 'tangible computing' is employed broadly in this context, encompassing a wide range of designs from Hiroshi Ishii's group at MIT's Media Lab, ubiquitous computing projects like Xerox PARC's badges and LiveBoards, and augmented reality systems like Pierre Wellner's DigitalDesk. This broad usage enables Dourish to focus on perception and the experiential aspects of the everyday world rather than solely on computation and technology.

The chapter on social computing explores the integration of sociological understanding into interactive system design, contrasting with traditional approaches that often neglect social and organizational contexts. Drawing on studies of existing technology, such as air traffic control rooms and print shops, Dourish highlights the importance of considering social structures in system design. He also discusses systems he has developed, including computational reflection techniques that provide users with insights into deep system structure.

Throughout the book, Dourish emphasizes the radical relationship between technical design and social understandings, proposing that the most productive relationships can be forged at a foundational level, where sociological insights are integrated into the core of design processes. This approach not only enriches system design but also fosters a deeper understanding of the social implications of technology.

In summary, "Where the Action Is" is a significant contribution to the field of embodied interaction, offering a deep, accessible, and practical perspective on system design that integrates social theory with technological innovation. Dourish's work is a rare gem that bridges the gap between theory and practice, making

The XWand is a novel wireless sensor package that enables styles of natural interaction with intelligent environments. For example, a user may point the wand at a device and control it using simple gestures. The XWand system leverages the intelligence of the environment to best determine the user's intention. We detail the hardware device, signal processing algorithms to recover position and orientation, gesture recognition techniques, a multimodal (wand and speech) computational architecture and a preliminary user study examining pointing performance under conditions of tracking availability and audio feedback.

In this paper we discuss how location-based mobile games can be designed for learning in modern technology enhanced public spaces. We start with the description of the design process and we identify the main challenges faced. We elaborate the case of the game Invisible City: Rebels vs. Spies, a game to be played in a city centre using mobile devices. Through this case we highlight the adaptation of an original party game into a mobile form, the issues we faced and the key aspects conductive to learning in a smart city. It is claimed that creating mobile city games for learning is a new challenge, as our city landscapes are augmented with an increasing number of layers of digital information in which a new generation of city games are played.

This paper considers the ways in which the interactive whiteboard may support and enhance pedagogic practice through whole-class teaching within literacy and numeracy. Data collected from observations of whole-class lessons, alongside individual interviews and focus group discussions with class teachers and Initial Teacher Education students, has provided opportunities to consider the potential of such technology to facilitate a more creative approach to whole-class teaching. The data suggests that, in the first instance, the special features of information and communications technology such as interactivity, ‘provisionality,’ speed, capacity and range enhance the delivery and pace of the session. This research seems to indicate that it is the skill and the professional knowledge of the teacher who mediates the interaction, and facilitates the development of pupils’ creative responses at the interface of technology, which is critical to the enhancement of the whole-class teaching and learning processes. Introduction The globalising phenomenon of information and communication technologies (ICT) is a distinct characteristic of modern times. The speed and immediacy of ICT, coupled with opportunities for increased information flow through multiple routes of communication, suggest that we are living in a time of unprecedented change, with ICT affecting the way we live and function as individuals and as a society (Castells, 2004). Within the context of education there are some technologies that appear to have attracted more interest than others; however, the degree to which they have been British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 39 No 1 2008 84–96 doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00703.x © 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA. successfully integrated into the classroom environment has been varied. In recent years, there has been a growing level of interest in the electronic or interactive whiteboard (IWB), well documented by the educational press. Such technology is generally comprised of a triangulation between data projector, computer and an electronic screen. This allows an individual to interact with software at the front of a class rather than from the computer. Effectively, the computer screen is projected onto the electronic whiteboard and presented to the class with the teacher, or perhaps student, selecting, activating and interacting with the programs. At a time in England when the government has promoted whole-class interactive teaching, particularly within Literacy and Numeracy, access to IWB technology through targeted government funding is also increasing, and the IWB is steadily becoming a feature of most numeracy and literacy lessons. In January 2004, Charles Clarke, the Secretary of State for Education in England, announced that, in addition to the £25 million previously made available to schools in September 2003; a further £25 million would be released for the purchase of IWBs. This technology is therefore likely to become a key resource in most schools. Introduction of new technologies such as this within the classroom context raises questions regarding the ways in which pedagogic practice may be supported and enhanced; this being the focus of this study, specifically, the links between three areas; whole-class direct teaching, creativity and the integration of technology. As IWBs are becoming more familiar within the educational market, additional challenges, which imply new priorities, have arisen from recent demands for ‘a much stronger emphasis on creative and cultural education and a new balance in teaching and in the curriculum.’ (The National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education [NACCCE], 1999) The teacher educator is therefore faced with a complex set of demands that require resolution in terms of pedagogic practice. The aim of this study is to investigate how IWBs can provide opportunities for creativity in teaching and learning, particularly within whole-class lessons, by drawing upon observations of, and discussions with, classroom practitioners and ITE students. In so doing, the study will contribute to debates within educational fields (Bleakley, 2004; Craft, 2005; NACCCE, 1999) regarding the notion of creativity in primary teaching and learning. Current developments in creativity, interactivity and whole-class direct teaching The current focus on direct whole-class teaching, particularly in mathematics, developed in response to concerns in England about the level of children’s performance in English and mathematics compared to those in other countries. In particular, in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study of 1999 (Mullis et al, 2000) England was placed low in basic number skills although as Muijs and Reynolds (2001) note, faring better in geometry and problem solving. Research conducted by Professor David Reynolds, chair of the newly established Numeracy Task Force, singled out a substantial amount of direct whole-class teaching as a key feature of mathematics sessions in the top-attaining countries (Reynolds & Farrell, 1996), these findings The use of the interactive whiteboard in literacy and maths: a case study 85 © 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. echoing those of previous studies, (Galton & Croll, 1980; Rosenshine, 1979), and more recently, Bierhoff (1996), Bierhoff and Prais (1995) and Burghes (1995). In response to these concerns about attainment and the related research findings, the National Literacy Strategy (NLS; DfEE, 1998) and National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) were introduced into most state-funded primary schools; the NLS in 1998 and the NNS in 1999, both providing a clear framework for the content of the curriculum and recommended teaching approaches. In both Literacy and Numeracy, sessions were expected to consist of a substantial amount of direct, whole-class teaching. A wholeclass approach, it was claimed, enables the teacher to interact more with each pupil; adapt activities quickly in response to pupils’ responses; use errors and misconceptions as a teaching point for the whole class and keep pupils on task for longer periods of time (Muijs & Reynolds, 2001). However, Muijs and Reynolds also noted that this approach was not necessarily the best to use in all circumstances. Brophy and Good (1986) are cited as finding this method more suited for teaching rules, procedures and basic skills, especially to younger pupils. Less structured and teacher-directed approaches, Muijs and Reynolds (2001) suggest, would be more appropriate when the aims of the lesson are more complex or open-ended (eg, developing students’ thinking skills) With the IWB featuring widely in whole-class teaching, there is a concern that its full interactive potential may not be explored through this structured, teacher-directed approach as the teaching and modelling of rules, procedures and basic skills is likely to take precedence over more complex and cognitively demanding activities. Where whole-class interactive teaching in mathematics lessons is concerned, the Numeracy Task Force stressed that ‘it is the quality of the whole class teaching which determines its success’ (Department for Education and Employment [DfEE], 1999) rather than the whole-class approach per se. They note that whole-class teaching should not be viewed as a purely transmission-based approach, with children given instruction regarding knowledge and understanding in a product-driven mode of teaching. Rather, it should be seen as an interactive, process-oriented approach to learning with the quality of the interaction within the classroom being of prime importance, maximised effectively and efficiently through good whole-class teaching. The NNS goes on to state that ‘interaction is a two-way process in which pupils are expected to play an active part’ and that ‘high quality interactive teaching is oral, interactive and lively’, which is fundamental to a social constructivist view of learning (Vygotsky, 1978). This may be a laudable claim, however; Muijs and Reynolds (2001) caution that with direct whole-class teaching, pupils may find it easy to adopt a more passive role, becoming too dependent on the teacher and failing to develop independent learning skills. Nevertheless, it may be within a more social, interactive and lively learning environment that the IWB could be seen to make a valuable contribution. At present, there is a limited amount of research available that focuses specifically upon the IWB and associated pedagogy, however, Smith, Hardman and Higgins (2006) have undertaken a substantial study involving observations made in primary schools of 184 lessons in literacy and numeracy conducted over a 2-year period. The study suggests that, although the use of IWBs engages the pupils and sessions are generally faster in 86 British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 39 No 1 2008 © 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. their pace of delivery, the underlying pedagogy of whole-class teaching appears to remain unaffected, with teacher-led recitation and emphasis upon recall dominating proceedings. Previous research has highlighted the motivational impact of IWBs upon pupils, with the large screen, the multimedia capability and the element of fun enhancing the presentational aspects of a lesson (Glover & Miller, 2001; Levy, 2002). Essentially, there appears to be the potential for enhancements in whole-class teaching and learning through the use of IWBs if pedagogic practice were to adapt and change through creative and innovative use of the particular features of this new technology. Creativity Creativity has been described as ‘the word of the moment’ (Bruce, 2004, p. vi

Playfulness can be observed in all areas of human activity. It is an attitude of making activities more enjoyable. Designing for playfulness involves creating objects that elicit a playful approach and provide enjoyable experiences. In this paper, we introduce the design and evaluation of the PLEX Cards and its two related idea generation techniques. The cards were created to communicate the 22 categories of a playful experiences framework to designers and other stakeholders who wish to design for playfulness. We have evaluated the helpfulness of both the cards and their associated techniques in two studies. The results show that the PLEX Cards and its associated techniques are valuable sources of inspiration when designing for playfulness.

Crafting interactive artifacts is typically associated with synthesizing, making, constructing, putting things together. In this paper, we discuss how these activities can be contrasted with de-synthesizing activities that revolve around decomposition, dissection, and taking things apart. Based on framings that emphasize how related practices are valuable in engineering processes, we aim to unlock the potential of de-constructive engagements with interactive technologies as a material driven (design) practice. We propose un-crafting as a framework of four modes of taking interactive artifacts apart (i.e., un-crafting for material exposition, material inspiration, material inquiry, and material exploration) aiming to pinpoint de-constructive episodes inherent to design processes, as well as to encourage the refinement of respective techniques and methods.

Augmented reality (AR) technologies could enhance learning in several ways. The quality of an AR-based educational platform is a combination of key features that manifests in usability, usefulness, and enjoyment for the learner. In this paper, we present a multidimensional model to measure the quality of an AR-based application as perceived by students. The model is specified by a second-order factor (perceived quality) and three dimensions: ergonomic quality, learning quality, and hedonic quality. The purpose of this model is to embody previous research into a coherent framework for the evaluation of AR-based educational platforms and to provide guidance for researchers and practitioners. The model was empirically validated on a Chemistry learning scenario and the results confirm the importance of both the learning and hedonic quality. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 23 July 2014 Revised 2 December 2015 Accepted 9 December 2015

Collaborative creativity is traditionally supported by formal techniques, such as brainstorming. These techniques improve the idea-generation process by creating group synergies, but also suffer from a number of negative effects. Current electronic tools to support collaborative creativity overcome some of these problems, but introduce new ones, by either losing the benefits of face-to-face communication or the immediacy of simultaneous contribution. Using an interactive environment as a test bed, we are investigating how collaborative creativity can be supported electronically while maintaining face-to-face communication. What are the design-factors influencing such a system? We have designed a brainstorming application that uses an interactive table and a large wall display, and compared the results of using it to traditional paper-based brainstorming in a user study with 30 participants. From the considerations that went into the design and the observations during the study we derive a number of design guidelines for collaborative systems in interactive environments.

Inspired by the extraordinary ability of young infants to learn how to grasp and manipulate objects, many works in robotics have proposed developmental approaches to allow robots to learn the effects of their own motor actions on objects, i.e., the objects affordances. While holding an object, infants also promote its contact with other objects, resulting in object-object interactions that may afford effects not possible otherwise. Depending on the characteristics of both the held object (intermediate) and the acted object (primary), systematic outcomes may occur, leading to the emergence of a primitive concept of tool. In this paper we describe experiments with a humanoid robot exploring object-object interactions in a playground scenario and learning a probabilistic causal model of the effects of actions as functions of the characteristics of both objects. The model directly links the objects' 2D shape visual cues to the effects of actions. Because no object recognition skills are required, generalization to novel objects is possible by exploiting the correlations between the shape descriptors. We show experiments where an affordance model is learned in a simulated environment, and is then used on the real robotic platform, showing generalization abilities in effect prediction. We argue that, despite the fact that during exploration no concept of tool is given to the system, this very concept may emerge from the knowledge that intermediate objects lead to significant effects when acting on other objects.

real world can be overcome in VR, and physical tools can. be m a d e obsolete by more flexible, virtual alternatives'.. Physical tools can be hard to replace , however. At one time it seemed that paper might become obsolete, for example, and visionaries predicted the "paperlless office" would dominate within a few years. But the trouble is that people like paper. It is easier to read than a screen [5], it is cheap, universally accepted , tactile, and portable. According to some studies, paperwork in the office has increased by a l~actor of six since 1970, and is now growing at 20% annually [14]. Like electronic documents, paper has properties that people just cannot seem to give up, making it resilient in the face of computer-based alternatives [10]. Consequently, we have two desks: one for "paper pushing" and the other for "pixel pushing." Although activities on the two desk.s are often related, the two are quite isolated from each other. Printers and scanners provide a way for documents to move back ;and forth between desk-tops, but this conversion process is inconvenient. Wang's Freestyle system [3], for example, was. a "paper-less office" system that attempted to coexist with partially paper-based processes. A key factor necessary for adoption of that system was to minimize the printing and scanning re-RoE.ALL o quired, because too many of these tasks would cause the process to revert entirely back to paper. Trade-offs between electronic and paper documents can make the choice of medium difficult, but imagine if we did not have to choose, and we had a space where documents could be both paper and electronic at the same time. Instead of putting the user in the virtual world of the computer , we could do the opposite: add the computer to the real world of the user and create a Computer Augmented Environment for paper (see guest editors' introduction.). Instead of replacing paper with computers, we could enhance paper with computation. The Xerox PaperWorks product [8] takes a step in this direction with its fax-based paper user interface (UI) to a storage and retrieval system. With this system, ordinary paper forms are enhanced to control a PC through a fax machine. These paper documents gain some properties of electronic documents, but fax machines are slow compared to computer screens. Response time is limited by the delay it takes to scan and print a …

This paper describes an augmented reality (AR) environment that allows multiple participants or multi-user to interact with 2D and 3D data. AR simply can provide a collaborative interactive AR environment for urban simulation, where users can interact naturally and intuitively. In addition, the collaborative AR makes multi-user in urban simulation to share simultaneously a real world and virtual world. The fusion between real and virtual world, existed in AR environment by see-through HMDs, achieves higher interactivity as a key features of collaborative AR. In real-time, precise registration between both worlds and multiuser are crucial for the collaborations. Collaborative AR allow multi-user to simultaneously share a real world surrounding them and a virtual world. Common problems in AR environment will be discussed and major issues in collaborative AR will be explained details in this paper. The features of collaboration in AR environment are will be identified and the requirements of collaborative AR will be defined. This paper will give an overview on collaborative AR environment for multi-user in urban studies and planning. The work will also cover numerous systems of collaborative AR environments for multi-user.