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Small groups can have a better museum visit when that visit is both a social and an educational occasion. The unmediated discussion that often ensues during a shared cultural experience, especially when it is with a small group whose members already know each other, has been shown by ethnographers to be important for a more enriching experience. We present DRAMATRIC, a mobile presentation system that delivers hourlong dramas to small groups of museum visitors. DRAMATRIC continuously receives sensor data from the museum environment during a museum visit and analyzes group behavior from that data. On the basis of that analysis, DRAMATRIC delivers a series of dynamically coordinated dramatic scenes about exhibits that the group walks near, each designed to stimulate group discussion. Each drama presentation contains small, complementary differences in the narrative content heard by the different members of the group, leveraging the tension/release cycle of narrative to naturally lead visitors to fill in missing pieces in their own drama by interacting with their fellow group members. Using four specific techniques to produce these coordinated narrative variations, we describe two experiments: one in a neutral, nonmobile environment, and the other a controlled experiment with a full-scale drama in an actual museum. The first experiment tests the hypothesis that narrative differences will lead to increased conversation compared to hearing identical narratives, whereas the second experiment tests whether switching from presenting a drama using one technique to using another technique for the subsequent drama will result in increased conversation. The first experiment shows that hearing coordinated narrative variations can in fact lead to significantly increased conversation. The second experiment also serves as a framework for future studies that evaluate strategies for similar adaptive systems.

The increasing use of computer technology in schools has brought with it concerns about equity of access to this new resource. Research has documented gender, social class, and racial inequalities in access to computers, and has linked computer access and experience to success in computer-related courses. This study examined the effects of home computer access and computer course enrollment on mathematically weak high school students' success in applying computers as a learning resource in a pre-algebra course. The course featured regular use of teacher-designed spreadsheet activities that engaged students in mathematical investigation and problem solving. Enrollment in a computer course was a significant predictor of success during students' early experiences in applying computers for mathematical problem solving. Home computer access was related to initial success for females, and the advantage of enrollment in a computer course was greater for females who had access to home computers than for those who did not. These initial advantages diminished with continued use of computers in the curricular context.

Designers of consumer products usually try to address as wide a range of user needs as possible. Due to various design constraints, such as product size and a limited interface mechanism, only a portion of those needs can typically be supported. Furthermore, products are generally designed only to assist the user in terms of the product s features, or based on the last action the user performed with the product. This paper considers efforts to support the design of everyday consumer products which can collaborate with the user in terms of meeting the user s task goals. Additionally, some of the implications of embedding such capabilities in a consumer product are discussed.