In this article, we present Cellulo, a novel robotic platform that investigates the intersection of three ideas for robotics in education: designing the robots to be versatile and generic tools; blending robots into the classroom by designing them to be pervasive objects and by creating tight interactions with (already pervasive) paper; and finally considering the practical constraints of real classrooms at every stage of the design. Our platform results from these considerations and builds on a unique combination of technologies: groups of handheld haptic-enabled robots, tablets and activity sheets printed on regular paper. The robots feature holonomic motion, haptic feedback capability and high accuracy localization through a microdot pattern overlaid on top of the activity sheets, while remaining affordable (robots cost about 125 at the prototype stage) and classroom-friendly. We present the platform and report on our first interaction studies, involving about 230 children.
Cultural heritage represents one of the most important drivers for personal development, social cohesion and economic growth in Europe. Although the general population is aware of this fact, cultural heritage is still underexplored and cultural activities are not incorporated into citizens' lifestyle. Technology offers a potential to increase awareness about cultural offerings and create a public engagement with Culture. The current digital solutions adopted by cultural heritage institutions fail to achieve a lifelong engagement, and thus do not support institutions in increasing the number of visitors and retaining them. This chapter illustrates how cloud-based technologies can be exploited to increase a cultural lifelong engagement. We use the cloud to support technologies that enable adaptive and personalised cultural experiences according to individuals' interests, co-creation of cultural heritage experiences, and active user contribution to social storytelling. The work presented here is a result of the European co-funded project TAG CLOUD.
This paper will present a cross-European experience of game jams as part of a Horizon 2020 funded project: No-one Left Behind (NOLB). The NOLB project was created to unlock inclusive gaming creation and experiences in formal learning situations from primary to secondary level, particularly for children at risk of social exclusion. The project has engendered the concept of game jams, events organised with the aim of designing and creating small games in a short time-frame around a central theme. Game jams can support engagement with informal learning beyond schools across a range of disciplines, resulting in an exciting experience associated with strong, positive emotions which can significantly support learning goals. This paper will disseminate experience of two cross-European game jams; the first a pilot and the second having over 95 submissions from countries across Europe, America, Canada, Egypt, the Philippians and India. Data collected through these games jams supports that coding, designing, reflection, analysing, creating, debugging, persevering and application, as well as developing computational thinking concepts such as decomposition, using patterns, abstraction and evaluation. The notion of game jams provides a paradigm for creating both formal and informal learning experiences such as directed learning experience, problem-solving, hands-on projects, working collaboratively, and creative invention, within a learner-centred learning environment where children are creators of their own knowledge and learning material. This paper explores the use of a mobile app, Pocket Code, in schools across Europe in two game jams during the academic year 2015-16 with children aged 11-18. Pocket Code provides an environment which supports learners in easily creating apps directly on their smart-phones and tablets through a visual Lego®-style programming language where users can put code bricks together to form scripts. We draw on a range of data to support how game jams can be used as a design research method to observe the creation of knowledge in fast-paced, collaborative environments across a range of disciplines. Our data evidences that learners can be more motivated through game jams and that learners who are less likely to create games are nevertheless more engaged in a game jam setting. We will also present the frameworks for 3 games from different disciplines: Chemistry, Languages, and Mathematics.
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