This paper describes the results of an experimental study implementing a teaching technological strategy to help Down syndrome children develop their reading skills. The study employed the pedagogical method proposed in "Down syndrome: reading and writing" (DSRW) book, augmented with tangible interfaces, showing favorable results when tested on kids with this syndrome.This study was developed in three stages:First, a direct observation was conducted to help us understand the context of applying the DSRW methodology in sessions with Down children without any technological strategy involved. Using the results of the observations, a multi-touch interactive concept design was created which integrates tangible elements and software applications maintaining a pedagogical precision.The second stage included the evaluation of the first prototype of the design, created to test the reaction of a child with Down syndrome when a child is exposed to the tangible technology.Finally, the third stage consisted in the evaluation of a second, and more elaborated prototype that is more similar to the conceptual design.
This paper studies the use of eye tracking in a First-Person Shooter (FPS) game as a mechanism to: (1) control the attention of the player's avatar according to the attention deployed by the player; and (2) guide the gameplay and game's procedural content generation, accordingly. This results in a more natural use of eye tracking in comparison to a use in which the eye tracker directly substitutes control input devices, such as gamepads. The study was conducted on a custom endless runner FPS, Zombie Runner, using an affordable eye tracker. Evaluation sessions showed that the proposed use of eye tracking provides a more challenging and immersive experience to the player, when compared to its absence. However, a strong correlation between eye tracker calibration problems and player's overall experience was found. This means that eye tracking technology still needs to evolve but also means that once technology gets mature enough players are expected to benefit greatly from the inclusion of eye tracking in their gaming experience.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.