A networked suite of mixed-technology robotic artifacts for advancing literacy in children

Abstract

Illiteracy is a global problem that impacts societal and economic growth and development, and is directly correlated with the financial success, health and overall well-being of individuals. Studies indicate that picture-book reading within a facilitated story-time setting is an important tool for language acquisition in children. We hypothesize that in an increasingly digital society, literacy can be cultivated in a robot-embedded environment that is, at once, physical, digital and evocative of the picture-book being read. Inspired by concepts of embodied interaction, our developing LIT ROOM is an intelligent, fine-tunable suite of architectural-robotic artifacts distributed at room-scale in a public library setting. Presented here are motivations for and design overview of this developing interactive artifact. Through a reconfigurable, co-adaptive learning environment, the LIT ROOM aims to augment the dialogical reading of picture-books within an engaging and exploratory space for the advancement of literacy and learning.

The LIT ROOM

“…In the proposed LIT ROOM [7] (Figure 1), a suite of novel "architectural robotic" components distributed at room-scale responds to collaborative, environmentally-situated book reading, transforming the book into the room and the room into a book.…”

Designing the LIT KIT, an interactive, environmental, cyber-physical artifact enhancing children's picture-book reading

“…read-aloud experience that is both collaborative and situated in a physical environment conducive to learning encourages a dialogical interaction between adults and children, increasing the expressive and receptive language ability of children, while allowing adult readers to adjust instruction to provide immediate scaffolding and feedback [10]. The LIT KIT (Figure 1), a physically portable outreach component of the developing, roomscaled LIT ROOM [14] (Figure 2), supports public library literacy outreach by extending the read-aloud experience into homes and classrooms. Inspired by public library "storytime kits"-thematic kits that contain books, manipulatives (such as puppets, felt board sets, games and toys), music CDs and activity guides-the LIT KIT brings learning-focused digital technologies, and notably robotics, into learning centers and homes.…”