Filed under: Research, Trends by Digado

Every time I see digital technology move away from our traditional desk top set up (desk, chair, PC, 17′+ monitor) I get excited about the new opportunities of breaking this static environment of interaction with data. When the Wii introduced a mainstream audience to alternative ways to interact with applications I was shocked at how used we have gotten to the traditional tools for ‘data input’. I have no doubt the keyboard and mouse will be around for a long time, but we are starting to see cracks in its armour.

Recently it was Mitch Kapor’s 3D camera that took the spotlight on new ‘organic interfaces’. The camera tracks body movement to control the avatar. Walking, running, flying, jumping, looking around all get translated into physical actions rather then key presses. This technology is interesting, but I’m more excited about applications that seem meaningful beyond the scope of controlling the avatar and actually interacting with applications themselves.

Such examples are the already existing rich mobile applications, for Second Life for instance. Others are a bit further down the road, augmented reality (video above). But one of the developments that I’ve been following closely is the whiteboard technology. Not only do these slowly seep into mainstream by having their technology costs drop on a day to day basis, largely with help of the Wii technology which - with some smart modifications - could create a fully interactive whiteboard for less than $100.

Though whiteboards don’t have the mobility of wearable/pocket devices such as augmented reality and smartphones, they poses the very powerful quality of breaking the boundaries of the screen, they almost make data tangible and will help us move away from the ‘cubicles’ our desktops have become. One of the projects showing particular promise in this direction is the educational virtual world application ‘EduSim’. They have been around for a while and use the Croquet platform to create really, collaborative environments, encouraging a new way of interaction with data, and creation for kids.

After reading ‘The Diamond Age‘ it’s easy to overestimate the impact technology is going to have on our educational system, but it raises the issue nearly every, every smart person on the planet seems to agree on: Our educational system is in dire need of change. The challenging, immersive environment virtual worlds offer, combined with intuitive, shared interaction in an educational environment on a whiteboard, connected to the web clearly steps away from broadcasted info of traditional books. It invites exploration and optimizes the asset of curiosity (A book has no hyperlinks, no interaction, and rarely multiple point of views or active discussions on the topic, as opposed to the opportunities the internet offers). The visual way of presentation only makes sense to be more effective as 80% o our cognitive skills are based on what we see. Anyhow, I’m drifting of -I really think the EduSim folks have something here and am excited about the cases they are building.

Posted on: May 14, 2008 | Share on: