Post TEDxNYED Thoughts
This past Saturday, March 6th, I was given the opportunity to attend my first TEDx event. I didn’t really know what to expect, I typically only attend technical conferences filled with pocket protector wearing programmers. Okay we don’t wear pocket protectors, but that doesn’t make it any less of a complete geek fest, me included. Anyhow, to start, I must applaud the group of educators that ran the event. The location was great, the line up of speakers was very good, and overall I had an amazing time. However, there where a couple of suggestions, or maybe some preconceive expectations that I may have had prior to attending.
Although I believe that many of the speakers where amazing, at points I felt like i was at an educators pep rally. Don’t get me wrong, it is always great to get other educators excited about certain topics, however much of what was being talked about is nothing new of innovative. For instance, I think just about everyone knows that standardized testing is probably not the best way to assess students, but how could you successfully implement portfolio based assessments? One speaker touched on it, however I really wanted more examples, more case studies. I basically wanted the speakers ideas, so I could tweak them start putting them into practice. Most of the talks were powerful in there own way, I unfortunately didn’t quite get that “Ah ha!” moment that i was hoping for.
Update Twitter Status w/ Arduino & Processing
The next phase of my project was to send the serial communication from my Arduino, over to Processing, which then would formulate a status update based on the button you pressed and send it over to Twitter. I’ve worked with several Twitter API’s in the past, so I decided to go with Twitter4J, the “J” in this case stands for Java, which works perfectly with Processing.
Bellow is an updated version of my previous Arduino coding. I plan on switching the status updating to the Processing side, instead of the Arduino side. If this where to be a real product, it would be easier to download a software update, then to have to reprogram the toy itself. I will add that to my todo list, once i get all the major
Arduino: Print a Single Serial Message per Button Press
So I’ve been working on a new project and have run into a bit of an issue. I plan to send a serial message over to Processing, however it very important that I don’t send multiple values stating the same button press. Since Arduino is in a constant loop state, when i press a button using something like:
Will Wright presents “Why Games are Good for Learning” at NYU
The Games for Learning Institute was gracious enough to invite Will Wright, the genius behind games such as The Sims and Spore, to speak about “Why Games are Good for Learning”. I’ve watched him speak in the past via youtube videos, and have always been impressed by the insight he brings to the gaming industry. Games such as SimCity, have broken down so many boundaries and have help in redefining several aspects of gaming. He has managed to empower children, though a constructionist approach by giving them the ability to become producers of their worlds, and not merely consumers. These ideologies fall in line with much of Seymour Papert’s work with LEGO and LOGO along with the ideas of Maria Montessori.
The secret of good teaching is to regard the child’s intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination. Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his inner most core. — Maria Montessori
Why Serious Games are not Fun
This was an obvious question to start off the talk.
DIY Simon with Arduino w/ Source and Diagram
So i finally had time to tinker around with this Simon Sez project again. Turns out there wasn’t an issue after all with my circuits, it was an issue in my code. I also did some house keeping on the code, and created a nice little diagram using Fritzing, an awesome app that was recommend to our class
DIY Simon with Arduino: Take 1
This past week I was trying to figure out what i could work on for my Physical Computing class. My professor mentioned, Simon, so why not take on the challenge. Simon was one of my favorite game, I even have it on my iPhone. For those that may not remember the Simon game check out this commercial.
Anyhow, armed with some basic knowledge of electronics, and some programming knowledge, why not! Bellow is my stab at Simon
Prediction: Why Apple iPad has no Camera
After learning that Apple’s new iPad came minus a camera, I, like many people, was pretty surprised. Could it be the money aspect, “I doubt it”. There definitely is room for it on the device, so what gives? Here is my prediction. Asides from typical casual photography, the iPad will try to answer some business problems that it has had in the past, such as video conferencing. In order to do video conferencing however you need the camera to be mounted on the the front face of the iPhone. This is great in theory, but then creates a problem when you are trying to use the phone as a casual camera by not allowing you to see the display. It also puts a major damper on Augmented Reality, which has been a hot topic impossible. People have suggest front and rear camera, but that just seems like a usability nightmare, and expensive. You can’t forget
“Is iPad Good for Education?” is the wrong question!
As I watched the unveiling of Apple’s new iPad, I noticed many different reactions in the educational community. Some people expressed how the iPad will revolutionize education, and others how it will negatively effect it. In reality however, the answer is quite simple. “Will the iPad be good for education? MAYBE!”.
The reason that I say “maybe”, is due to several factors. Mainly, it is too early to pass any judgment since hardware doesn’t automatically mean good software. If we look at desktop computers there are a slew of educational games and software, yet most are useless and ungrounded with any educational theory. So does this mean that it is bad? No, it means as educators you will have to collaborate with your personal network of fellow educators to identify all the good software available and develop strategies in how to integrate it within a classroom environment. Not exactly a new concept, yet it has been one of the major stumbling blocks in educational technology in general.
With most technology, I like to step back from all the hype and really analyze the hardware for what it is. Although the App Store is not saturated with amazing educational software, that shouldn’t count it out of being a viable platform. So let’s break it down to affordances and
Examining an Everyday Physical Object
At any given moment we are all surrounded by interactivity. From using the toaster, to setting up your DVR to record your favorite show, interaction with physical objects is part of our everyday life. Coming from a web centric outlook, I typically associate words such as interactivity to the multimedia and computer software, however interaction far exceeds the spatial confines of our monitors.
Breaking free of the monitor, and starting my voyage into the physical realms of physical computing, I decided to step-back and analyze some of the physical objects that I regularly interact with. It wasn’t long before I noticed the perfect subject.
The Metro Card Vending Machine is a common place for many New Yorkers. As a matter of fact, I thought it had a rather intuitive design, until this morning. They have incorporated a sexy touch screen design, with large buttons so clumsy fingers don’t press the wrong thing. In my opinion the interface is quite intuitive and rather pleasant experience, or as pleasant as refilling your Metro Card could possibly be.
Augmented Reality and why educators should care
Today i was able to attend Augmented Reality: is it for real and why should you care?, which was hosted by Sobel Media.
According to the Sobel Media website:
Augmented Reality may be new to your lexicon, but if you watch televised football, it’s already part of your weekend routine: the “1st and 10” line is a leading example of this emerging technology. From Esquire magazine to James Cameron’s blockbuster “Avatar,” technologists are redefining photo realism by integrating graphics from the screen with our real-world environments. Augmented reality blurs the line between what’s real and what’s computer-generated to enhance what we see, hear, feel and smell.
At our next event, we’ll explore and predict the business potential for Augmented Reality…from advertising to marketing, to entertainment and education…and beyond.
Augmented Reality is nothing new, however the barrier of implantation are what have kept the technology from flourishing, much like rise and fall of Virtual Reality, which i predict will be making a comeback soon. Through the use of opensource software such as the Flash based implementation of ARToolKit by the name of FLARToolKit, it has enable the experience to be accessible to
