TALK AND PLAY FOR INTERACTIVE LEARNING PLAYGROUND
[TAP]
Our project utilizes three main concepts, which are motion detection/devices and children development theory. The first concept, which is motion detection, will be used to detect players and real objects as the input objects. Then input objects are sent to processor and the processor will project the user interface on the floor which user can interact with. The second concept study about how children learning and we research on related theory that we have to use to develop each game such as color system, light theory, and geometry theory. Lastly, we also study Software Usability concept to learn how to create the interface design that appropriate for school children.
Background, Theory and Related Research
1. Children development and learning
Our project wants to make child development process better by making a new kind of instruction media, therefore we must learn about related theories that help us understand more clearly about children learning process. The questions that we must answer are ‘What is appropriate instruction media?’ in order to find the best kind of instruction media for children, ‘How children develop their cognitive development?’ in order to find the best period of children that appropriate to our project.
Play-based Learning
Learn through play is a word used in education and psychology to explain how children perceive and learn the word around them. In the book Einstein Never Used Flash Cards , five elements of children’s playing activities are described as
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- Play must be pleasurable and enjoyable.
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- Play must have no extrinsic goals; it is not prescribed learning that must occur.
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- Play is spontaneous and voluntary.
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- Play involves active engagement on the part of the player.
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- Play involves an element of make-believe.
Playing activity also believe to develops children’s content knowledge and provides children the opportunity to develop emotionally mature cognitive and social skills, and gain the self-confidence required to engage in new experiences and environments. Play-based learning can also be defined as: “... children being active and involved in their learning. Children learn best through first-hand experiences... the purpose of play-active learning is that it motivates, stimulates and supports children in their development of skills, concepts, language acquisitions/communication skills and concentration. It also provides opportunities for children to develop positive attitudes and to demonstrate awareness/use of recent learning, skills and competencies, and to consolidate learning.” Therefore, our group decided to make games represent in play-based learning.
Children Development Stages
After we know we deiced to make games, the next important thing is appropriate age range, because children have different development on different stage. According to Jean Piaget’s theory call cognitive development, it is a comprehensive theory about the nature and development of human intelligence. It is primarily known as a developmental stage theory. This theory divides child development into four distinct stages, which are characterized by qualitative differences in behavior. The four development stages are described in Piaget's theory as:
Constructionism
Constructionism is the theory develops by Professor Seymour Papert. It is a philosophy of education in which children learn by doing and making collaborative project which including guides and feedbacks from mentors and peers. They explore and discover instead of being force fed information. It can be used for children at different developmental levels with various degrees of preparation. From the observation constructionism can happen under these three situations.
- Children learning by doing some activities by themselves from interest, favor, or aptitude in each person.
- Children live in and environment that is conducive to learning and has many choices that adapted for knowledge creation including collaborative process, e.g. learning with teacher and friends via social network.
- Children has equipment that appropriate for learning activities, e.g. artifacts or objects-to-think with.
From those three situations make us decided to bring Kinect to making good environment for learning by simulated environment, and because Kinect let children use their interaction or use real object to play, therefore we can add some artifacts or objects-to-think with to make better cognitive development process.
Sensorimotor stage starts from birth up to age of two. The children experience the world through movement and their five senses. During the sensorimotor stage children are extremely egocentric; meaning they cannot perceive the world from others' viewpoints.
Preoperational stage starts from two to seven years (magical thinking predominates; motor skills are acquired). Egocentrism begins strongly and then weakens. Children cannot conserve or use logical thinking.
Concrete operational stage starts from ages of seven to eleven. Children begin to think logically but are very concrete in their thinking. They can now conserve and think logically but only with practical aids. They are no longer egocentric.
Formal operational stage starts from eleven to sixteen years old and onwards. Children develop abstract reasoning. They develop abstract thought and can easily conserve and think logically in their mind.
2. Color theory
Light Color is can also call RGB color model, in which red,green, and blue light are combined. In this system, we use ‘Additive Color Mixing’ and that is the different from pains, inks, or dyes. Additive color systems start with darkness. When the light illumination overlaps, the result is brighter than original color. Therefore, if we combine those three major lights, the result appears as “White” light. The purpose of RGB color model is used for image representation in electronic systems, e.g. computer, image scanning, or television.
Ink Color or we can also call ‘Subtractive Color Model’. This model is used for explains mixing of dyes, ink, paint, or natural colorants. Subtractive system starts with white light, opposite of Additive system with darkness. In subtractive system, they have two sub-models call CMY model and RYB model.
CMY is has 3 primary colors; Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. CMY is usually used in inkjet system.
RYB is has three primary colors, Red, Yellow, and Blue. It is the standard set of subtractive primary colors used for mixing pigments. It mostly used in art, design, education, and painting.
Mixing and Contrast
Primary Color is a set of colors that can be combined to make a useful range of colors.
Secondary Color is a set of colors made by mixing two primary colors.
Tertiary Color is a set of colors made by mixing either one primary color with one secondary color or two secondary colors.
3 . Light theory
Specular reflection is the mirror-like reflection of light or wave from a flat surface, in which light from a single incoming direction is reflected into a single outgoing direction. Such behavior is described by the law of reflection, which states that the direction of incoming light (the incident ray), and the direction of outgoing light reflected (the reflected ray) make the same angle with respect to the surface normal, thus the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, and that the incident, normal, and reflected directions are coplanar. Hero of Alexandria first discovered this behavior through careful observation and measurement (AD c. 10-70).
5. Geometric theory
Geometric shape is the geometric information, which remains when moving a shape around, enlarging it, rotating it, or reflecting it in a mirror is the same shape as the original, and not a distinct shape. There are several kinds of shapes children will learn in elementary school.
