I'll be adding a new character to any new games or learning apps in the future. He will act as a unifier and a guide, not necessarily a part of the interactive itself. Although he might just appear in a few side games.
Hammer will also act as an 'authoritative' figure if needed. When his eyes turn RED then he is in full danger mode. For example, when we have a large monitor in the eating area, Hammer can appear on screen with the red eye lights watching movement and turning toward loud sound. Of course, he can also do funny things too, take pics, point at people etc. The watchful part is just a version of the 'card-board policeman technique' and is an old one and still works today. In the UK, they used to use the occasional Police cutout to slow down drivers who would see the police shape in their peripheral vision. But an interactive watching robot can actually calm down a group of boisterous kiddies too. See the first bullet point below.
Hammer can also be used in the Lobby area to watch people coming and going. In fact, if placed right, he might be able to greet or say goodbye to people as they come and go. He can also give important announcements, be 3D printed and lots more.
If you want an art project, I can actually supply a series of cutout templates and instructions for making a 2m tall version by hand from old cardboard.
H.A.M.M.E.R.
Hammer can act as the bridge between the teachers and students. In the original document I spoke of a gripe/rant wall where students can anonymously write ANYTHING they would like to see changed or bring to our notice. Hammer can front that page. On the other hand, Hammer can deliver messages to students, such as 'CHEW YOUR FOOD WITH YOUR MOUTH CLOSED' or 'WHOMEVER MADE THAT MESS, CLEAN IT UP!', taking that load or slight confrontation from the teachers hands.
Hammer is practically indestructible and can be blown up, burned, buried, crushed, thrown and dropped without getting a scratch. In fact, he kind of likes it, especially explosions.
Hammer doesn't speak but relies on the fact that two thirds of communication is body language. He has lots of inventive ways to communicate.
When he is in a good mood his eyes are green; but be careful when they turn red!
He tends to leak oil everywhere. We're looking into that.
Can run through walls and have them crash down around him. It's a hobby.
Hammer has a pet robot thing. It needs a name.
Hammer has a brother (he's a different colour).
Hammer keeps his own blog. For example........
Hammer only recently arrived in Japan and we took him to a local park in Tokyo and also to Nikko.
In Nikko we found that snow and selfies are a problem for robots....
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, nearly two thirds of students in the U.S. are not reading at their grade level. Fortunately, there are organizations that seek to improve that statistic. One of them is Newsela, which has just launched its official iOS app to better help students tap into the full potential of their reading ability.
Know the news
As its name suggests, Newsela has to do with news. Specifically, Newsela delivers the news to be read by students at just the right reading levels.
With the app, students can access relevant news articles from renowned sources such as Associated Press, Scientific American, and the Washington Post. More interestingly, they can also adjust the wording of the articles to any of five reading levels by simply swiping upward or downward with two fingers, thereby aiding in their comprehension and competency enhancement while keeping them engaged in current events and other interesting nonfiction subjects.
For example, as shown in the app’s promo video below, the phrase, “revered for her unlikely ascendance in an arts world notorious for showcasing only lithe white ballerinas,” may be simplified as, “deeply respected and admired for her unlikely rise in an arts world notorious for showcasing only slim white ballerinas,” by dragging down on the article in Newsela.
If you can’t see the video embedded above, please click here.
Level up
After reading articles, students can take quizzes in the app to test their reading skills. As they read and take quizzes, Newsela automatically adjusts the reading level to challenge them and push them to boost their literacy. They can also track their progress over time in the app.
Newsela works both online and offline for searching and reading articles, and for taking quizzes.
Newsela also works to help educators in improving their students’ literacy through assignments and progress tracking. If you’re a teacher, parent, or school administrator, just choose “I’m an Educator” instead of “I’m a Learner” when signing up.
Apple has transformed the way educators teach and students learn, and it’s thanks in no small part to iOS devices and apps that run on them to make teaching and learning easier. One of these apps is the paperless clasroom appShowbie, which has just received a significant update.
If you’re a teacher, you can use Showbie to easily assign, collect and review your students’ work from other apps, or have your students complete assignments using the app’s built-in rich annotation tools or using apps that are compatible with Showbie.
Showbie is available for iPhone as well as iPad. But in the main, the app is optimized for iPad. And this is made more apparent by its latest update, which delivers improvements for Apple’s newer tablets.
iPad multitasking
First up, the latest update to Showbie adds support for iPad multitasking in iOS 9.
On iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, or iPad mini 2 or later, you can use Slide Over to quickly check Showbie over another app. And on iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, or iPad mini 4, you can use Split View to use Showbie side by side with another app at the same time. “Maybe you’d like to consult a grading rubric while annotating and grading student work in Showbie,” the Showbie team notes, “or have your students browse online resources while working on their assignment.”
iPad Pro support
Showbie is now also fully optimized for iPad Pro. If you have Apple’s 12.9-inch tablet, you’ll be able to see more content at once in Showbie, even in portrait mode. You’ll also be able to see more even when you’re typing feedback if you use a Smart Keyboard with your iPad Pro, since the onscreen keyboard need not be displayed.
What’s more, Showbie is now compatible with Apple Pencil, allowing you to make smooth and accurate annotations with palm rejection support.
Teach and learn with Showbie
The new version of Showbie also features improved VoiceOver support and improved language support.
Moreover, it includes adjustments to parent access to assignments (which was added to Showbie last month), making parent access disabled by default when a new class is created.
If you can’t see the video embedded above, please click here.
Compatible with iPad running iOS 8.0 or later, Showbie is available on the App Store for free, with a $11.99 in-app purchase for unlocking the app’s Pro features including quantitative grade tracking, richer feedback, larger file size support, assignment locking, and complete parent access to assignments.
Introducing the Infinadeck. Paired with a VR headset, this technology could transform how we exercise, train, and step in virtual reality.
The Infinadeck isn’t your grandma’s treadmill. In fact, paired with a VR headset, you can explore immersive new worlds–kind of like the holodeck in Star Trek.
Go Anywhere, Do Anything
Meet the world’s first commercially-viable omnidirectonal treadmill– meaning you can walk on it in any direction. The treadmill reacts to the user’s movement to keep them safely in the center. The Infinadeck is also equipped with a customizable support system that straps comfortably around the user’s waist and keeps them secured.
The treadmill is only 1.3m x 1.7m (4.4ft by 5.6ft) and weighs in at 255kg (500lbs). The machine stands a mere .4m (16in) off the ground. You’ll definitely want a friend (or three) to help you move it in, but it’ll only take up as much space as a large table.
Worried about noise? The Infinadeck’s two motors are actually pretty quiet.
In fact, it’s actually quieter than the average dishwasher. One of the motors moves the platform like a regular treadmill, while the other moves the belt in the perpendicular direction.
The power consumption even comes in at under 1200 watts, about the same as the average refrigerator.
Markets and Uses
The machine is targeted toward customers looking for “precision, high-end, controlled omnidirectional walking solutions,” according to the company’s website.
Also:
People who want to pretend they’re in Star Trek
People who think staring at a blank wall during exercise is boring
More importantly though, people with risky jobs could benefit from training in a virtual environment. The tool would also be useful for physical therapy, tactical training, and something the company calls “exergaming.”
The company says that the treadmills will be available to strategic business partners, and expects to produce a lower priced consumer model in the near future.
Although we are installing iMacs that are meant as passive or hands off interactive experiences that doesn't mean we can't add another layer of interaction. Take the 'ANXIETY ALIEN' for example. This one is not meant for the display units but rather for keyboard and laptop use. The idea being that the user drags a slider up and down to change the anxiety of the alien.
However, with the addition of a Griffin Powermate button we could run more complex interactives on these display units...
I've used this little beauty hundreds of times in the past and it still looks awesome even after a decade or so. It's basically a pulsing blue button, but you can double tap it, turn it, press and turn etc.
I programmed the 'Anxiety' of the alien to increase as you turn the dial and it's a great way to interact.
Also, it can even be used for the TaskMaster type games. You turn the dial to select an answer and hit the button to choose it.
This cheap bit of tech means we can run just about everything we make on the display units.
(I labelled this as JABS as it directly relates to our interactives but I did not make the button unfortunately)
Despite my ongoing fun with famous people some of my games still seem to be available in the app store. These are free with no ads or in-app purchases. Any kids with iphones or ipads are welcome to try them so please send on the links if you think they will be interested.
It has a few extra game modes, lots more noises and things to see and runs on any iphone or ipad.
It uses the same flapping technique as the desktop version.
Please feel free to pass the link around to the students. It is totally free with no hidden extras.
A finger(s) touch version of the Sumo Game. This is the 'Lite' version but there is still plenty to do. It has a 5 star rating and a UN award under its sweaty belt.
Probably one for the otaku. You can motion control a ship and fly around a city hunting for invaders. It can get quite fun chasing robotic spies and blowing them up around skyscrapers!
Again 5 star reviews and utterly free. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/skyhunt/id562228326?mt=8
Originally this piece was created for a friends 2 year old daughter. She was a Teletubbies junkie who sat in front of the screen for hours and hours. So I took a few hours and made the original version. She spent that day and many more jumping around, teaching the bird to fly. Then teaching her friends to teach the bird to fly.
It's a simple game but I think Jonah got to see the effect it can have on the mini-humans that inhabit the KAIS building.
In time the TaskMaster type FlashCard games will keep records of words, concepts and course sections that the students find quite hard or downright impossible to remember.
I think every teacher would agree that they've noticed that there are some words , concepts or grammar points that nearly every student struggles with.
As a personal example being a foreigner, the GA & WA difference seems to be one that gets nearly all of us at first.
So, in these special cases, I propose that we create a serious of apps and interactives that will unstick the brain and allow the course to flow.
To this end I've created one example of this using the TaskMaster word 'Anxiety'. Using the alien from the game I've made a little interactive that has a lot of helpful information on screen, some mnemonics perhaps and a slider that allows the student to take the alien from a very calm state to one of pure anxiety. As they drag slider they are presented with some character acting from our little friend and about a dozen differently worded uses and forms.
However, as I was creating this little sample from scratch, I took the opportunity to fully optimise it and put it on as many machines and in as many different ways as possible.
The results were more than promising.
The actual UNITY file, with its backgrounds, code, textures etc is 1.5 GIGS. But that's the usual horrendous disk squatting.
Creating it as a desktop app (mac or pc) came out as about 85MBs. Not bad, but not something you want everybody to have to download.
Optimising it and placing on a webpage? This is where it got interesting. It took some fiddling, some corners cut and techniques I haven't used in over a decade but the ENTIRE little interactive, exactly as you see above, sits on a webpage for...... 5MBs.
Just to underline that, if we added more animations and words but used the same graphics and character above that size would hardly change! Plus the amount of time the page was loaded, times, length of interaction etc. could all be recorded invisibly in the background.
The futures of these little apps is looking bright; compressed & optimised but very bright.
You can view the online version here (mac & pc browsers)* : ANXIETY_ALIEN_EXAMPLE *shockingly it sort of works on iphones and ipads too!
As an aside, I'd like to put this on an iMac somewhere in the school and just leave it. See if any of the kids go near it, interact with it and if so, do they then show another student?
Basically slap an alien and a slider on screen and watch what happens. Kids learning by mistake or willingly? Shocking.
From experience I've installed and created items for a dizzying array of shows, kiosks, presentations, exhibitions, hospitals, educational, museum and schools in the last 20 years. These were placed on the sides of buildings, office fronts, remote islands, cinemas, shop windows and even throughout the Barcelona Film Festival, Spain for the King, Rome for the head of Samsung worldwide, just to name a few.
Thankfully as time and Moore's law have marched on the set up becomes easier, the equipment more capable and the compatibility problems easier to fix.
So I spent some time, researched all available options and weighed up the possibilities.
My considerations were :
Durability, cost, reliability, repairability, re-usage, longevity and easy of setting up; time spent tweaking and familiarity also came into it.
These are my conclusions on the best machinery to set up the screens that can be placed around the school(s).
There also should be one 'big' display in the future for public display, new parents to see, bulletin messages, logos, clocks and so on but I haven't covered it here. I also have left mountings out of the costings as Suzie can look into that. PCs:
First off I'm discounting using PCs. It's nice that they are cheaper but there is no uniformity of hardware, infinite incompatibilities, insane amount of peripherals, WINDOWS and the P.I.T.A* percentage for long term installations over time is incredibly high.
I don't think anyone wants to use them for our purposes and the kids themselves are happier with the macs and I've factored reusability into my conclusions. That is, after we've used the chosen setup for displays we can then also use the machines for driving VR or as machines for students to use.
Also, trying to control a pc remotely can be problematic especially from a mac.
We'd have to buy basic software too which is an added pain.
Mini-Macs & Peripherals:
Originally this was going to be my choice. Mini macs are fairly powerful and would probably run the bulk of the applications I make. However they would not run VR very well and that is going to come soon and we need to be prepared. I went for the mid range mini mac here and the costings are all below. Beside the mac itself you'd need to get a screen. I aimed for around 28" to 30" minimum. And again the costings are below. I've bought some of the cheaper screens in the past and you do really get what you pay for. An ok screen might flicker a bit at some settings and the colours can be off compared to make but it's liveable with.
Because the mini-mac is just a box we also would need a keyboard, mouse, and importantly a good quality webcam. It's hard to find a nice one that works with a mac but I'd go for a Logitech if I had to. And of course, there are all the wires and connectors with this setup.
Finally it's unlikely that a cheap screen would have any decent speakers (if any) so we'd have to get some of those too. Probably logitech again. Once again these too would have to be mounted.
So although this was initially my route, the fiddling with wires, mounting of everything and too many parts was starting to look like trouble. Especially as the price difference with what I finally settled on is not much more.
Mounting all the bits n bobs might be a little troublesome.
The iMac:
The LOWEST spec 27" iMac is my choice. Or rather, it would be my choice (if it was my choice to make) because of these factors:
It's one piece with one plug. The last suggestion would be 3 sockets at least and a lot of wires.
There are no wires apart from the socket.
It comes with a camera, keyboard etc.
It's easily mountable.
The screen is insane. 5K
It's easily repaired.
It can run the VR sets with ease. Even the lowest spec is higher than anything in the other suggestions.
It has such high spec that it will last 3 to 4 years as a good machine.
And it's reusable. It can simply become a desktop machine if needed.
It can easily be controlled remotely from a laptop or from home by an administrator.
(I can set this up).
It comes with all the software needed. Not only to run my stuff but for use in its later years.
We would get a 7 to 12% discount on Apple equipment (if you use the main school, not international).
I wouldn't have to tweak or optimise my interactives before they would run on the machine as it can take the strain.
COSTINGS: Mid-spec Mac-mini (83,000), Camera (10,000), Keyboard (7000), Mouse (5000), Monitor (20,000 to 60,000), Speakers (10 to 20,000). Cost: 160,000+ approx (VR) FUTURE-PROOF iMAC 27" : runs out of the box in one piece. Cost: 205,000 approx
I discounted the 21" imac, as to run the VR and heavier interactives it would take the higher spec model which cost 180,000 approx, and the one above has way more power, 6 inches more screen and not a huge gap in the price.
Conclusion:
For really good interactive spaces we should go with the 27" iMac. If possible get a few of those.
To save money I will look at the iMacs you already have as they will be capable of running quite a lot of the interactives too but are not 'future-proof'. However, they are still good machines and if they are just doing nothing we should utilise them.
*The P.I.T.A percentage or tax is the PAIN IN THE ASS factor.
Over the Christmas holidays I did a lot of research into different ways of getting the games to the kids. At the moment downloading from Google isn't a great strategy as it's a little awkward and the PC and Mac playables can be 200 MBs in size. This should only be used for interactives we plan on installing on the school computers.
In 2015 most browsers stopped allowing many of the complex plugins and Unity games could no longer be played online. The same went for Shockwave and Flash and therefore killed off my entire online legacy of work. However with a lot of work the Unity team created a WEBGL exporter.
This takes a Unity game and all its complexity and rewrites it to fit into the WEBGL format. The version they just released it fantastic. I was able to throw relatively complex 3D experiments and wordsearching games at it and it played them almost perfectly.
So basically it means we may be able to deliver the learning aids as simply as giving a weblink.
I am currently checking to see if I can talk to a server for scoring, logins, records, databases and such and it seem like it's all possible. It will just take a little extra optimisation and care. And we can still create the super duper (bells and whistles) versions for the school machines.
One amazing thing, which was totally unexpected, is that the WEBGL experiments run in a browser on an iphone or ipad! I'm assuming later androids too.
If Apple don't squish this (they might) then we have a rock solid way to not only get the kids playing the games easily but on mobile too!
I will update more as soon as I finish with my testings.
2016 will be the year of the 2 letter initialisms*. From the nerd-screen to the mainstream.
VR (Virtual Reality)will be everywhere late March, early April. Aside from the cardboard/DIY versions that use mobile phones, Sony, Oculus and HTC Vive (that name will change) will be the headline leaders.
Sony will be locked to the PS4 and be an adequate experience. The headset will no doubt be hacked by the maker community but aside from directly using it on the PS4 for game it is not on my own radar.
Oculus has broken too many promises to the people that backed it to be trusted anymore. Although their headset will be phenominal, it will cost in the region of $600 US ($300 was the promise) and work only with PCs. And that PC will cost you upwards of $2000.
Originally the Oculus was cheaper and set to run on Mac, Linux, PC and possibly mobile. They have actually partnered with Samsung to produce the latter but it's still a toy. Oculus were happy to take the money of all developers, including myself but announced just a few months ago that us Mac users were being dropped, the hardware needed would be intense and the promise of a non-vomitous experience is still over the horizon.
So my money will be on the HTC 'insert name here'. Everyone who has tried it has said the experience is far better than the Rift, not stomach churning, clearer and features a much more maker friendly, all encompassing target. It will be cheaper, better and run on nearly everything to some degree.
Expect the HTC and Oculus to promise they will deliver some time in March and then fight over each other to get something released in April.
Once VR is truly out of the box, and it will be this year, digital experiences will start to become as memorably as reality. And of course education will have to adapt fast.
On a side note, KAIS will be well prepared. We will be able to make our own pieces, buy them, or a mixture of both. Almost as fast to make as something like the Taskmaster Rocket game, adding a VR helmet is not a big job.
I imagine we will have 2 or 3 helmets this year and, more likely than not, one for every student in 2017.
Oh, both of those sets will have extra bits like devices to stop you running into real walls and hand held tools that can become anything
This following example caught my attention and imagination more than most:
AR (Augmented Reality)will most likely rear its head and hardware closer to the end of the year. There will be many more apps for phones, some of which will hit the mainstream like Angry Birds did for games but the one I'm keeping my eye on is not Google Glass or it's dying children but the Microsoft projects.
Both the HoloLens and the HTC Vive take the users surroundings into account but the way that the former does it is truly amazing. Half reality/half digital; walls become windows (not the OS), tables become playgrounds or factories.
Magic Leap are extremely good at playing the press game and that makes me a little suspicious but as I actually know one of the team members I am hoping they will deliver on their promises. Similar to the Microsoft project in many ways but with a lot more cleverness and attention to the experience thrown in.
AI (Artificial Intelligence)though is what has me most excited this year. It will be everywhere. Technically, it already is with traffic control, bank transactions etc. but 2016 will be the year it truly starts to become disruptive and generally IN YOUR FACE.
First, helpers like Siri and Cortana will be a lot more helpful. Google searching by year end will more that likely be closer to a conversation than a search for words. Personal photographs and videos can be automatically categorised and then searched for by an intelligent agent and truly virtual friends will start to appear.
What has me most intrigued is the simple fact that researching and teaching (sorry!) will start to become automated. That is, an AI will, on request, present you with an original report, chart or even essay on whatever you want it to. This won't be just boring information but a well rounded, seemingly well thought out and thoroughly researched piece. The result can be altered on spoken request. This will happen this year.
Virtual teachers are also an intriguing possibility. At first they will not replace teachers but I cannot speak for the next few years. For now they will be personalised helpers that a child or student can turn to and as for assistance unembarrassed. Explaining complex concepts will start to become automated with a back and forth conversation that will, without losing patience, explain while learning about the student's strengths and weaknesses.
Articles have already been written for established magazines that are totally machine created. Watson and the Chinese AIs are learning at an exponential rate. In 2016 most of this technology has been opened to developers and it's almost impossible to imagine the results, let alone the possibilities.
This year, the fields of law, medicine, education, higher physics and many more will be changed forever. AI will start to make headlines that cannot be avoided, no longer hidden in tech blogs and fun 'end of the news' stories.
And as a local example here in Japan, and one prediction that you can watch happen : that slightly annoying child of a robot PEPPER will change from a baby to a helpful genius. Fully able to understand what you are saying to it, in multiple languages, and do things we couldn't have imagined only a year ago. Any Peppers I've met so far I just wanted to kick, but I'll likely call a truce by year's end and shake its hand.
Within the next few years creating games, stories, animations, product design and so on will be so automated that we will become more like directors. We will supply the ideas and critique and the computer will produce the rest.
And in no time at all, we won't even have to supply the ideas!
These are the main 3 that I'm personally watching this year and don't even get me started on 3D printing, nootropics, anti-ageing, TDCS, wearables, cancer cures, drones, graphene, self driving vehicles, solar, abundance, de-materialisation, convergence....
*Pedantic bit : Acronyms can be pronounced like a word, like NASA. Initialisms cannot, like CIA
