NetGenEd 2011

Unlike many other educational formats, game-based learning can bring fun and enjoyment to the learning experience and might encourage greater participation in group learning activities, with the potential to engage learners’ emotions, as well as their intellects. Therefore, this format could substantially contribute to the development of a wider repertoire of teaching and learning methods in continuing medical education (CME). Although many authors claim that games are as effective as more traditional educational methods, games have rarely been formally evaluated, with positive claims being largely based on anecdotal evidence. Formal evaluations of games, demonstrating that they are actually as effective a teaching and learning strategy for CME as more traditional methods are, are lacking.

Let me start by declaring that we, as human beings DO NOT have the ability to communicate with computers. Ever since the modern user interface based the WIMP system of Xerox Corp. came about people have found ways to use applications design around tasks and features. There are programmers and there are users. Computers work digitally, and humans cannot easily translate information to store and instruct computers. This has been a limitation and will be, for a long time. Several companies have tried to get out of this cycle by introducing newer touch and gesture based user interface which hold little value beyond novelty. These have been shown in several movies (including Iron Man 2 – where Tony Shark check’s out pictures of the Black Widow online on his table-top display) However, I’m glad that companies are taking this seriously after the touch interface of the iPhone sparked of a UI craze that has picked up quite a pace. One experimental entrant is the MS Surface. This is a table size computer with the screen facing up and is multi-touch capable. Several great instances of object recognition and collaboration of devices and people have been demonstrated on this device, but it hasn’t been taken seriously as yet (which is probably a cost factor for now)

Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University is expanding a program it implemented earlier this semester to provide its students with Apple iPads.

The institution's initial iPad pilot program began delivering free iPads to all full-time incoming freshmen and undergraduate transfer students this semester. Preparations for the program included a $100,000 investment in its wireless infrastructure, beefing up the number of access points at six locations in the process. About 3,500 students received iPads during the initial phase of the program.

Now the Brooklyn Campus is expanding that initial pilot to all of its students, though it will not be supplying the devices completely free. The university said it will provide iPads at a discount to full-time students who did not qualify for the initial pilot, charging sophomores, juniors, and seniors $250 for an iPad, underwriting the rest

Thank heaven there are engineers hard at work making sure we can live without them.

it up and hold it in the palm of your hand to answer the call. Goodbye, talk button.

The Cube is a turnkey, ‘plug and play’ interactive display unit that transforms any space of any size into a gesture-based interactive entertainment and advertising experience.  Just put The Cube on the floor or a table, or against a wall, and it instantly creates an engaging 5' x 4' (aprox.) foot interactive display that visitors can control with simple motions.  Well-suited for small spaces and for traveling promotions, The Cube gives customers access to GestureTek’s full library of over 70 eye-catching special effects and games.  Applications can be projected onto any surface, immediately transforming the surface into an interactive entertainment medium for the enjoyment of visitors.

Augmented books, now just beginning to enter the market, are another interesting application of this technology. The German company Metaio is developing books that include AR elements, such as globes that pop up on the pages. The books are printed normally; after purchase, consumers install special software on their computers and point a webcam at the book to see the visualizations. The technology allows any existing book to be developed into an augmented reality edition after publication; an atlas featuring 3D views of geographic locations is currently in development.

Daily text messaging among American teens has shot up in the past 18 months, from 38% of teens texting friends daily in February of 2008 to 54% of teens texting daily in September 2009.

Text messaging has become the primary way that teens reach their friends, surpassing face-to-face contact, email, instant messaging and voice calling as the go-to daily communication tool for this age group.

ACU 2009-10 Mobile-Learning Report Abilene Christian University faculty, staff, and students have now completed two years of research and exploration of how mobile technology can be used to enhance learning. The 2009-10 Mobile Learning Report and its bonus coverage, below, chronicle the second year of this mobile-learning initiative, detailing our efforts, our findings and our lessons learned.

Library users will be the first to benefit from the brand new “Bucks Mobile” app which is now available for nearly all mobile devices.  Bucks Mobile is compatible with Android, BlackBerry, J2ME, Palm OS, Symbian S60, Windows Mobile and iPhone.  Most users can get the app by visiting http://bucks.boopsie.com from their mobile device (iPhone/iPod Touch users must visit Apple’s App Store).

You can use “Bucks Mobile” to find materials in the Bucks County Community College library, locate services, connect with staff and more!  You’ll be able to: Search the BCCC library catalog—Enter search terms such as keywords, author or title. Find a BCCC library near you with the Library Locator Call a BCCC library Map a route to a BCCC campus location

nspired by early work in virtual reality, Robert sought to bring 3-D gestural interfaces to the masses.

advertising and games on interactive floors, walls, tables, windows, counters and bar tops. Our immersive advertising technology creates interactive digital signs that project people’s video image onscreen for an

he interactive installation “mæve” (MACE-Everyville) provides visual and tangible access to the social and intellectual networks behind architectural projects

1. Ascolta - Ping the Router. A web-based game for learning computer network engineering skills. 2. think3 - Time Mechanic. The company's second, web-based, game for learning to use their CAD software 3. Imparta - Sales Co-Pilot. The company's sequel to Strategy Co-Pilot 4.Learnetix - Zwolf. A game for technical learning. In German. 5. Institute for Creative Technologies, USC (ICT) - Full Spectrum Command - A company-level training game for Army Captains 6. Institute for Creative Technologies, USC (ICT) - Full Spectrum Warrior - A Squad-level Training Game for the Army. On X-Box. 7. MIT - Supercharged! - A game for understanding counter-intuitive physics concepts 8. MIT - Environmental Detective - A game for determining the source of a water contamination problem. On Pocket PC 9. Carnegie Mellon - BioHazard - a game about dealing with a bioterror attack. 10. Will Interactive - Think Like a Commander - Army training game. 11. MAK - Marine Air-Ground Task Force -MAGTF XXI - Marines training game 12 MAK - Battle Command 2010-BC2010 -Army training game 13. SimuLearm - Virtual Leader - A game about driving one's agenda through a variety of meetings at different levels

Elliptic labs is known for its clever, gesture-based touch-free controls for computing. Then the iPad came along like a techno-gift for the team, and they're due to show a prototype dock for iPads at CES that is a sci-fi dream come true.Gesture-controls, even if they're achieved via clever hacks, have hit the news recently because of Microsoft's fascinating Kinect toy for Xbox 360, but the core tech ideas behind Kinect are far from new. Elliptic Labs, a Norwegian company that specializes in advanced ultrasound sensor tech, has been developing clever touch-free gesture controls for tablet computing purposes for a while. Back in September at the IFA show the labs demonstrated their development platform--shown in action in the video below: