Designing for the Internet of Things

(^130) | dEsiGninG for EMErGinG tECHnoLoGiEs
GameDesk
As exciting as Sifteo and Motion Math are, some of the best examples
of whole body learning with technology would be the learning games
developed by GameDesk. Take Aero, as an example. Codesigned with
Bill Nye the Science Guy, Aero teachers sixth graders fundamental
principles in physics and aerodynamics. How? According to GameDesk
founder Lucient Vat tel:
i n this game, you outstretch your arms and you become a bird. it’s an
accurate simulation of bird flight. and through that you get to under-
stand the vectors: gravity, lift, drag, thrust. these concepts are not
normally taught at the sixth grade level...
Vattel goes on to add that “a game can allow the concepts to be visual-
ized, experienced...” And this is what is remarkable: that students are
experiencing learning, with their entire body and having a blast while
they’re at it—who doesn’t want to transform into a bird and fly, if only
in a simulation?
GameDesk also works with other organizations that are exploring sim-
ilar approaches to learning. One of those organizations is SMALLab
Learning, which has a specific focus on creating embodied learning
environments. SMALLab uses motion-capture technology to track stu-
dents’ movements and overlay this activity with graphs and equations
that represent their motions in real time. In a lesson on centripetal
force, students swing an object tethered to a rope while a digital projec-
tion on the ground explains the different forces at play. Students can
“see” and experience scientific principles. “They feel it, they enact it,”
says David Birchfield, co-founder of SMALLab Learning.
The technology in these examples is quite simple—for Aero a Wiimote
is hidden inside each of the wings—but the effect is dramatic. Various
studies by SMALLab on the effectiveness of this kind of embodied
learning show a sharp increase as evidenced by pre-, mid-, and post-
test outcomes for two different control groups.
Timeless Design Principles?
Te c h nolog y will change, which is why I’ve done little more here than
catalog a handful of exciting advancements. What won’t change, and
is needed, are principles for designing things with which to think. For