Exertion Interfaces

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noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:48:00 +0000

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Back in Melbourne, Australia

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:14:00 +0000

After a fantastic research experience with Microsoft Research Asia, back in Melbourne, Australia.
And a new journal article is published online:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/a64492475454p203/

Week 7 at Microsoft Research Asia

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:31:00 +0000

Designed a visual presentation of a framework for Exertion games:

The example here shows Table Tennis for Three from a single-player perspective, I have left out the arrows for the other 2 players, but they are equivalent.

Week 5 at Microsoft Research Asia

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:04:00 +0000

Tracked down sources for equipment
Identified hard- and software requirements
Talked to James Landay about how to evaluate if design themes are useful: agreed on meeting with HCI experts and designers where they discuss how themes played out in design.
Identified development team that works on Natal to work with them.
Refined thesis-on-1-page

Week 4 at Microsoft Research Asia

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:05:00 +0000

Gave talk at Nokia Beijing on Exertion Interactions, with a particular focus on "Jogging over a Distance".
Organized visitors from RMIT to see Microsoft and give talk.
Inquired vendors about purchasing of EMS systems, might need to modify own due to costs.
Met with Advanced Technology Center at Microsoft to help with design.
Met with Richard Harper, Andrew Blake, Desney Tan, Jonathan Grudin.

Week 3 at MIcrosoft Research Asia

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:25:00 +0000

This week included attending the distinguished speakers in HCI seminar, organising a talk with Nokia and the Natal team in Redmond, and talking to other researchers about their demos from ACM Multimedia.
Tried out EMS for a game idea that involves 'in your body' activities. Seems suitable for synchronizing distributed (individual) muscle activities.

Week 2 at Microsoft Research Asia

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:30:00 +0000

This week, I learned more about the technology researched here, and talked to some very smart people about their work in relation to Exertion Interactions.

I've given a talk about Exertion, on the same day as Desney Tan's talk, which made me think that our work has a lot in common: we are both very interested in a close link between technology and the body, which tries to enhance the bodily action, rather than enabling a reflection on it afterwards, which is more James Landay's work. (I think they can be nicely combined). I call it 'in your face computing', it is on an extreme end of the 'hidden in objects' approach of Weisner's ubiquitous computing.

Also tried to structure design themes: maybe themes are framed based on a lens on Exertion Games depending whether you see them as "exertion play", "socially mediated play" and "rule-based play", similar to what Salen and Zimmerman do to understand games, they also see them from different angles to understand them as a whole (, without infererring that these aspects can be investigated independantly).

Currently still juggling 2 game ideas, need to refine one or combine both.

First week at Microsoft Research Asia

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:35:00 +0000

First week at Microsoft Research Asia resulted in several conversations with some very smart people here. Also thought about what I have learned from previous studies, and 3 themes stand out: uncertainty, pain as investment and physical risk. I am trying to address them in future designs. Was also working on longer Jogging over a Distance write-up, and identified the notion of shared pain as being both bodily and social, possibly being the parallel-play equivalent to social body feedback in non-parallel games.

Worked on four project ideas so far, will narrow them down based on what technologically possible next week.

Will also give talk to local and US HCI people next week.

Microsoft Research Asia

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:39:00 +0000

Here I will blog my work while being at Microsoft Research Asia for the next 3 months.
(Also, I just found that Jane McGonigal did this wonderful blog of writing her favorite sentence for every day of thesis writing, I might do the same :-) http://bestsentence.blogspot.com/

Prototyping

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:58:00 +0000

Pushing Pixels - Paper outline

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Pushing Pixels

August 21, 2009 - Floyd/Jenn

Subtitle: Towards understanding the role of deign in facilitating the social discovery/acquisition/development of kinesthetic literacy through asynchronous exertion interactions.

1. Motivation: Kinesthetic literacy is an important aspect of being human, contributing to social, mental and physical health.

2. Problem: People’s decline in participating in physical activity à kinesthetic illiteracy?

3. Approach: a) using social motivational/guided discovery aspects to facilitate exertion movements; learning to move b) making visible kinesthetic for guided discovery for learning c) utilizing asynchronicity to facilitate critical reflection à guided discovery à kinesthetic literacy

4. Results:

5. Conclusion:

A. Theory: Social facilitation changes performance even when mediated/ asynchronous/ can be used for teaching?

B. Research Question: What is the role of design in supporting the development of kinesthetic literacy?

C. Contribution: Contributing to an understanding of shared/sharing whole-body interactions.

Design Decisions:

· Asynchronicity to facilitate reflection

· Restrict movement to support synchronicity à social

· (Connected: body synchronicity and temporal asynchronicity; social à kinesthetic literacy)

· Offering ancillary information to support guided discovery

· Lets user make their own decisions/discoveries

Table: Teacher à representation à verbal à student (student only; bodily actions)

Pixel: Teacher à Movement à student (both student and teacher: bodily actions; more guided, structured)

Facilitate witting = knowledge, transition through technology

Exertion making participation visible: turning unwitting bystanders to witting bystanders? Performance frame: exertion facilitates/ entices entering it

Equipment

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:38:00 +0000

Bought and ordered hardware.
Did video prototype with purchased hardware, promising results, will continue building based on feedback.

Equipment sources

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:34:00 +0000

Identified various resources/shops to gather equipment to get best deal.

Learning about reps with exercise machines

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:07:00 +0000

Some say the speed and weight is important: do your reps as fast as possible to grow muscle. But keep speed constant
http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/martin2.htm
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/53402_advanced-bodybuilding-routines-basic-rep-speed
breaks down bodybuilding movements into 4 numbers: positive (weight up), pause, negative (down) (4th=?)
it’s about strength and power (speed vs intensity?)
http://www.musclenerdhealth.com/Fast-Or-Slow-Rep-Speed.html
recommends for slow reps (says you should vary between slow (explosive) and fast):
http://www.musclenerdhealth.com/Fast-Or-Slow-Rep-Speed.html
4 sec up, 4 down, 2 sec pause
http://www.thinkmuscle.com/articles/goldstein/speed-training.htm
higher rate of pushing weights means higher intensity
Acceleration Phase: The initial part of the movement, in which the weight is brought from a standing still to the target speed;
Constant Speed Phase: The part of the movement in which the weight is moved in a more or less constant speed (note that some speed training techniques omit this phase);
Deceleration Phase: The final part of the movement in which the weight is decelerated in order bring the weight to a stop at the required position while avoiding hyper-extension, -flexion or -rotation, depending on the case.
Also recommends constant acceleration (why?)
Using Super-Strict Form. You do not want any of the acceleration imparted to the load to originate from jerking or "cheating" movements. If you jerk, the initial part of the movement may be devoid of any tension on the working muscle - something you’ll dearly want to avoid.
Using Progressive Acceleration. Because the momentum that is generated when a mass is accelerated tends to reduce the load once acceleration stops, you should attempt to continue to accelerate the load throughout the movement. As long as the load is accelerated, more power is generated and the muscles are kept under tension. If you rely on the momentum generated during the initial part of the movement to "carry" you through the end of the movement, you are not placing the muscle under the constant tension necessary for best results. This also means that you should try not to apply maximal force right at the beginning of the movement, but rather increase it gradually over the course of the first third to one-half portion of the movement.
http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/16/how-to-exercise-while-youre-stuck-at-your-desk/
suggests deskercise websites.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Browse/ID72/14419296/c_1/1|category_root|Sports+and+leisure|14419152/c_2/2|cat_14419152|Home+gym+equipment|14419293/c_3/3|cat_14419293|Other+gym+equipment|14419296.htm
has exercise machines and multi-machines

Curriculum highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:50:00 +0000

Comparing maths and PE:

http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/subjects/physical-education/keystage3/physical-education-in-context/index.aspx

Planning and assessing PE:

http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/subjects/physical-education/keystage3/PE_and_personal__learning_and_thinking_skills.aspx

Case study: interactive dance
http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/case_studies/casestudieslibrary/case-studies/Art_dance_and_image.aspx?return=/key-stages-3-and-4/subjects/physical-education/keystage3/PE_and_personal__learning_and_thinking_skills.aspx

Refined notes on discussion with PE advisor

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:39:00 +0000

PE Teacher: Keren T. (PE Advisor for County of Norfolk)
Working with schools 4-19; teacher training with Penny L.
Active Norfolk
• Paul E.: ex-Olympic runner
Intranet: internal, within school, contact heads of PEs in school; data protection acts.
1. What think of it
a. (Time zone problem: you build on another person’s physical skill with a time delay; reflection; collaboration;
i. a competition team/organising team with all school; school sport partnerships; festivals; because of rural not many children in school; enable schools who don’t have support would mean that A at A location still able to compete with B at B location
ii. Roger S. - leave for 2 weeks
iii. Virtual competitions
2. How she sees learning being facilitated
a. What about learning: sit up example; trying to mimic the exercise; member of staff would be learning what happening on computer screen but also student and then to talk to masses of school to teach about movement that just learned
b. Teachers are least happy to deliver PE because its such specialist activity – but with our idea teachers could become more confident about lessons and deliver better quality lessons
c. (stress between activity and learning): a new national curriculum was introduced to year 7/8 at 2008 – only being implemented this year and its assessment
i. 7 levels of attainment and by 14 have reached level 5 (goes up to level 8)
1. LEVEL 5: select and combine skills technical idea; apply appropriately showing precision; can play, understand, tactics, referee, quote a few roles – the elite performance. There are different levels for i.e. average school player versus elite player
ii. PE teachers not happy with levelling children because suppose to be giving level to overall performance in school, not just PE; new curriculum had to teach 5 out of 6 “Range and Content”: given list of types of accurate replication; exploring ideas; effective --- schools will try and deliver this using equipment available through particular activity
iii. New Curriculum: Rounder’s and softball used to be given these but now have more flexibility based on what equipment they have, or geography or time of year etc.
iv. Assessment done by teacher and pupils; assess by team processes: self and peer assessment (i.e. kids give warm up and cool down and then assessed)
v. What know and understand as well as what can do; and what can teach
d. Assessment versus teaching: give the children the opportunity to show their knowledge and understanding – “step into sport”: children are taught the basics (what they don’t need are the rules) what they need is to know how to turn it into a much more exciting activity; so children can set up their own game (i.e. run, played, scored, and evaluated by pupils).
e. The teachers have to do some teaching to start with; but then less as the lessons go on – so on-going process during the activity; so process of learning; lot of guided discovery: when children are given a goal and then work out how to get to that solution; then take that skill in and add to something else – their understanding of the game is much better than just learning rote learning
f. http://www.qcda.gov.uk/13575.aspx: program of study for key stage 3
3. How she would improve it
→ Our idea could be used across days in same school and/or across cities
→ Making and applying decisions: refining and adapt ideas and plans based on changing environment → same as any Science class
Sometimes: For safety’s sake need to be taught do what I say when I say; health and safety if vital (e.g. javelin); so different flexibility in sport depending on type of sport

Dialogue with Keren, PE advisor

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:31:00 +0000

August 14, 2009
Exchange – Floyd/Jenn + Keren Thompson
Jogging
Triple Jump
Swiss Ball
Questions:
What think of it
How she sees learning being facilitated
How she would improve it
Teaching collaboration
Risk: Difference in math vs. basketball
Outcomes
Assessment – Links to teaching
Answers:
Select, combine ideas
Play/demonstrate reasonable skills, e.g. quote a few rules, refereeing their own games
Overall performance instead of specific skills
Demonstrating skills such as outwitting -> in football/netball OR windsurfing, depending what’s available
5 key points: - developing
- peer assessment
- … see http://www.qcda.gov.uk/curriculum (http://www.qcda.gov.uk/13575.aspx)
2 on 2: making & applying decisions -> developing social skills
Risk: depends on physical activity: Track and field: disc: do what I say when I say it, because of health and safety. Contrast: football: more independent guidance
Guided exploration!

Instantiation thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:44:00 +0000

TOPIC: Asynchronous kinaesthetic literacy

QUESTION: What is the role of design in supporting asynchronous kinaesthetic literacy with exertion interfaces?

Some sub questions include (but see attached doc for more)
Does asynchronicity = reflection (or learning)?
How can we design for non-parallel interaction (where ‘invasion or overlapping’ takes place?)
How can we design for collaboration (building on the previous movement)?

Our intention is to use the Exertion Framework and lessons learned from the table/Wiimote project to explore the above question. We will also consider how the Exertion Framework applies/or not to the table/Wiimote project. Floyd is also interested in learning more about the wittingness framework and performance.

Focusing the Research question

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:42:00 +0000

August 13, 2009
Exchange – Floyd/Jenn
Research Question
What is the role of design in supporting asynchronous kinaesthetic literacy with exertion interfaces. (fosters learning/ lends itself to learning)
Title
Asynchronous kinaesthetic literacy with exertion interfaces.
Tools
• Exertion Framework (Floyd)
• PE Teacher: successful measures/learning outcomes
Key Mechanics
• Replay: recording and replaying back the movement (?); pre/post movement: we believe that the main reflection comes from replay – they reflect on the experience to learn about how to do movement better/faster/bigger etc.
• Non-parallel: “invasion or overlap” (opposite to Nike Plus) where activity happens in shared space so has the opportunity for invasion or overlapping - so in game, start to overlap the activity (jump into another person’s space)
• Collaborative: building on others’ exertion.
Key Elements
• Does knowing the risks bring the fear?
• (Body) Physical Risk: so how activity challenges body?
• (Mental) Fear: the cognitive side?
• Cognitive versus exertion
• Not about navigation
• Less about target of action/ more about pre/post movement (replay)
• Target is about game/ free movement is about play
• Using movement to achieve something / using movement for sake of movement
Questions
• Does kinaesthetic literacy reduce risk?
• Does kinaesthetic literacy reduce fear?
• Does kinaesthetic literacy help manage risk?

Kinesthetic literacy

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:39:00 +0000

PE teaches kinesthetic literacy: exertion interfaces might facilitate that with a good design.

Here are a few pointers:

http://www.ccea.org.uk/ks3/pdf/teacher_pack/p.e.pdf
is from the “Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment” for Nothern Ireland:
has a nic PDF: 2nd page: learning outcomes all over the place!
Explore the positive effects of exercise on their physical and
emotional well-being, for example, use electronic and digital
recording, measuring and timing devices to measure and review
performance; develop positive self image and feelings of
enjoyment.
(Key Element: Personal Health)
Develop sportsmanship, a sense of fair play, tolerance, respect
for others and take responsibility for their decisions and
actions, for example, respond sensitively to the physical
movement contribution of others when developing group/team
sequences/games/performances.
(Key Element: Moral Character)
Explore the aesthetic quality of movement, dedication,
perseverance and strength of human spirit, for example identify
and explore a personally meaningful sporting moment or
performance.
(Key Element: Spiritual Awareness)

Participation in Physical Education enables young people to learn through movement so that they
develop, extend and refine their skills in a range of movement contexts. Physical Education should
also help young people to develop positive attitudes towards participation in physical activities in their
pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. Active, enjoyable and challenging learning experiences in this Area aim to
develop in young people:

http://www.afpe.org.uk/public/downloads/Final_Manifesto.doc:
is from Association for Physical Education:
The outcome, physical literacy, along with numeracy and literacy, is the essential basis for learners to access the whole range of competences and experiences.
[See moen’s movement literacy!]

“Learning to move” - learning the skills, techniques and understanding required for participation in physical activities, knowledge and control of one’s body and its range of and capacity for movement. The range of learning includes hand-eye coordination, coping with space, speed and distance, and knowing the “what?” and “how?” about activities, such as where and how to become involved in activity and being able to take part as performers, coaches, leaders and referees; and
“Moving to learn” - physical activity as a context for and means of learning. It involves a whole range of learning outcomes which go beyond learning how to engage in selected physical activities – social skills; managing competition and cooperation, including use of strategies and tactics; problem-solving; applying moral and aesthetic judgements; and knowing when and why different actions and behaviours are appropriate and effective, including the relationship of exercise to health and well-being.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ju18aBsu58kC&pg=PA18&dq=%22physical+education%22+%22learning+outcomes%22#v=onepage&q=%22physical%20education%22%20%22learning%20outcomes%22&f=false

breaks them down into:
aims (identify where you are going), objectives (guide how to get there), learning outcomes (enable to establish if you arrived)
learning outcomes: e.g. when players understand and can demonstrate roles of attack and defense. Key teaching points. Ensures pupils are “physically educated”.
Either: able to do, know or understand
Participation in soccer does not necessarily improve social skills. “it is essential for teams to plan, compete and evaluate together, with the teacher encouraging exploration and discussion, with the inclusion of everyone in the group in these debates” [context around activity seems most important for learning]
Good refs

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Qq-bQDSV_d4C&pg=PA147&dq=%22physical+education%22+%22learning+outcomes%22#v=onepage&q=%22physical%20education%22%20%22learning%20outcomes%22&f=false
says assessment of learning outcomes is important, but has not been done effectivbely in phys ed
1. assessment should be ongoing
2. should be authentic
3. planning what to teach=planning what to assess: called “instructional alignment”
4. assessment serves as means of holding accountable for learning and teaching: ensures pupils and teachers stay focused
“assessment does not simply measure student performance but improves it”
More than “skills test”, as it “does not take into account social dimensions of games”, out of context, not game play
e.g. tactical games lesson:
1. Confront problem
2. engage in action situation
3. reflect on actions=critical thinking
Assessment types:
1. Test
2. Q&A
3. Game performance assessment instrument
4. Monitoring and observation
5. Rubric
6. Checklist
7. Self-report or journal
Students can assess each other in turns
4 learning outcomes domains:
1. psychomotor
2. cognitive
3. behavioral and social
4. affective

psychomotor= game performance
cognitive=understand or knowing game related knowledge
behavioral and social=students’ socialization into sport
affective=teamwork, cooperation

sport citizenship

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0q6Sr2GYZVgC&pg=PA130&dq=%22physical+education%22+%22learning+outcomes%22#v=onepage&q=%22physical%20education%22%20%22learning%20outcomes%22&f=false
has 7 instructional models from Metzler

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=O30q1APs_tkC&pg=PA15&dq=%22physical+education%22+%22learning+outcomes%22#v=onepage&q=%22physical%20education%22%20%22learning%20outcomes%22&f=false
has a great section on what different philosophies mean for the curriculum

Asynchronicity

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:37:00 +0000

It appears as if asynchronicity of exertion activities (in plain English: playing a sport across different time zones) lends itself to learning. Will need to investigate more.

London Knowledge Lab Supports Research on Exertion Interfaces with Ubicomp Grand

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:30:00 +0000

Floyd received a Ubicomp Grand to work with Jennifer Sheridan and Sara Price from the Designing Tangibles for Learning project at the London Knowledge Lab on the topic of Exertion Interfaces.

The work involves a Jogging over a Distance evaluation between runners in the UK and Australia. Furthermore, the research investigations how technology can support social aspects when participating in asynchronous exertion activities, as it is believed that asynchronicity in this context can be used to contribute positively to kinesthetic literacy.

This blog will serve as notebook during this project to jot down ideas and assimilate thoughts on the topic.

Jogging over a Distance

noreply@blogger.com (Floyd) — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 08:41:00 +0000

This is the associated blog for

Jogging over a Distance

Do you enjoy jogging with others, however, your jogging partner moved away?
We encourage you to try jogging with your partner using a mobile phone and a headset, our research has shown that this can greatly contribute to a joyful jogging experience.

If you have tried running with a mobile phone, we would love to hear your comments!
Please describe your experience:

Was it as good/better/worse than you expected?
Did you jog faster/further/more often than if you would be on your own?
Did you talk most of the time/not at all?
Did the technology work flawlessly?
Would you do it again?

We are interested in your thoughts for our research on social jogging, and would use your replies for writing academic papers. Your feedback will also inform our design for an enhanced Jogging over a Distance system, as mentioned in the link above.

Thank you.