scholarly journals Using Design of Location-Based Augmented Reality Experiences to Engage Art-Oriented Girls in Technology and Science

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathlyn Davis Stylinski ◽  
Amy Kamarainen ◽  
Martin Storksdieck ◽  
David Gagnon ◽  
Ruth Kermish-Allen ◽  
...  

Taking part in creating location-based augmented reality (LBAR) experiences that focus on communication, art and design could serve as an entry point for art-oriented girls and young women towards career pathways in computer science and information communication technology. This conceptual paper presents our theory-based approach and subsequent application, as well as lessons learned informed by team discussions and reflections. We built an LBAR program entitled AR Girls on four foundational principles: stealth science (embedding science in familiar appealing experiences), place-based education (situating learning in one’s own community), non-hierarchical design (collaborations where both adults and youth generate content), and learning through design (engaging in design, not just play). To translate these principles into practice, we centered the program around the theme of art by forming partnerships with small community art organizations and positioning LBAR as an art-based communication medium. We found that LBAR lends itself to an interdisciplinary approach that blends technology, art, science and communication. We believe our approach helped girls make connections to their existing interests and build soft skills such as leadership and interpersonal communication as they designed local environmentally-focused LBAR walking tours. Our “use-modify-create” approach provided first-hand experiences with the AR software early on, and thus supported the girls and their art educators in designing and showcasing their walking tours. Unfortunately, the four foundational principles introduced considerable complexity to AR Girls, which impacted recruitment and retention, and at times overwhelmed the art educators who co-led the program. To position AR Girls for long-term success, we simplified the program approach and implementation, including switching to a more user-friendly AR software; reducing logistical challenges of location-based design and play; narrowing the topic addressed by the girls design; and making the involvement of community partners optional. Overall, our initial work was instrumental in understanding how to translate theoretical considerations for learning in out-of-school settings into an LBAR program aimed at achieving multiple complementary outcomes for participating girls. Ultimately, we achieved better scalability by simplifying AR Girls both conceptually and practically. The lessons learned from AR Girls can inform others using LBAR for education and youth development programming.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Voice ◽  
◽  
Thomas Howe ◽  
Heather L. Petcovic

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-22
Author(s):  
Lill Tove Fredriksen

Various means for levels of hinting at things or making allusions in the interaction between people are part of traditional Sámi knowledge and communication, aesthetics and interpersonal communication. A reading of the novel trilogy Árbbolaččat ( The Heirs) (1997–2005), written by the Sámi novelist Jovnna-Ánde Vest, shows how the use of hinting and allusions is depicted as birgengoansta (coping skills), an essential art to master in the life of a small community, as a way to deliver a message in a softer tone rather than saying things directly and as a way to avoid conflicts. I especially emphasize the contextual part of the yoik tradition (the ancient Sámi chanting tradition) and how it has functioned as a social device in the Sámi community. It explains the individual’s place within the community, and what people’s worldview and life philosophy tell us about life in a small Sámi village.


Author(s):  
Patrick O’Shea ◽  
Rebecca Mitchell ◽  
Catherine Johnston ◽  
Chris Dede

Utilizing GPS-enabled handheld computing units, we have developed and studied Augmented Reality (AR) curricula to help middle-school students learn literacy and math. In AR, students move around an outdoor physical environment, interacting with virtual characters and artifacts on their handheld computer. These “invisible” objects and characters provide clues to help solve a mystery, guiding the students through a process of inquiry and evidence-building. The first AR curriculum we developed, Alien Contact!, is based on a scenario where aliens have crash landed near the students’ middle school. Students, working in teams, learn math and literacy skills in the course of determining why the aliens have come to earth. This study describes the design heuristics used during the initial development and deployment of Alien Contact!, the results of two formative evaluations of this curriculum, and the impact these findings have had on revising our design heuristics for a subsequent AR curriculum about beached whales, called Gray Anatomy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-119
Author(s):  
Christine Ann Mondor ◽  
Nicolas Azel

This article proposes that designers and planners can better manage wicked problems by developing a strategic alignment of computational technology with a theory of change. Together with an understanding of the most effective places to intervene in a system, designers’ informed use of technology enables them to orchestrate community action and leverage large-scale environmental change. Aligning technology with a theory of change deepens the relevance of computational tools and suggests that technologies or tools that augment one’s ability to perceive, understand relevance, or prioritize raise the potential for action; technologies or tools that aggregate information on collective beliefs or actions help to build a community of concern; and technologies that elevate community capacity and create a sense of identity can contribute to the long-term transformation of values. Through a case study, this article demonstrates a nested approach to computation, which enhances public awareness and enables action in a small community which is trying to manage an extra-territorial problem of air quality. This article also proposes that while computational tools have extended the reach and effectiveness of advocacy, designers should continue to push for expanded application. By aggregating lessons learned from technological networks, such as the emerging clean air network described in this article, we can add another socio-ecological dimension to the practices of landscape and urbanism.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Weichelt ◽  
Aaron Yoder ◽  
Casper Bendixsen ◽  
Matthew Pilz ◽  
Gerald Minor ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 74-99
Author(s):  
Clare Ignatowski ◽  
Rachel Blum ◽  
Pia Saunders Campbell ◽  
Ricardo Perez-Pineda

In recent years the international youth development field has increasingly acknowledged that purposeful action at the systems level is critical for achieving positive outcomes for youth, sustainably, equitably, and at scale. In 2018 a group of international organizations formed the Youth Systems Collaborative, a community of practice whose aim is to promote international learning on youth systems change efforts. Building from the collective learning of this group, this paper offers a framework for understanding how widespread and sustained positive youth development outcomes can be achieved in low- and middle-income countries. Five enablers that advance systems change are presented: stakeholder collaboration; vision and goals; systems mapping; data, evaluation, and learning; and capacity development, as well as 4 domains within which system change occurs: policies, services and practices, norms and mindsets, and resource flows. Each of these 9 dimensions is illustrated with lessons learned from both U.S. and international youth systems change efforts. The paper concludes with a call to action for diverse system actors to apply these lessons as they support youth to reach their full potential.


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