Our last online session was an opportunity for teams and individuals to share their game designs. The session was very interesting. It was great to see the passion that some of the students had for their projects and it was a good opportunity to get feedback on ideas. I enjoyed working with Sarah Espinosa, Dr. Peter, and Loke on the service learning project and being to share the experience with classmates through our PowerPoint.
Molokai Nui a Hina
My classmate Sarah Espinosa and I were able to travel along with our professor to Molokai for a service learning project. As part of the project we conducting a lesson on coding for elementary aged Native Hawaiian students who were taking part in a Native Hawaiian Youth Summit. The experience was amazing.
We designed the lesson to fit in with the day’s events. We wanted to reach out to the students and introduce them to Computer Science and coding in a way that made connections with traditional practices. We used a lesson on coding that made use of the idea of wayfinding on the ocean to illustrate how coding works. The students picked up on the ideas of loops and conditionals quickly. The surveys we conducted before and after the training showed us that student interest in Computer Science actually rose!
The TCC Experience
I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the many master’s students’ culminating projects. I was particularly interested in those dealing with usability because I intend to conduct a usability study for my project. For the most part, the presentations were enjoyable and the presenters were well prepared. It was easy to discern those who were comfortable with talking about their projects and those who were not. I made a mental note to never read a script when presenting and to try to engage the audience in somewhat of a dialogue.
AR in Old Places
I have a group of friends who just recently visited Rome and the surrounding areas and were impressed with the way in which technology was incorporated into visits to ancient sites. Instead of being required to download an app onto their phones and make use of it to view sites through AR, visitors were asked to use viewfinders that were issued to them. I think this is a good way to grab the visitors’ attention and keep them focused on the artifacts in front of them, not their mobile phones.
Audio Tours
I had the opportunity to experience a tour of Iolani Palace using an audio device a few weeks ago. Although the Palace offers guided tours in the mornings, the low number of volunteer docents means that they have to offer only self-guided tours in the late morning – afternoon. While the devices give more people the opportunity to tour the historic site, the overall experience isn’t very engaging. Especially when there are a large group of people with headphones on milling about. The app on the device used for the audio tours is simple to use and offers multiple languages, but the delivery of content is very dry.
The Need for Multiple Perspectives and Indigenous Cultures in Gaming
This week I am traveling to Molokai to teach an introductory class on coding to elementary level native Hawaiian students. It just so happens that the timing coincides with the Native Hawaiian Youth Summit on Molokai, so we decided to offer the class as part of the summit. We decided to frame the class within this cultural environment. We gave the class a Hawaiian title – E hoʻopāʻālua: Hoʻokele ʻana i ke Kai ʻIkepili (Letʻs Code: Wayfinding on the Sea of Data). We will also incorporate the use of Hawaiian language and ways of thinking into the class.
I recently read an article about the newest version of the game God of War and how well it incorporated Norse mythology. While I think this is a great idea, I was struck by the thought that a majority of games produced in this genre are very Eurocentric. It’s time to get more people involved in game creation that represent all types of cultures.
Apps in Museums – Tread Carefully
A couple of weeks ago I attended an informal meeting of museum educators. The theme of the meeting was the use of technology and the visitor experience. We had two presenters for the day, one of whom works at Shangri La. She was talking about a new app they are testing called Smartify. The app basically allows you to take a picture of an item at a museum that has partnered with Smartify to get detailed information about the item. While this sounds like a great idea, I was immediately struck by the thought that this just wasn’t a good fit for Shangri La.
All of the tours at Shangri La are docent-led and keep to a tight time schedule. How would it be possible to allow folks on a tour to wander around taking pictures of items in the house without affecting the dynamic of the group tour experience or the docent’s presentation? About a week or so after the tour a read an article online that addressed this issue. Museums have to be careful with the incorporation of technology into the visitor experience. Technology should not just be adopted because its the latest trend or has cutting-edge applications. Careful consideration has to be given to main reason that the museum exists – to allow the visitor to experience artifacts and items that allows for a connection with the visitor.
The Room
I don’t consider myself a game player per se, but I find The Room fascinating. The Room is a puzzle/mystery video game that was developed by Fireproof Games, a British game development company. In its original form, the game was only available in a mobile format for iOS but within the year was rolled out on the Android platform as well. In 2014 the game was released in desktop/laptop format for Microsoft Windows.
As a player, I found the introduction and tutorial to the game easy to follow. The control method was straightforward and something I was used to through the everyday use of a mobile device and a desktop computer. The GUI and audio track fit perfectly together, each helping to create an immersive environment.
Open Heritage
I’ve been a fan of Google Arts & Culture for a few years now. That’s why it was great to read about a collaborative project they are doing with an Oakland, California based non-profit called CyArk. Working together, they have posted online 3D models of 26 World Heritage locations in 18 countries. This is a great way to expose people who are interested in world heritage but are unable travel the globe to these significant places.
VR in School
Yesterday I had the opportunity to travel to Kailua-Kona with the Hawaii State Supreme Court to conduct an oral argument at Kealakehe High School as part of our Courts in the Community program. After the oral argument, we had lunch in the school library with local bar attorneys and council members. One of the first things I noticed when I entered the library was how forward thinking it was. Most of the space was devoted to computer terminals for student use with books on shelves along the perimeter walls. Another thing I noticed was that the school had installed an oculus rift for student use.
It was great to see the school making an effort to expose students to VR technology. I think it is important to provide access to such technology to students who might not otherwise have the financial means to experience it.
LTEC Journey 