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Designing mobile technologies to support co-present collaboration

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Abstract

Mobile technologies offer new opportunities for children’s educational activities in that they can be used across different locations and times. Naturally, some instances of mobile technology use will necessitate, or be enhanced by, the sharing of information. Social interaction is important for sharing ideas, constructing and shaping understanding and fundamental for educational development. However the physical size of mobile technologies presents interesting challenges when designing for collaborative activities. When designing mobile technologies the importance of collaborative tasks has often been overlooked. The replacement of low-tech artefacts with digital devices, for supporting multiple users, can inhibit the shareability of information. We present three projects where mobile technologies have been used as part of a larger mixed reality experience. Novel technologies were used to support children’s collaborative activities in storytelling, an adventure game and during an outdoor field trip. Interaction with mobile devices within each project is reviewed and the authors highlight important considerations for their design and use across multiple contexts.

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Acknowledgements

The projects described in this paper are the result of teamwork involving a large number of researchers in design, technology development and evaluation across multiple sites. We gratefully acknowledge all contributions that supported these studies. The KidStory project was funded by ESPRIT (#29310). The Equator IRC is funded by EPSRC. We would also like to thank our collaborating schools, teachers, children and parents, who have been crucial in supporting this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Virtual Reality Applications Team, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

    Helen Cole

  2. School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, Wollaton Road, Nottingham, NG8 1BB, UK

    Danaë Stanton

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  1. Helen Cole
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  2. Danaë Stanton
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Correspondence to Danaë Stanton.

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Cole, H., Stanton, D. Designing mobile technologies to support co-present collaboration. Pers Ubiquit Comput 7, 365–371 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-003-0249-4

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