Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
specifi c goal, such as removing certain elements from the scene, revealing that they
understood the functioning of the underlying system and that they were able to
subvert its rules.
The sharing of the input devices gave children equal control of their perfor-
mance being another strong motivating factor. Children often verbalised that it was
more fun to use the tools with their peers, and when creating stories together, they
built on each other's contribution. These joint activities generated fun, ideas,
experimentation, change of experiences and sometimes discussion, which in turn
generated refl ection over their actions. According to Fischer and Shipman (
2011
)
“Environments that support the interaction of different skilled participants, encour-
aging “all voices to be heard” and combining different perspectives are a potential
source for learning” (cited in Eagle
2012
: 48). Eagle adds to this that the extent to
which the artefact is capable of promoting social interactions and an active,
engaged, participation with the learning subject is decisive (Eagle
2012
). The
importance of the social environment and the benefi ts of collaborative learning
environments have long been acknowledged (Bruner
1966
; Eagle
2012
; Lave and
Wenger
1991
; Vygotsky
1978
).
Further, touching and manipulating the tangible objects, whether the TOK or
t-words blocks, gave children a sense of ownership over their creations, acting as an
additional motivational factor (Buur and Soendergaard
2000
).
12.7
Conclusions
While it is still diffi cult to measure creativity, it seems consensual that longitudinal
studies with active users in real world settings are a valid method to gain valuable
insights about how the tools impact users in the long term (Yarosh et al.
2011
: 143)
and which features are relevant for triggering creativity (Resnick et al.
2005
).
Research has emphasised the importance of developing tools that encourage authen-
tic, creative and meaningful opportunities for learning (Plowman et al.
2012
;
Yelland
1999
; Van Scoter
2008
). Indeed, although technology has the potential to
create experiences that go beyond what is possible in the real world, nonetheless
technology is useless if it does not meet children's needs (Van Scoter
2008
). It is by
creating that people become creative (Resnick et al.
2005
).
While t-words gives children absolute freedom to create their own personalised
content, focusing on the audio component, TOK is like a stage where children take
over multiple roles, becoming authors, directors, scripters, performers and narrators,
thus creating multiple layers of interaction (Sylla et al.
2014
; Wright
2007
). The
versatility of tangible interfaces and their appropriateness for carrying child-centred
activities, fostering exploratory and collaborative tasks, indeed show their potential
for supporting a new paradigm, shifting from an instructional towards an explor-
atory model, where the use of well-designed technology can open up a space where
active intrinsic learning may take place.
