by edwin.lang -

Enhancing Exhibits with Physical Objects

The Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab is focused on using technology to support creative learning and playful expression. One of their main research areas is based on a constructivism-based approach, an educational theory that emphasizes the role of active learning and experimentation in the learning process. This approach is one of the key elements that make Lifelong Kindergarten projects accessible and easy to use for people of all ages.

While the Lifelong Kindergarten group’s work is primarily focused on how technology can be used to support creative learning and playful expression, it also overlaps with the field of tangible user interfaces (TUIs). TUIs are a type of user interface that uses physical objects or devices to control and interact with digital information or systems. This can include interactive tables and walls or physical objects such as buttons, knobs, and other controls that can be manipulated by the user.

MIT Media Lab edited by Edwin Lang

Museums and science centers are increasingly incorporating TUIs into their exhibits to enhance the visitor experience. By using physical objects to control digital information and systems, visitors can engage with the exhibit in a more intuitive and natural way. For example, an exhibit about physical forces could be build with a TUI that allows visitors to explore different forces and motion by moving physical objects on a table and visualizing the effects.

Hiroshi Ishii (2008)

One of the key aspects of TUIs is the use of physical objects to control digital information and systems. This is something that the Lifelong Kindergarten group’s approach also involves, as it is based on constructivism, which emphasizes the role of active learning and experimentation in the learning process. This approach makes learning and digital interaction more accessible and tangible, especially for children and others.

References:

interactions: experiences, people technology; Volume XIX.1 2012
Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play; Mitchel Resnick; 2018
https://tangible.media.mit.edu/vision/
https://courses.media.mit.edu/2015fall/mas834/index.html

by edwin.lang -

Defining my vision – a short essay

Hands-on exhibits are interactive experiences that are designed to engage visitors and facilitate learning through exploration and experimentation. These exhibits can be found in museums, science centers, and other educational settings and often use a variety of technologies, such as computer displays, sensors and robotics to create interactive experiences.

In my opinion, one approach to designing and implementing hands-on exhibits is the principle of Lifelong Kindergarten, developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten group from the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This approach is based on the idea that learning is most effective when it is an active process of constructing knowledge instead of a passive process of receiving information. The principle of Lifelong Kindergarten emphasizes hands-on, experiential learning, and encourages learners to actively construct their own understanding of new concepts and ideas through exploration, experimentation, and problem-solving. Mitch Resnick who is leading the Lifelong Kindergarten group says that school and the rest of life should become more like Froebel’s kindergarten – driven by what he calls the “Four Ps”: Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play. More details of his theory can be found in his book called Lifelong Kindergarten, Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play and maybe I will write a separate blog post on his principles in the future.[1][2][3]

In the context of hands-on exhibits, the principle of Lifelong Kindergarten can be used to design interactive experiences that are engaging and effective in making learning more fun and exciting. This might involve using technologies such as openFrameworks, Processing, Unity3D or vvvv – toolkits and programs that can be used to create interactive media and visualizations. [4][5][6]

Another related concept is the philosophy of serious games, which refers to the use of games and game-like approaches for the purposes beyond entertainment. In the context of hands-on exhibits, this philosophy can be used to create interactive exhibits that use game-like elements to teach specific concepts, engage visitors in problem-solving or decision-making activities. [7]

In my opinion the principles of Lifelong Kindergarten from MIT and the philosophy of serious games can be combined and a useful approach when designing and implementing hands-on exhibits. Especially in the context of science, technology and society, which I want to focus on, one can develop exhibits that are engaging and effective for playful learning to raise awareness and explain complex problems, difficult to talk about.

References:

[1] Lifelong Kindergarten, Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play; Mitchel Resnick MIT Media Lab; 2017

[2] Experience And Education; John Dewey; 1997

[3] Tüftel Akademie – Fortbildungstag IV (https://bildungsserver.berlin-brandenburg.de/fileadmin/bbb/themen/Medienbildung/Schulorganisation/praesentation__scratch-robotik_junge-tueftlerinnen.pdf)

[4] https://processing.org/

[5] https://openframeworks.cc/

[6] https://visualprogramming.net/

[7] https://klimakommunikation.klimafakten.de/showtime/kapitel-13-du-musst-nicht-immer-reden-spiele-kunst-literatur-und-humor/