Task 14: Final reflections

During the course I have had different kind of emotions about the assignments and so did the results vary. Maybe my misunderstood of how the whole course would look like, not knowing when there will be tasks posts and what are the reply's that the course leaders are looking for had involvement in results!? At least I'm very glad that the hosts of the course understood our workload and queries about the assignment dates and after each week we had more days to post our replys and the requirements got bit clearer.

I liked the tasks like "creating a study plan" that needed to think about a schema and assignment about re-design of some activity. I wish I had chance to take part of the meeting where components of interactive systems with Piratpad where composed. Actually I think that all tasks should be something similar like this by using various online communication tools and experimenting with new interactive environments.

I have to be honest that from the topic and Subject descriptions (pdf) I was hoping to be introduced 20-30 new interactive environments. What are their pros and cons, which are the future trends etc. By experimenting on these new environments and discussing about future trends we could have proposed extra functions or our own new interactive environments. Subject description pointed out "Students will examine how users interact in more and more interrelated media such as: interactive television, mobile phones, wireless ambient technology, GPS (Satellite Navigation) and interactive advertising." Right now just Piratepad and Flashmeeting where not familiar to me…

Maybe for next years I would suggest to use forums for posting and getting replys of assignments. In that case everyone could get familiar with the others posts and argumentation of topics could lead to wider sharing of ideas.

A groupwork is always the best way to learn and put theory into practice. This should be more mandatory than just an option.

Best of luck for coming years!

Task 13: Redesigning and re-instrumentalising activities

I will propose two activities and small redesign of the ideas. One is rather entertaining and the other more practical but they both use Google translator as the platform of the activities.

Google translator for making music

Google translator is a tool to make translations from one language to another.

Some guys have found out that there is possible to make music with the google translator. You might want to try to translate from German to German. One example text could be like this: "tkk ck tkk bsk bssk bsk bsk bssk bsk bsk bsk bsk bssk bsk bsk bsk bssk bsk bsk bcccccccc". While you hit the play button it makes a music that is called "beatboxing". It's a kind of music where rhythms, drums and beats are being made by using human mouth, lips, tongue and voice.

Different languages could be tested for incompatibility if they are good enough to make beatbox music. Those languages could be put into one website specially custom for music lover. With adding new functions such as changing the speed of the translation or making repetitions of it there could be formed new level of beatboxing. If it has a special website produced this sort of musicians community could grow and there could be made singing battles.

Google translator for better learning language

For the second activity lets take again simple google translator. We all know that for some languages it is very useful and could give precise reply's but how to use the tool better for learning languages. At the moment you could view either the original page or translated page by clicking radio button. It's rather hard to know the meaning of some exact word when there is long texts.

Instead with a rollover of right click one could instantly see options for word translation and by clicking the option there could be made sound sample of pronunciation. Under settings one could make a selection if the sound of word translation could be played first or just the word translation could be show. The first option could be quite useful specially for the blind people where voice navigation make everyday surfing the web easier.

Reference:

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/11/google-translate-beatboxing/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatboxing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLN63bRcY5I

Task 11: our components versus components of activity theory

Are in Pirateapad all necessary components for analyzing and describing interactive systems? What components seem irrelevant?

The list seems to be more than complete. Maybe just few components may have the same purpose like actors and participants or isn’ Project manager a participant? So I would put project manager under participants or actors dependency and add facilitators, tutors etc. The relevance and highlight of the components seem to vary depending on the tasks.

Currently we have a long list of components, which can be definitely shorten. How would you do that? do what degree the list of components is concurrent with the components of the activity theory framework?

It depends on what is the purpose of shortening of the components? When we take the example of the activity theory framework purposed in a research where we find common ground with the components in piratepad assignment. Rules are mentioned in piratepad but maybe should have been defined more specifically which aspects are considered as rules. Definitions related to time(timeframe, star, end etc.), limitations, restrictions should go under rules. So have been mentioned community consisting actors and participants, division of labour consisting project managers and tools consisting of methodology, software and modeling. Also are pointed out subject as actor and object as result with aims/goals.

Are there components which are not covered by the activity theory framework, but the activity theory framework could benefit from?

Activity theory seems to cover all the mentioned components just in a bit smaller contexts. Good points to be pointed out from piratepad are learnability of how the participants should learn from the interactive system and workmanship as a way of using creativity while doing the tasks/activities, which could be benefited in the activity theory framework.