Hands-on Symmetry with Augmented Reality on Paper

Computers have been trying to make their way into education, because they can allow learners to manipulate abstract notions and explore problem spaces easily. However, even with the tremendous potential of computers in education, their integration into formal learning has had limited success. This may be due to the fact that computer interfaces completely rupture the existing tools and curricula. We propose paper interfaces as a solution. Paper interfaces can be manipulated and annotated yet still maintain the processing power and dynamic displays of computers. We focus on geometry, which allows us to fully harness these two interaction modalities: for example, cutting a complex paper shape into simpler forms shows how to compute an area. We use a camera-projector system to project information on pieces of paper detected with a 2D barcode. We developed and experimented with several activities based on this system for geometry learning, however, we focus our presentation on one activity addressing symmetry. This activity is based on a sheet where a part of its content is scanned, and then reprojected according to one or more symmetry axes. Such a sheet is used to illustrate, in real time, how a symmetric drawing is constructed. Anything in the input area can be reflected: ink paper shapes, or physical objects. We show how the augmented sheets provide an easy solution for teachers to develop their own augmented reality activities by reporting on the collaboration with three teachers. These teachers successfully used the activities in their classes, integrating them in the normal course of their teaching. We also relate how paper interfaces let pupils express their creativity while working on geometry.

Paper Interfaces: an HCI Approach to Geometry Education

Quentin Bonnard

Paper interfaces are an alternative for controlling a computer. Typically, users interact with pieces of paper which are detected by a camera and augmented with relevant information by a projector. The development of paper interfaces, historically, aimed at merging digital and physical versions of documents, enabling to transparently work on one or the other. Furthermore, in the new era of natural interaction techniques, the special affordances of paper can be of great value as a basis for tangible interaction and Augmented Reality: digital objects, linked to paper artefacts, can be manipulated by folding, cutting, orienting, etc. In the context of classroom technologies, paper interfaces are especially appropriated, because paper is integrated and ubiquitous in the school environment and learning processes. Students and teachers are familiar with its properties and know how to interact with it. The goal of this dissertation is to explore the possibilities of using paper as a support for the learning content and more importantly as a tangible body. We focus on geometry education at primary school, because it is a domain where these two aspects of paper can be extensively exploited: pupils can write formulas or draw figures, and they can also move cardboard shapes, or fold along symmetry axes. We designed five series of pedagogical activities: classifying quadrilaterals, mastering the protractor, communicating angles, exploring symmetries, and describing physical transformations with geometrical concepts. These activities are experimented in increasingly valid settings, such that the last series took place in regular classrooms. We also developed methods to analyse the learning activity happening during these experimentations. Our studies revealed important insights on paper interfaces and their application in classroom education. The variety of collaborative scripts that could be created shows the flexibility of paper as a material for building user interfaces that support pedagogical designs. Such flexibility can be further exploited to enable teachers to create their own pedagogical Augmented Reality applications. We also observed many examples of uses that were not intended in the original design, which we refer to as “creative appropriation”. As a result, our paper interfaces were integrated in the everyday conditions of the classroom, used intuitively by the pupils, and managed autonomously by the teachers.

EPFL2012

Paper Interfaces for Learning Geometry

Quentin Bonnard, Pierre Dillenbourg, Frédéric Kaplan, Himanshu Verma

Paper interfaces offer tremendous possibilities for geometry education in primary schools. Existing computer interfaces designed to learn geometry do not consider the integration of conventional school tools, which form the part of the curriculum. Moreover, most of computer tools are designed specifically for individual learning, some propose group activities, but most disregard classroom-level learning, thus impeding their adoption. We present an augmented reality based tabletop system with interface elements made of paper that addresses these issues. It integrates conventional geometry tools seamlessly into the activity and it enables group and classroom-level learning. In order to evaluate our system, we conducted an exploratory user study based on three learning activities: classifying quadrilaterals, discovering the protractor and describing angles. We observed how paper interfaces can be easily adopted into the traditional classroom practices.

2012

The Complementarity of Tangible and Paper Interfaces in Tabletop Environments for Collaborative Learning

Guillaume Zufferey

The current trend in Human-Computer Interaction aims at bridging the gap between the digital and the real world, exploring novel ways to engage users with computational devices. Computers take new forms that are better integrated into our environment and can be embedded in buildings, furniture or clothes. Novel forms of interfaces take advantage of people's intuitive knowledge of everyday objects to offer more direct and natural interactions. Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) allow users to interact with digital objects through tangible artifacts, building on their rich physical affordances. Paper User Interfaces (PUIs) add digital capabilities to paper documents, synchronizing for instance their content with their digital counterpart. Unique properties of paper are also used to create engaging and intuitive interfaces to computer applications. This dissertation is interested in the complementarity of tangible and paper interfaces in tabletop environments. We introduce the concept of Tangible and Paper Environments (TaPEs) where Interactive Paper Forms (IPFs), a particular type of PUIs based on the paper form metaphor, are used as a complementary interface to a TUI. We evaluate the potential of IPFs to overcome two main shortcomings of TUIs, in terms of scalability and pedagogy. The scalability issue comes from the limited expressiveness of task-specific physical artifacts, which offer rich physical affordances but limit the complexity of applications that can be controlled by a TUI. The pedagogy issue is raised by the lack of consistent evidence regarding the use of physical manipulatives in educational settings, which is one of the main application domain of TUIs. IPFs overcome the scalability issue by offering a set of generic interaction elements that allow TaPEs to cope with applications of any complexity. In a pedagogical setting, IPFs present learners with abstract representation which facilitate understanding by the embodied and concrete representations offered by tangible artifacts. A TaPE, the Tinker Environment, has been developed with two logistics teachers in the context of the Swiss vocational training system. It consists of a warehouse physical small-scale model (TUI) and TinkerSheets, our implementation of IPFs. It aims at helping apprentices understand theoretical concepts presented at schools. We followed a Design-based Research (DBR) approach: ten studies were conducted during the development of the Tinker Environment in authentic classroom settings. Controlled experiments were conducted to address specific questions. v The general research questions concern the respective affordances of paper and tangible components of TaPEs. The analysis is not limited to usability aspects but also considers their impact on group problem-solving activities and their potential in terms of integration of the system in its context of use. A descriptive model is proposed, built around three interaction circles: individual (usability), group (collaboration) and context (integration). Results identify design guidelines that limit the impact of the less direct interaction modality offered by IPFs, allowing TaPEs to overcome the scalability issue while supporting rich interactions. At the group level, observations of groups of apprentices solving problems around the Tinker Environment show that the consistent physical interaction modality offered by TaPEs naturally supports collaborative interactions. Apprentices tend to take implicit roles based on their location around the system. Regarding the context circle, we observed that carefully designed IPFs play the role of bridges between offline and online activities and contribute to a tight integration of the system in a its context (i.e. a classroom). The specific research questions address the potential of the Tinker Environment in this pedagogical context and its appropriation by teachers. The observations conducted with the Tinker Environment show that the warehouse small-scale model reduces the complexity of problems and allows apprentices to engage in meaningful problem-solving activities. Controlled experiments comparing a TUI to a mulitouch interface demonstrate that tangible artifacts lead to a higher learning gain and an increased performance in a problem-solving activity. Collaboration quality and perceived playfulness are also improved. The teacher plays a central role in the use of the environment, guiding apprentices through activities and encouraging reflections during debriefing sessions. The design of IPFs, emphasizing either their interface or document nature, has a strong influence on their ability to support teachers. We finally discuss the two-way adaptation process that took place between teachers and the system during the development of the Tinker Environment.