Juan Pablo Hourcade is an Associate Professor at the University of Iowa’s Department of Computer Science, a Fellow-in-Residence at the Obermann Center, and a member of the Delta Center. His main area of research is Human-Computer Interaction, with a focus on the design, implementation and evaluation of technologies that support creativity, collaboration and information access for a variety of users, including children and older adults.
Dr. Hourcade is in the Editorial Board of Interacting with Computers, Foundations and Trends in Human-Computer Interaction, and the International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction. He is editor of the Universal Interactions forum for interactions magazine.
The tutorial will consist of four topics: child development theories and their application to interaction design, early childhood and technology (do’s and don’ts), embodiment and technology (or how to design for positive interactions between the brain, the body, and the environment), and technology and the classroom of the future.
This portion of the tutorial will cover child development theories from the “classics” that have had a significant impact on interaction design, such as Piaget, Vygotsky, and Papert, to more recent ideas, such as neuroconstructivism and connectionism. The discussion will include concepts such as embodiment, emergence, and plasticity. Hourcade will examine how these theories can inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of technologies for children with the goal of promoting healthy development.
Presentation is found here
Developmentally sensitive design methods
By Mona Leigh Guha, Research Associate, Human-Computer Interaction Lab, University of Maryland
Presentation is found here
In this section of the tutorial, the roles that children have played in the design of new technologies will be presented. Children as users, testers, informants, and design partners will be presented.
In designing technology for children, is important to consider not only the developmental level of children for whom technology is being designed, but also the developmental level of children who participate in the design of the technology team. We will cover considerations of child development in technology design processes, as well as cover ways in which to address a variety of development levels on a given design team, including discussing strategies that work with younger children, older children, and children with special needs. We will also consider impacts that being part of a design process can have on children, including supporting creativity, communication, and problem-solving skills.
The fourth portion of the tutorial is about the future of children’s education. What will the classroom of the future look like? What roles will interactive technology play? Will games and simulations be a part of it? This portion of the tutorial will discuss successful experiences bringing interactive technology to classrooms that point to what the classroom of the future may look like.
