Los Angeles, CA (June 21, 2012) /PRWEB/ — SMALLab Learning LLC will be in San Diego, CA for the 33rd annual ISTE Conference to unveil more innovative content designed for learning with physical movements and gestures. Several new modules will be launched at ISTE and the company is highlighting its Simple Machines curriculum. This Gates Foundation funded content instructs middle school students in how gears and levers operate. The innovative Flow system is paired with a Microsoft KINECT sensor allowing students to manipulate images and sounds with hand gestures. The system includes teacher-created guides, assessment, and vibrant, collaborative game play. SMALLab Learning will be demonstrating these new scenarios at booth #2042.
“For decades science teachers have searched for better hands-on tools and ways to integrate technology into their classrooms. Flow marries technology with hands-on learning! Now there is no need for a pen or a mouse when using a whiteboard, a simple rotation of the hand makes the gears move,” says Colleen Megowan-Romanowicz, a physics teacher for over 27 years.
SMALLab Learning continues to be the leader in embodied learning experiences for the classroom. All scenarios are designed to increase learning by mapping physical movements and gesture to the content to be learned. Flow brings embodied learning to any existing interactive whiteboard or projection surface using Microsoft’s Kinect motion-capture camera technology. Flow is designed to get students playfully engaged while learning.
The scenarios cover a broad range of K-12 topics including physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, English language arts, and the performing arts. SMALLab Learning maintains an open-source software development kit that allows students, teachers, and 3rd party developers to create new scenarios. All content is designed in accordance with the Common Core State Standards with an emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) education.
In addition, the company offers a larger installation called SMALLab that uses 12 motion-capture cameras to track students’ locomotion and movements. For example, in the Constant Velocity Scenario, students can hear how pitch and acceleration relate, they can see graphs change in real time, and feel how their movements affect the feedback.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) will be holding their annual conference June 24 through June 27, 2012 at the San Diego Convention Center. “Expanding Horizons” is the theme for this year’s conference and exposition. ISTE expects 18,000 educators, tech coordinators, teacher educators, administrators, and industry and government representatives at the world’s most comprehensive education technology event.
What is Embodied Learning?
Embodied learning is an emerging field that blends human computer interaction with learning sciences. Cognitive scientists have discovered compelling evidence that most language and cognition is grounded in a bodily experience. This suggests that embodied, physical activities can lead to more effective learning. Embodied learning has the potential to transform K-12 learning in schools, museums, and community centers.
About SMALLab Learning
SMALLab Learning is advancing embodied learning in schools, museums, libraries, and the home. Embodied learning is kinesthetic, collaborative, and multimodal, enabling students to learn in new ways that integrate physical action with digital media. The company offers a suite of products that have been demonstrated effective. SMALLab Learning LLC emerges from over six years of research conducted at the Arizona State University School of Arts, Media and Engineering in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts with funding from the National Science Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Gates Foundation, Intel Research, and the Kauffman Foundation. For more information, please visit http://smallablearning.com/research.
