The literacy fieldtrip: using UbiComp to support children's creative writing

  • Authors:

  • John Halloran;Eva Hornecker;Geraldine Fitzpatrick;Mark Weal;David Millard;Danius Michaelides;Don Cruickshank;David De Roure

  • Affiliations:

  • Coventry University, UK and University of Sussex, UK;University of Canterbury, NZ and University of Sussex, UK;University of Sussex, UK;University of Southampton, UK;University of Southampton, UK;University of Southampton, UK;University of Southampton, UK;University of Southampton, UK

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 2006 conference on Interaction design and children
  • Year:
  • 2006

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Abstract

Fieldtrips, traditionally associated with science, history and geography teaching, have long been used to support children's learning by allowing them to engage with environments first-hand. Recently, ubiquitous computing (UbiComp) has been used to enhance fieldtrips in these educational areas by augmenting environments with a range of instruments, devices and sensors. However, the sorts of interaction design that UbiComp makes possible have the potential not just to enhance the value of educational techniques in known application areas, but also to expand the application of those techniques into new areas of curriculum. We report on a UbiComp-supported fieldtrip to support creative writing, associated with the learning of literacy skills. We discuss how the fieldtrip, designed and run in the grounds of a historic English country house with Year 5 UK schoolchildren, engendered interactions which changed both the processes and products of creative writing, with benefits for both teachers and children.