Assignment 11 - Jeff Hoehl

Task

Michael Eisenberg: "Mindstuff: Educational Technology Beyond the Computer"

Post one question about the paper including a rationale why you find your questions interesting and important!

How do mobile devices fit into the world of "transitional objects" and tangible computing?

Mobile computing is blurring many of the conventional lines between tangible and classical computing in very unexpected ways. As new phones come equipped with touch interfaces, accelerometers, compasses and GPS their ability to be aware of their environment is increased as well as their ability to be physically interacted with. For example, shaking a phone, walking into another room, or being physically close to a friend can provide input to the phone that it can now dynamically respond to. These new technological features have the potential to create very interesting possibilities if combined with craft technologies in symbiotic ways. The ways in which mobile technologies can support education and creativity still seems to be lacking in research but contains a wealth of possibilities.