Synopses & Reviews
Compiled by a leading authority in the field of children's technology, this book brings together current discussions of how and why new technologies are being designed. It presents innovative methods, techniques, and ideas, making this a unique resource for developers of children's software, hardware, and multimedia products; graphic/human interface designers; and university faculty doing research in the area of children and technology.
Features
Case studies, commercial products, and academic research projectsOverview of present and future trends in computer technologies for childrenDesign practices from university and industry researchers that can aid readers in developing their own approaches to creating and using computer technologies for childrenSynopsis
Compiled by a leader in the children's technology field, this book of essays and case studies gives you direct access to the insights of many of today's most successful children's technology researchers. Inside, you'll benefit from their own unique presentations of the principles they've uncovered and the innovations for which they're responsible. This is an essential resource for developers of children's software, hardware, and multimedia products, as well as academics working on children's technology and its applications. Interface designers of all kinds also will find plenty of information they can use in their work.
Synopsis
ltimedia products; graphic/human interface designers; and university faculty doing research in the area of children and technology.
Features
Case studies, commercial products, and academic research projectsOverview of present and future trends in computer technologies for childrenDesign practices from university and industry researchers that can aid readers in developing their own approaches to creating and using computer technologies for childrenAbout the Author
Allison Druin is assistant professor at the University of Maryland, both in the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and the College of Education in the Department of Human Development. Her recent work has focused on developing-with children as her design partners-new robotic storytelling technologies. Druin is the editor of The Design of Children's Technology and coauthor of Designing Multimedia Environments for Children (John Wiley & Sons, 1996).
Table of Contents
Preface: Beginning a Discussion about Kids, Technology, and Design
Allison Druin, University of Maryland
Part I: The Design Process
Chapter 1: The Role of Usability Research in Designing Children's Computer Products
Libby Hanna, Kirsten Risden, Mary Czerwinski, Kristin J. Alexander,
Microsoft Corporation
Chapter 2: Kids as Informants: Telling us What We Didn't Know or Confirming
What We Already Knew
Mike Scaife and Yvonne Rogers, University of Sussex
Chapter 3: Children as Our Technology Design Partners
Allison Druinx, Ben Bedersonx, Angela Boltmanxx, Adrian Miuraxx, Debby
Knotts-Callahanxx, Mark Plattxxx
xUniversity of Maryland, College Park, xxUniversity of New Mexico
xxxLouisianna State University
Chapter 4: Designing Collaborative Applications for Classroom Use: The LiNC Project
Jurgen Koenemann, GMD, John M. Carroll, Clifford A. Shaffer, MaryBeth Rosson,
Marc Abrams, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Chapter 5: The Role of the Media Researcher in the Design of Children's Media
Debra Lieberman, Media Research Consultant and Visiting Lecturer, Stanford University
Chapter 6: Children as Designers, Testers, and Evaluators of Educational
Software: HCI From a Different Perspective
Yasmine B. Kafai, UCLA
Part II: The Technology of Children
Chapter 7: Constructional Design: Creating New Constructions Kits for Kids
Mitchel Resnick, MIT Media Lab, Amy Bruckman, Georgia Institute of Technology,
Fred Martin, MIT Media Lab
Chapter 8: Children as Digital Motion Picture Authors
Ronald Baecker, Ilona Posner, University of Toronto
Chapter 9: Making Programming Easier for Children
David Canfield Smith, Allen Cypher, Stagecast Software Inc.
Chapter 10: Helping Children Learn Hard Things: Computer Programming with
Familiar Objects and Actions
Ken Kahn, Animated Programs
Chapter 11: Middle Tech: Blurring the Division Between High and Low Tech in Education
Mike Eisenberg, Ann Eisenberg, University of Colorado