Big Brother Goes To School
By Helen Potter
Celebrity Big Brother has only just started and we're sick sick of it already, so it comes as a bit of a shock that a Chinese researcher is helping to test out a real life version that may aid e-learning.
Liping Shen has travelled from Shanghai Jiao Tong University to live in the iDorm2 - a fully furnished hi-tech apartment in the University of Essex. For the past three months she has been testing how new home technologies can improve the standard of home schooling.
One of the gadgets she used was a digital picture frame that allowed her to see images of her husband and son at home in China, who can share the images via another digital frame.
Liping has also been researching the use of emotion detection technology developed at the University of Essex. The X-vest or emotion jacket has been used to explore the links between emotional state, measured using heart rate, blood pressure and skin resistance, and learning ability.
Liping explained: 'In a traditional classroom, teachers are able to recognise the emotional status of their students and respond in ways that positively impact on learning. With remote learners, emotion information is missing."
It is hoped that improved understanding of students' emotional states would enable personalised learning services and allow online teachers to adjust their teaching style in real time.
In the future Big Brother may not only be watching you, but will also be interested in how you feel about that.
Find out about Helen and read more of her articles here.
If you like this, then check out these similiar articles:
- Watchout - Big Brother's in your brain
- Bizarre - Please don't feed the humans
- Unreal - The loo you'd never leave
- Cool - Top gadgets for 2008
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Liping Shen has travelled from Shanghai Jiao Tong University to live in the iDorm2 - a fully furnished hi-tech apartment in the University of Essex. For the past three months she has been testing how new home technologies can improve the standard of home schooling.
One of the gadgets she used was a digital picture frame that allowed her to see images of her husband and son at home in China, who can share the images via another digital frame.
Liping has also been researching the use of emotion detection technology developed at the University of Essex. The X-vest or emotion jacket has been used to explore the links between emotional state, measured using heart rate, blood pressure and skin resistance, and learning ability.
Liping explained: 'In a traditional classroom, teachers are able to recognise the emotional status of their students and respond in ways that positively impact on learning. With remote learners, emotion information is missing."
It is hoped that improved understanding of students' emotional states would enable personalised learning services and allow online teachers to adjust their teaching style in real time.
In the future Big Brother may not only be watching you, but will also be interested in how you feel about that.
Find out about Helen and read more of her articles here.
If you like this, then check out these similiar articles:
- Watchout - Big Brother's in your brain
- Bizarre - Please don't feed the humans
- Unreal - The loo you'd never leave
- Cool - Top gadgets for 2008
For regular Null updates why not join our newsletter? Sign up here
Image: Christopher Rayan
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