AIED 2013 Interactive Event: Enabling Vocabulary Acquisition while Providing Mobile Communication Support
Viewing Vocabulary
Web
The user can view a list of all of his or her active words.
The user can view a list of all of the vocabulary items that she or he has deleted.
Android
The detailed view of a single word.
The list view of the user's words.
Adding/Editing Vocabulary
Web
Initial word list from which vocabulary entries can be selected for editing.
Screen after clicking the Edit button for "ambulance".
The User's changes.
The Screen after clicking the Save button.
The deleted words list after deleting "andouille sausage".
The word list after the Delete button has been clicked for "andouille sausage".
The word list after clicking on the Undo button for "agnolotti".
The deleted word list after restoring "agnolotti".
To add a new word the user clicks on the Add Word + button at the top of the screen. S/he is then taken to the same screen that is used to edit words.
The user then enters the word and its accompanying information.
After clicking on the Save button the user is shown his/her new word within the context of the larger vocabulary collection.
Android
Creating a new vocabulary entry
The word Editing screen.
A new word once the user has retrieved or written the definition and added an image. This screen shows the user editing the sentence that accompanies the word.
The image that is associated with a word can be changed using the device camera, items from a library that are automatically generated using Internet-based corpora, or information retrieval techniques.
The tags or categories that words are associated with can also be edited. The tags that are associated with a vocabulary entry are used during search and to refine the vocabulary based on the user's context.
The application searches through existing tags and suggests them when you are creating a new tag association for a vocabulary entry.
The same screen after adding another tag (i.e., fruit).
When the trashcan is selected the user is first given the option of removing the tag from the individual word.
The user is then asked if they would like to completely delete the tag (i.e., remove it from all of the words with which it is associated).
Individual tags can be edited.
We allow users to edit the tag for all of the vocabulary entries with which it is associated or the individual word on which they are working.
Just-in-Time Vocabulary Support
Android
The user-requested jit vocabulary support is initiated in the same way as a search.
The screen once an automatically generated collection of vocabulary for "food" has been added. Both a tag and a collection are added
The user can then select the "food" tag as a filter and is shown all of the tags and words that are associated with "food".
The tags are shown at the top of the list and individual vocabulary items are shown below the tags.
Searching for Vocabulary
Android
User's can search through vocabulary items based on the categories to which the item belongs (i.e., tags) or just search through the words. By default, the system searches both.
The system starts searching as soon as characters are entered.
The user has the option of adding tags as filters if they come up during the search.
Once a tag filter is added, all searched items will have some association with that filter.
The user can further refine his/her search and see both the tags and words that meet the search criteria.
The user has chosen to add another tag-based filter to his/her search.
The user has completed his/her search and can only see the vocabulary entries that match the search criteria.
Synonym Recommendation
Android
The system shows the user synonym sets for items that are believed to be known or nearly known.
The user can then collapse and expand these synonym sets as s/he sees fit.
Pronunciation Modeling
Android
One of the screens from which a user can obtain a pronunciation sample.
A pronunciation sample of the word is being provided using text to speech.
The user can also hear the accompanying sentence. The audio is generated using text to speech.
The user can record another person or him/herself saying the word.
A recorded sample pronunciation is being played. This can be used in 2 ways: to listen to a native speaker or to compare their own pronunciation to that of the text to speech or another English speaker.
Users can keep multiple recordings. This allows them to see how they are progressing and can allow them to record other English speakers who may exhibit regional pronunciations of vocabulary items.
Users can delete old recordings.
Users can also hear a model of the correct pronunciation of vocabulary items from the main word list. Clicking on the speaker will initiate the text-to-speech engine. Beyond pronunciation modeling, this allows users to support their communication with others.