Auslan Anywhere (Nintendo DS)
The aim of this research project was to explore the potential for using a cheap portable dual screen, mobile games console to enhance learning of sign language. A fully functional Australian Sign Language (Auslan) vocabulary learning game was designed and built for a Nintendo DS Lite console (DS). A labyrinth style game that utilises people exploratory behaviour was developed to present Auslan vocabulary and check sign recognition. The game was designed for parents of deaf children and other children who use sign language because of communication difficulties.
There were a number of principles that guided in the design and development of Auslan Anywhere. The aim was to produce a game for learning rather than a more traditional drill and practice system that used text lists in order to make the learning process less dry. The second principle was that a mobile technology would be targeted as it would enable learning anywhere and anytime. Using technology was considered particularly useful to teaching fathers of deaf children sign language. The third principle was to utilise users inherent curiosity to assist them to engage in learning sign language. In particular Auslan Anywhere was designed to foster exploratory behaviour.
On entering the games the user is placed in the home zone and they have to complete the quizzes in the home zone to unlock the outside zone, which then needs to be completed to move on to the school zone. The first zone is home including the kitchen, food, bathroom, bedroom, cloths and lounge room. The second theme is outside, including the garden, park, places, transport, farm and zoo animals. The third theme is school including the classroom, black board and sports shed. These themes target signs that are useful as an initial vocabulary to learn in Auslan. The user has to find all of the objects within the image on the lower screen, a video is played on the upper screen. When the objects are found the learner takes a quiz and needs to get 50% correct to move to unlock the next screen.
The learner is only able to see a section of the image at a time. It is displayed on the the lower screen and can be dragged around to revealed different sections. For each screen there are between 15 and 25 object to find. The a counter indicates how many objects have been found from all of the possible objects.There are three areas on the map: My home, outside and school. Each are has approximatly nine places to explore. The areas on the map change color to indicate their status.
In previous research three distinct interaction styles, which emerged when children were learning signs from their Auslan vocabulary instruction software. Children were very consistent in adopting one behavioural style. The first group was labeled the Imitators. This group responded to the software as intended by the designer, watching the presenters making the signs, imitating the presenters and trying to make the signs for themselves. The second group was named the Observers. This group watched the screen but made no attempt to make the signs and did not interact with the software in any way. The third group was labeled the Explorers. This group continuously clicked on the elements on the screen discovering how the interface responded to their interactions. A typical Explorer would make over 140 mouse selections in a ten minute session, in contrast with the other two groups who typically made three to five mouse selections during the same time frame.
In two separate experiments of kindergarten children it was found that the Explorers learned marginally more signs than Imitators and significantly more signs than Watchers. This finding supported constructivist learning theories which posit that children should be active in the learning process and require the opportunity to interact with their environment to order to learn. Auslan Anywhere was designed to utilise the active nature of exploring an environment to find the sign that need to be learned and thus increase the engagement of the users to enhance learning.
Collaborators
Deaf Children Australia
Funding
Auslan Anywhere (2011) Telematic Trust
Nintendo Purchases (2011) Collier Charitable Trust
Links
Publications
None