Dr Kirsten Ellis

Dr Kirsten Ellis has a creative and technical background and has experience in designing, developing and evaluating systems for people with unique requirements. Her research interests include human computer interaction and how technology can create a more inclusive society. She had developed multiple resources using a variety of technologies including on the Nintendo DS lite, iPad, iPhone, Android and the Microsoft Kinect. She also plays with maker technologies including eTextiles to make creative pieces and artefacts to assist people. In addition, she also researches innovative technologies to create tangible objects as authentic learning experiences.

Making for All

Dr Kirsten Ellis is involved with creating a variety of activities to engage everyone, no matter what their abilities are, in STEM Making. By redesigning activities we can make it possible for everyone to engage in the making process. The items use off the shelf technology that are hacked, modified and used in different ways to facilitate activities that show the creative and fun side to technology that is then of interest to a more diverse range of users and developers.

Australian Sign Language

Dr Kirsten Ellis researches teaching sign language to hearing people so that they can interact with deaf people in a common language that is fully accessible to all participants and she has designed and developed multiple resources to enable this. Kirsten has conducted research in how the use a whole range of technologies to improve the learning experience and learning outcomes.

Attention Training Games

She was part of a team that conducted research on the potential for using touch technologies for improving the attention of children with developmental disabilities.

Young Children and Technology

Kirsten Ellis has researched two year old children using technology in terms of behavior, interaction style and concentration span. This work has tracked how new technologies are making computer accessible to even the youngest members of the community.

Digital Health

Kirsten is currently undertaking research on how to utilise the distributed nature of the internet to facilitate large scale medical projects. These project deal with the collection and distribution of information in a medical context that has not been previously possible.