top qx - everyone can learn anytime and anywhere

8/13/2019 TOP QX - Everyone can learn anytime and anywhere.

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TOP QXEVERYONE CAN LEARN ANYTIME, ANYWHERE

CORREIA, SecundinoInnovation Department

Cnotinfor, Imagina

Coimbra, Portugal

[email protected]

QUINTELA, Maria Armanda

Innovation and Training Department

Cnotinfor, Imagina

Coimbra, Portugal

[email protected]

CORREIA, PatrciaInnovation and Training Department

Cnotinfor, Imagina

Coimbra, Portugal

[email protected]

MACHADO, Nuno

Development Department

Cnotinfor, Imagina

Coimbra, Portugal

[email protected]

AbstractTraditionally educational software was developed for

Windows, MAC or Linux and, typically, was installed in the computer

from a CD. This paradigm is to be depleted by the wide spread of

mobile devices and by the way users access and interact with

software and contents. TOP QX project looks for solutions to these

problems, developing a set of libraries to speed up the development

of a new generation of educational software (serious funny games)

that will work transparently to the user in any platform (PC, smart

phone, tablet), anytime, anywhere and in any language, keeping the

consistency and the memory of the past interactions

(migration/synchronization) through the mediation of a virtual

companion/tutor, taking advantage of all the potential of Web 2.0,

but continuing to work, when it fails.

Keywords mobile devices, apps, HTML 5, serious games,

educational software

I. !"#$%&$TOP QX project is based in Open Source software and in

libraries and frameworks that will be used to create a new setof educational software based on the model of Serious Funny

Games.

There are already libraries and tools with similar features,

but they have some problems:

Closed commercial solutions, so the project isattached to a technology that can or not evolutes,

Opened commercial solutions, but with extremely

high licensing prices,

Solutions that require a big effort for the installationand maintenance of dedicated servers, instead of using Cloud

Services, to minimize cost and maintenance,

Specific solutions for some platforms.

The use of Cloud Services has several advantages, as themaintenance and cost are low when compared to the use of adedicated server or even a virtual private server. Also the

performance is much better, as the allocated computing

resources can increase or decrease with the use.

Data synchronization between devices has always been atrue challenge and currently we didnt find any library thatallows easy synchronization between devices, using CloudServices and easy users management. There aresynchronization solutions in the Cloud, but the end user mustcreate an account in those services (and some of them are

paid). Some examples are iCloud, DropBox, Rackspace CloudDrive, Jungle Drive, Sky Drive, Google Drive.

Libraries are being developed to work in any platform andto use Cloud Services as a connection link between devices fordata synchronization, sharing and storage. There are alreadysome libraries with similar features using open sourcesoftware, Funambol Forge, for example, but they do not useCloud Services and are focused and designed for ERP and

CRM markets (Fornari, 2009) [1].

The libraries being developed are in a public repository(GitHub), under a LGPL license, which allows their use inopen source projects, as well as in commercial ones. Librariesare based in other libraries and OpenSource frameworks, such

as Qt, Ogre3D and Cocos 2D.

Other component of the project is the development ofvirtual companions, following the European project LIREC.From LIREC project, there were several studies and librariesavailable in OpenSource repositories that can be accessed inthe project's website http://lirec.eu. This project was finishedin the middle of 2012, with the presentation of its results at

Cebit exhibition, in Hanover.

Cnotinfor has been involved in the research anddevelopment process of tools for creating and migrating


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virtual companions. However these tools were developed towork in controlled environments. We want to reuse them in

large scale and in any context.

This project is structuring and innovative, as it will allowdeveloping educational software aligned with futuredevelopment trends and ready for global market (namely

Portuguese speaking countries).

From commercial point of view, the main goal of theproject is to increase the share of exports to more than 50% in2014, and with increasing growth in Portuguese speakingcountries, namely Brazil, but also in the market for Englishand Spanish languages. We also intend that games and onlinelearning platforms for adults and seniors represent an

increasing share in total turnover.

II. (##")*$+)% ,%*$-.%/Traditionally educational and training software was

developed for a specific operating system to be installed in ahard disc computer or to run from a CD. Lately more web

based educational games were offered, working theoreticallyin any machine within a browser and Internet connection.

The project intends to create educational tools to:

1. Work in several platforms, Windows, MAC, iOS,Android and Linux, without specific commitments in the

interface level;

2. Share and migrate data using web 2.0;

3. Automatically adjust to different devices in what

concerns screen resolution and technical features;

4. Use quick development libraries created and

available in Open Source LGPL;

5. Integrate emotional virtual companions;

6. Keep working offline this is important when the

permanent Internet connection is not guaranteed;

7. Keep data integrity and memory of previousinteractions in a clear and transparent way for the user, when

changing from device and/or platform;

8. Allow intuitive and transparent share between users;

9. Take care of ethical and security issues.

Several of these features already exist, but are isolated.The innovative challenge is to integrate them in the same

product in an intuitive and transparent way for the user.

III. 0%$1"2"3"45To think, plan and develop digital educational resources

(educational software and serious funny games) impliesknowledge of the needs, expectations and characteristics of theaudience you are targeting and also an outreached work with

end users in all stages of the process.

In TOP QX project we started with a market analysis and asubsequent comparative study. This process is normally called

Benchmarking and has as main purpose to improve thebusiness performance and achieve superiority over the

remaining supply in the market.

After Benchmarking study and evaluation of the relevanceof developing a particular resource/tool, we implemented astructured questionnaire survey to understand the real needs of

the end user and meet their expectations.

Finally we used the case study, approached by severalauthors, such as Yin (2005) [2] and Stake (2005) [3]. For thesea case can be something very defined and concrete, as a

person or a group of professionals, but can also be somethingless defined or defined in a more abstract way, such as a

program or set of programs, implementation processes or othercategory that refers for a unit of analysis. It is alwaysnecessary to predict three sequential procedures in the study:define the case to study; the choice of a single case or multiplecases; and the further development of a theoretical problem

justifying the protocol of collecting empirical data and how to

analyse the collected data.

IV. 6-$7"8%/A. Vox4all, one of the first outcomes

Vox4all (available in iTunes Store, Google Play andImagina on-line store) is an app for individuals withComplex Communication Needs (CCN), which main goal is toovercome and minimize communication problems, promotingthe development of communication, language and literacy of

these individuals.

Figure 1 Vox4all home screen (Portuguese version)

and grid example (English version)


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This app is based on the principle of communication grids,consisting of cells divided into rows and columns. Initially weimplemented some basic features, such as the possibility of

building cells with symbols or images captured with thedevices camera, as well as the possibility of recording soundsand put them in the cells. Whenever you tap a certain cell, you

can hear the sound and you may open a new grid.

However, when observing and testing the app with CCNusers, therapists and family, we understood that new importantfeatures should be tested and implemented. We should havethe basic communication system and increase its featurestaking into account research, experience and observation ofreal and particular cases. In some situations, these newfeatures will make it easier to use the equipment by CCNusers, such as the possibility of setting the activation time of acells content when the user has trouble in controlling hismovements. In other situations, the main objective is make iteasier the process of the creation of new communication grids

by the professional or the parents. Mainly the goal is that thecustomization and adaptation of communication grids can bealmost effortless and very, very easy, so the person building

new grids and contents does not get discouraged. This is veryimportant, as the system cannot be restricted and must answerthe real needs of its user. So we felt that including only photoscaptured directly from the camera was too limitative, as therewas no access to the available files and photos stored in thedevice. Therefore we thought it was important to implement

the feature of using files already on the device.

Through observation, we saw that another importantfeature was text to speech. In some cases, recorded voice bythe closer people to the CCN user can be stimulating, but inother situations it is completely irrelevant or can be adistraction. So text to speech must be an available option, as itgives the chance for the user to have a more versatile voice,

ready to communicate for him. These were some of thefeatures tested until now.

Currently research points to several directions, but there isone remaining major issue in CCN world: human-machineinteraction. Touch screen and corresponding actions (swipe,scroll, drag, and pinch) are the starting point for some users,

but for others they are a factor of exclusion (Light andMcNaughton, 2012) [4]. The access to current mobile devicesfor people with sensory and motor disabilities still does nothave a satisfactory solution in mobile world (AAC-RERC,2011) [5]. The big challenge is to provide access solutions thatattend universal design principles, but not forgetting themobility of these devices, as this is their major advantage.

Besides there is another important problem being studied: it isa fact that for most CCN individuals tablets and smart phonesare very appealing and fascinating; however observationduring different sessions revealed that some individuals withmore severe and profound disturbances ignore or even fearthese devices. For these individuals, the devices must offersomething that satisfies them so they can start to interact,

before learning new things.

B. Master of Resuscitation prototypeMaster of Resuscitation is a serious game aiming to train

current and future medical professionals to deal properly withsituations of cardiac arrest. Cnotinfor is developing this

project in partnership with Stand Clear.

The player is the team leader of nurses and doctors and hasthe responsibility of saving a patients life. The game takes

place in the resuscitation room of the Central Hospital.The game is being developed for the main mobile

platforms (Android and Apple) and for the Web, allowing itsaccess using any device with Internet access. The game willsynchronize all the devices the player uses to install and playthe game. As soon as the device is connected to the server, the

player can continue the game in the device he is using at the

moment.

Another important goal is to have one member of the

medical team acting as a virtual companion.

Figure 2 Master of Resuscitation Prototype Resuscitation

room

The technology being used for this development has beenquite a challenge, because of the limitations presented byrecent HTML5 and different devices. These limitations makeus develop two projects aside, one for the Web using HTML5and another for devices (mobile and desktop) using Cocos2d-x

framework.

We are using JavaScript language for the game engine, to

integrate it in both projects, enabling the streamline of thedevelopment process.

In the future, we intend to overcome these limitations, sowe can have only one project for the Web and different

devices, decreasing the development curve of new projects.


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V. 9."4.*88+#4 3*#4-*4%/A. Cocos2d-x

Cocos2d-x is a game engine coming from Cocos2d-iPhoneand it consists in expanding the supported platforms, withmultiple choice of programming languages that share the sameAPI allowing deploying on all major Operating Systems like

Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS and other.

B. HTML 5HTML5 is a W3C specification that defines the fifth major

revision of HyperText Markup Language (HTML). One of thebiggest changes in HTML5 is the way HTML approachesWeb applications. Other new resources for HTML5 includespecific functions for including graphics, audio, video and

interactive documents.

C. JavascriptJust like Java, this is a programming language that can be

integrated in default HTML pages. It is mainly used to create

interactive and dynamic Web pages.

!"#$%&'("#The challenge of developing mobile and multi-platform

digital educational resources is complex, from thetechnological point of view, starting by the dilemma of usingspecial libraries able to compile the code for several operatingsystems or using HTML5. We found that there are alwayshardware peculiarities that make this task much more complexin practice than in theory. There is often the need to createdifferent code for certain features more hardware dependent,

which increases the difficulty and complexity of maintaining

versions for several Operating Systems.

On the other hand the migration from desktop model toapps in mobile devices is a complex and longstanding processthat involves a new design for technologies and an intenseresearch work. So it is crucial to work with multidisciplinaryteams and integrate different kinds of end users in the severalstages of the process of developing, testing and evaluating, in

an iterative process of co-design.

*$+#",%-./0-#1'

TOP QX project is financed by Imagina and byPrograma Operacional Regional do Centro: CENTRO-07-

0202- FEDER-022839

2-3-4-#$-'

[1] Fornari, Stefano Funambol Mobile Open Source. 2009 Accessed in5/1/2013, inhttp://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1823180&coll=DL&dl=GUIDE&CFI

D=42535614&CFTOKEN=11642375

[2] Yin R K (ed). Introducing the world of education. A case study reader.Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. 2005

[3] Stake R E. Investigacin con estudio de casos. Madrid: Morata, traduodo original de 1995, The art of case study research, Sage Publications.2005

[4] Light J & McNaughton D. Supporting the Communication, Language,and Literacy Development of Children with Complex CommunicationNeeds: State of the Science and Future Research Priorities, Assistive

Technology: The Official Journal of RESNA, 24:1, 34-44 2012.

[5] Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on CommunicationEnhancement (AAC-RERC). Mobile Devices and Communication

Apps: An AAC-RERC White Paper.2011 Retrieved March 14, 2011from http://aacrerc.psu.edu/index.php/pages/show/id/46

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