As intelligent environments become more focused on supporting human activity, we see a growing need for the computer to ascertain users’ location and activity, be it for face detection, gesture recognition, or even simple tracking. To support such applications, a robust tracking algorithm is required. A camera tracking algorithm for a pan and tilt camera is proposed, that is robust to moderatel...

This study details the initial development of the Responsive Environmental Assessment for Classroom Teachers (REACT). REACT was developed as a questionnaire to evaluate student perceptions of the classroom teaching environment. Researchers engaged in an iterative process to develop, field test, and analyze student responses on 100 rating-scale items. Participants included 1,465 middle school st...

This chapter addresses the complex question of what makes a classroom environment motivating. It will be argued that in order to understand the psychological tapestry of classroom life, we need to adopt an interdisciplinary approach and draw on research findings from a number of different areas within the social sciences, such as group dynamics, motivational psychology, educational studies, and...

This paper describes the potential use of a mobile phone Short Message Service (SMS) crossword puzzle system to promote interaction through learning activities in a large classroom environment. While personal response systems (PRS) have been used in the classroom environment to foster interaction, it is not an ideal tool with respect to cost and functionality. These limitations prompted the nee...

Teaching is one of the most important factors affecting any education system. Many research efforts have been conducted to facilitate the presentation modes used by instructors in classrooms as well as provide means for students to review lectures through web browsers. Other studies have been made to provide acoustical design recommendations for classrooms like room size and reverberation times...

This paper reports on a how pre-service teacher use of an online classroom simulation (ClassSim) supplemented existing practicum experiences and contributed to the development of their emerging professional identity. ClassSim was developed to provide pre-service teachers with a safe virtual environment in which they can explore ‘authentic’ and practical classroom scenarios. Users were able to a...

This paper outlines the design and evaluation of the Digital Classroom Application Framework (DeCAF). DeCAF is designed to provide an environment upon which multimedia applications for the classroom can be developed and evaluated. With the inclusion of multimedia in the modern digital classroom comes new paradigms for teaching. Also, the combination of the Internet and multimedia allow digital ...