Dissertation by Meagan Rothschild
Children construct meaning through their play spaces not only by employing the cultural represent... more Children construct meaning through their play spaces not only by employing the cultural representations of toys, games, video programming, or other forms of transmedia storytelling, but by becoming active participants in the process of play. Media use is ubiquitous in early childhood, and when used within developmentally appropriate frameworks, can effectively promote learning and development for young children. This has been demonstrated extensively through television and games research. As new technologies have evolved that allow television audiences to move into the role of active physical participant, researchers and product developers are interested in the ways children demonstrate learning through their experiences with these newer technologies. This research began as an exploratory study to identify themes and connections between bidirectional television viewing and children’s meaning-making through participation with an episode of Kinect Sesame Street TV.
The introductory analysis provided the data to investigate more deeply around questions that probe the nature of social mediation through joint media engagement, as parents and caregivers engaged with the child participant during the episode. A study postmortem also provides a detailed reflection on the design process and interaction outcomes of playfully situated assessment activities, applying the implications of the outcomes to not just media evaluation research, but to assessment development for early learners.
The study of participant experiences in this research, including the analysis of how participants talk about their play experiences and how designed media elements present in child narratives, researchers, developers, and educators can gain insight into design issues and potential opportunities for learning and improve the quality of interactive multimedia products that support digital literacies, content exploration, and discovery. The outcomes from this and future studies can continue to inform design, from specific recommendations on interactions to broader design for learning questions, such as how activities move a participant towards meaning-making, how activities and practices empower participants to make larger connections beyond the product, and given what we know and are continuing to learn about the ways children learn through and engage with their mediated narrative experiences, how products can serve as a catalyst for deeper engagement and creative expression.
Papers by Meagan Rothschild
Translational IDC
Interaction Design and Children, 2021
This workshop aims to bring together IDC authors, academic researchers, and industry practitioner... more This workshop aims to bring together IDC authors, academic researchers, and industry practitioners to collaborate in identifying translation practices to reduce IDC's research-practice gap. To achieve this, we will (1) share successes and challenges in translational IDC research, (2) explore current IDC authors’ practices and needs to share their evidence-based research with practitioners, and (3) derive ideas with and feedback from IDC authors with hands-on activities and lightweight processes to translate their IDC research to meet the needs of industry practitioners who work on children's media and technologies. This workshop will bring together IDC community members with practitioners in industry to envision and develop pathways to a sustainable process to share IDC research.
Two-way play
Microsoft Studios recently released Kinect Sesame Street TV, a new form of viewership for televis... more Microsoft Studios recently released Kinect Sesame Street TV, a new form of viewership for television that merges traditional means of watching episodes with game-like physical actions via the Xbox and Kinect. This paper presents an overview and early findings of an initial pilot study that took place during my research internship at Microsoft Research where I investigated how ideas of embodied cognition and comprehension could be leveraged to understand the experiences of young viewers, and explore the ways in which bidirectional television can facilitate new meaning-making. The data from this pilot study provides the corpus from which I ask additional research questions for my dissertation. The new questions qualitatively probe the ways participants demonstrated conceptual understanding, roles of co-viewing in embodied programming and knowledge performance, and issues in developing mediated assessments for early learners.
Massively Multiplayer Online Games as Spaces for Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning
Global Perspectives on Gameful and Playful Teaching and Learning, 2020
Metacognition, or the ability to be consciously and intentionally aware of one's thinking and... more Metacognition, or the ability to be consciously and intentionally aware of one's thinking and the ways in which one's thinking impacts one's learning, has been shown in the research to be a critical component of learners' abilities to learn effectively. One area of research on metacognition has focused on the role of metacognition in video games, specifically in massively multiplayer online games, known as MMOs. Through examples of metacognition in a popular video game such as World of Warcraft or in Adventure Academy, a new educational MMO for children ages 8–13 years old, this chapter highlights the ways in which MMOs can act as spaces that support the development of metacognitive behaviors through the components of planning, monitoring, control, and evaluation, toward improving learning overall.
Adaptive Instructional Systems. Design and Evaluation, 2021
This paper examines the role of participatory codesign in the creation of parent, teacher, and ad... more This paper examines the role of participatory codesign in the creation of parent, teacher, and administrator dashboards for a game-based adaptive instructional system designed to teach math to young children. Taking a learning engineering approach, our team of researchers, curriculum specialists, and UX designers engaged in an iterative design process with six primary school teachers and 4 school administrators with the goal of understanding the appropriateness and effectiveness of the dashboards for different role types. Using ongoing interviews and a participatory codesign workshop, we engaged with teachers and administrators over several months and worked with them to understand how the dashboards could serve and be used by role types at varying levels (parent, teacher, principal, administrator, superintendent). We found that the effectiveness and appropriateness of the dashboard stemmed from its ability to communicate information across systems, like allowing teachers to communicate with parents on how to help their child, allowing principals to check-in on teachers on student progress, and allowing superintendents to review school-wide learning goals with principals. In sum, the participatory codesign process was highly successful, leading to a rich understanding of how the dashboards can be better designed to connect information across systems to better serve different role types.
An Ambient and Pervasive Personalized Learning Ecosystem: "Smart Learning" in the Age of the Internet of Things
Despite recent advances in technology, personalized learning to address diverse needs of students... more Despite recent advances in technology, personalized learning to address diverse needs of students remains difficult to achieve at scale. With the availability and affordability of smart devices in the era of the Internet of Things, learners, parents, and educators are more “connected” than ever before. Education stakeholders and technology developers can leverage these advances to collect data about, inform, deliver, and improve education for all learners. In this paper, we review the core components of a Smart Learning framework and describe a personalized mastery-based learning system that leverages the framework to deliver personalized learning at scale. In the context of Smart Learning in the Internet of Things, we propose an Ambient and Pervasive Personalized Learning Ecosystem (APPLE), a learner-centered approach that uses Bloom’s Four Agents of Change in the Internet of Things ecosystem to provide learners a comprehensive and personalized learning experience. This ecosystem u...
Smartphones and other mobile devices like the iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, and iPad have boosted... more Smartphones and other mobile devices like the iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, and iPad have boosted educators’ interest in using mobile media for education. Applications from games to augmented reality are thriving in research settings, and in some cases schools and universities, but relatively little is known about how such devices may be used for effective learning. This article discusses the selection and potential use of electronic games, simulations and augmented reality in mobile learning supported by an operational model called AIDLET. After analyzing the different approaches to the use of digital technology and games in education, and discussing their benefits and shortcomings, a framework was developed to facilitate the selection, repurposing, design and implementation of games, simulations and augmented reality, with focus on the practical aspects of the processes used in mobile learning. It is apparent that these devices for learning are valued by students and teachers alike, and that they may be used as personalized devices for amplifying learning, specifically through amplifying access to information, social networks, and ability to participate in the world. Furthermore, whereas traditional learning is based on knowledge memorization and the completion of carefully graded assignments, today, games, simulations and virtual environments turn out to be safe platforms for trial and error experimentation, i.e. learning by doing or playing. In this context, the AIDLET model was set out and verified against a taxonomy representing the main categories and genres of games, and the article concludes with implications for how teachers, instructional designers and technologists might best capitalize on the affordances of mobile devices when designing for blended learning and e-learning courses.
Mathematics Education in the Digital Era, 2015
The ability to count objects is a crucial skill for young children. We report on an experimental ... more The ability to count objects is a crucial skill for young children. We report on an experimental study that utilized a Kinect Sesame Street TV intervention designed to support two types of counting activities. We conducted quantitative, as well as open-coding based analyses, on video data with three-and four-year-olds. The complexity of interactive digital media contexts for mathematical learning is unpacked with the assistance of literature from the fields of mathematics education and cognitive science. We conclude by making recommendations for interactive educational design in general.
Two-way play
Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children - IDC '13, 2013
International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies, 2000
Smartphones and other mobile devices like the iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, and iPad have boosted... more Smartphones and other mobile devices like the iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, and iPad have boosted educators' interest in using mobile media for education. Applications from games to augmented reality are thriving in research settings, and in some cases schools and universities, but relatively little is known about how such devices may be used for effective learning. This article discusses the selection and potential use of electronic games, simulations and augmented reality in mobile learning supported by an operational model called AIDLET. After analyzing the different approaches to the use of digital technology and games in education, and discussing their benefits and shortcomings, a framework was developed to facilitate the selection, repurposing, design and implementation of games, simulations and augmented reality, with focus on the practical aspects of the processes used in mobile learning. It is apparent that these devices for learning are valued by students and teachers alike, and that they may be used as personalized devices for amplifying learning, specifically through amplifying access to information, social networks, and ability to participate in the world. Furthermore, whereas traditional learning is based on knowledge memorization and the completion of carefully graded assignments, today, games, simulations and virtual environments turn out to be safe platforms for trial and error experimentation, i.e. learning by doing or playing. In this context, the AIDLET model was set out and verified against a taxonomy representing the main categories and genres of games, and the article concludes with implications for how teachers, instructional designers and technologists might best capitalize on the affordances of mobile devices when designing for blended learning and e-learning courses.
Microsoft Studios has recently released Kinect Sesame Street TV, a new form of media for televisi... more Microsoft Studios has recently released Kinect Sesame Street TV, a new form of media for television that merges traditional means of watching episodes with game like physical actions via the Xbox and Kinect. This paper presents an overview and early findings of an initial study that investigated how ideas of embodied cognition and comprehension can be leveraged to understand the experiences of three and four year old participants, and explore the ways in which bidirectional television can facilitate new meaning-making. Early research took place at Microsoft Research in Redmond, WA, and analysis is continuing at [removed for blind review]. The findings inform the development and design of other interactive television products and programs for early learners. The presentation also breaks down directions for future analysis, showing how initial findings illustrated a need for deeper research and analysis in the nuanced ways young children learn and demonstrate knowledge.
The underrepresentation of women working as programmers and computer scientists in the technology... more The underrepresentation of women working as programmers and computer scientists in the technology industry is an issue of great concern for stakeholders in both industry and education. Recent computer science enrollment statistics suggest that the gender gap is actually increasing (Goode, 2008). In 2012 Game Developer Magazine reported that just four percent of programmers in the games industry are women (Miller, 2013) and in 2013, there were three US states in which not one single female student took the AP Computer Science exam, though many of those states had very few students of either gender take the course (Ericson, 2013). Research on this topic reveals myriad reasons for these disparities—from technology placement and habits of use in homes to differences in how boys and girls tend to play and tinker with technologies to the ways in which parents and teachers talk
with children and teens about technology and media (Margolis & Fisher, 2002; Goode, 2008). Even when women do “make it” and obtain computer science related jobs in technology fields, surveys and research suggest that many women find these jobs conflicting their values and family lives, leading many women to seek other career directions (International Game Developers Association, 2004; Consalvo, 2008). This trend suggests a need for additional empirical research on the experiences and trajectories of women at varying stages of their careers in technology and computer science.
editors. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Summary: "This book considers the ... more editors. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Summary: "This book considers the many uses of games and simulations, focusing specifically on their use in organizational and educational settings and providing perspectives on gaming for distance learning, gaming for rehabilitation, business simulators, and motivational games, this publication explores new and emerging trends in this ever-evolving area of research"--Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-1-60960-569-8 (hardcover) --ISBN 978-1-60960-570-4 (ebook) 1.
This paper will tie principles of good game design to principles of learning. It will describe th... more This paper will tie principles of good game design to principles of learning. It will describe their impact on the instructional design model of JUMP Into Reading for Meaning (JUMP) and address the core issue of how JUMP uses game design and learning principles to create an educational game that engages students in learning.
Conference Presentations by Meagan Rothschild
IDC ’19: Proceedings of the 18th ACM International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, 2019
Continuing with the recommendation system progress presented at the 2018 KidRec Workshop, Age of ... more Continuing with the recommendation system progress presented at the 2018 KidRec Workshop, Age of Learning product, design, and research leaders are expanding their work on recommendation systems to include conversation across three different products: ABCmouse, Mastering Math, and ReadingIQ. Authors present a description of ways in which a "just right" system for one product may differ from that of another product, depending on the learning and experience goals of the particular platform. Products are evaluated in their current states and in light of future plans based on scales of dynamic content presentation, perceptions of a personalized user experience, and availability of content from which children can choose.
Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on Interaction Design and Children Trondheim, Norway — June 19 - 22, 2018, 2018
Designers and curriculum specialists at Age of Learning, Inc. are enhancing the current content s... more Designers and curriculum specialists at Age of Learning, Inc. are enhancing the current content strategy for flagship product ABCmouse.com. With an activity base of over nine thousand activities and growing, specialists from the fields of user experience, research, engineering, and analytics have come together to tackle the pragmatic questions around design, automation, metric, and experience, as well as broader philosophical/pedagogical questions around agency, learning, and user profiling.
Bi-directional television, programs that engage viewers through physical responsiveness, provides... more Bi-directional television, programs that engage viewers through physical responsiveness, provides a new medium for joint media engagement that incorporates in-room contexts. This could hold promise for younger learners, particularly as children’s media research has demonstrated how intergenerational screen time and instructive mediation can result in positive outcomes. This case study investigates the experiences of two children and their caregivers as they engage with an episode of Kinect Sesame Street Television. The findings demonstrate that meaningful interaction between a caregiver and child are supported by (though not a requirement for) physically interactive designs. In addition, the study shows that as young viewers gain expertise in this genre, instructive mediation may be initiated by the adult OR child.
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Dissertation by Meagan Rothschild
The introductory analysis provided the data to investigate more deeply around questions that probe the nature of social mediation through joint media engagement, as parents and caregivers engaged with the child participant during the episode. A study postmortem also provides a detailed reflection on the design process and interaction outcomes of playfully situated assessment activities, applying the implications of the outcomes to not just media evaluation research, but to assessment development for early learners.
The study of participant experiences in this research, including the analysis of how participants talk about their play experiences and how designed media elements present in child narratives, researchers, developers, and educators can gain insight into design issues and potential opportunities for learning and improve the quality of interactive multimedia products that support digital literacies, content exploration, and discovery. The outcomes from this and future studies can continue to inform design, from specific recommendations on interactions to broader design for learning questions, such as how activities move a participant towards meaning-making, how activities and practices empower participants to make larger connections beyond the product, and given what we know and are continuing to learn about the ways children learn through and engage with their mediated narrative experiences, how products can serve as a catalyst for deeper engagement and creative expression.
Papers by Meagan Rothschild
with children and teens about technology and media (Margolis & Fisher, 2002; Goode, 2008). Even when women do “make it” and obtain computer science related jobs in technology fields, surveys and research suggest that many women find these jobs conflicting their values and family lives, leading many women to seek other career directions (International Game Developers Association, 2004; Consalvo, 2008). This trend suggests a need for additional empirical research on the experiences and trajectories of women at varying stages of their careers in technology and computer science.
Conference Presentations by Meagan Rothschild