CHINESE LANGUAGE MOBILE APPS using Arisgames
BACKGROUND why a Chinese language app?
RESEARCH
Mobile App research in the Education Books on Media Changing Education with Participatory Design Introducing ARIS Games Researching Food Researching Culture Researching Situational Vocabulary
SKETCHES FINALIZING
Draft of submission for the Games + Learning + Society 9.0 conference to be held in Madison, WI in June 2013 Designing the game vs. Playing the game: an attempt to explore the definition of winning. Abstract This experiment has been designed to initially explore and eventually evaluate the quality of learning experienced by students who authored learning modules for their peers vs. consuming material authored by an instructor or other primary content author. Projects using the ARIS platform to create immersive language tutorials in Chinese, Japanese, French and Spanish, would be developed and by students with the results being compared with students using traditional language labs. All students are working on material that is part of a General Education required course, not a course in the major. While the tutorials or “mods” being generated could be components to create a standalone game which will allow future students to explore the material in a traditional gaming vernacular, this project is exploring whether the process of designing experiences requires the students to become familiar enough with the material to award competency for the GenEd requirement. “When we play a game we learn about our own patterns and out own styles through the game, and oftentimes we try on new kinds of ways of seeing the world or ways of acting in the world that I think surprise us and give us an opportunity to reflect on how we interact in life.” (Macklin, 2012) Keywords: Measuring Game Impacts, Emerging design research methods, Games for Learning, Game design.
Tara Sripunvoraskul Cary Staples Jicheun D Li
BACKGROUND
Why a Chinese language app? For me, as a design student, I struggled with trying to learn Chinese concurrent with my design work. I’m part Thai, Laotian, and Chinese. I’ve always been around the Thai/ Laotian language but I had hoped to learn Chinese for my grandparents and we would consistently send notes to each other in Chinese. On my last note, I realized I was starting to forget characters one by one as my design major took over my time and focus. In the Chinese classes, I found being in the real world and being in the classrooms had two different scenarios. In the classroom, we learned a lot of great vocabulary and the basics. Understanding the foundations of the basics is important, but I found it hard to actually implement the language in the real world when trying to participate in deeper discussions or having a conversation with my Chinese friends. I found writing out characters proved to be easier than speaking. I believe participation in a language app and interacting with classmates can help future students studying Chinese to be better and more efficient when communicating in the real world. This app can make studying fun for students and can help the Chinese teachers see what the students are doing outside of the classroom. Students are looking for new ways to learn and new forms of communication as it can aid in student engagement and retention. Mobile apps and current technology brings in current news, current real time information that matters to students and provides a bridge for them to learn a language in context
Photos from Chinatown trips in Thailand 2011
the emails sent throughout the years with Chinese conflicting
My grandfather’s letter sent this year Xiaomei, I received your letter for me on Feb.3. I am very glad that I read your first Chinese letter in Thailand. Xiaomei, I should say that Chinese and Chinese letter are hard at beginning. After you begin well, you can further easily. Xiaomei, you can watch Channel “CCTV international” in US. Many foreigners did it before, and they have learned quickly how to say Chinese and sing Chinese songs. I hope your second letter will be better. Grandfather Feb.4
My reply to his letter
RESEARCH Mobile App research in the Education What is Transmedia Storytelling? http://nextrends.swissnexsanfrancisco.org/adventures-in-transmedia/ “Transmedia storytelling represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ideally, each medium makes its own unique contribution to the unfolding of the story.” http://mobilecomputing.umassd.wikispaces.net/file/view/Establishing_a_Mobile_Presence_ Developing_Applications_and_Assessing_Student_Demand_ulc.pdf • A strong institutional mobile presence can aid institutions in recruiting prospective students, promoting student retention and engagement, and increasing the institution’s profile. • Student web developers possess a familiarity with students’ needs for mobile applications and have played a key role in developing applications at several contact universities. • Several contacts stress the extent to which a mobile presence is necessary for institutions who want to remain on the cutting edge of technology. http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/singapore07/procs/oliver.pdf Using mobile technologies to support learning in large on campus university classes http://www.mobl21.com/blog/tag/department-of-education-statistics/ An experiment conducted by the National Taiwan Normal University indicated that mobile learning improves students’ ability to connect the dots between mathematical theories and practical problem solving, as well as their attitude towards learning math. http://gylo.com/WhitePaper_03302010_Stats1.pdf Case Studies: Cellphonometry: Can Kids Really Learn Math From Smart phones? http://www.fastcompany.com/1400889/cellphonometry-can-kids-really-learn-math-smartphones Top universities using Mobile apps Purdue - http://www.itap.purdue.edu/studio/ USC - http://blog.educationonline.com/2012/mobile-app-for-higher-education-usc/
Books on Media Changing Education with Participatory Design
Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture, Where Old And New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press, 2008. Print. Henry Jenkins discusses consumers involvement in being more mainstream, in crowd source art forms and teaching students how to use technology to serve the culture instead of using it as a distraction. It looks at the past forms and gives examples of optimistic future ways. Jenkins, Henry. Confronting The Challenges Of Participatory Culture, Media Education For The 21st Century. The MIT Press, 2011. Print. Students using media to do work in new forms include opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, development of skills useful in the modern workplace, and a more empowered conception of citizenship. Some argue that young people pick up these key skills and competencies on their own by interacting with popular culture and requires a systemic approach to media education by creating “situations� to further the learning Armstrong, Helen. Participate . Princeton Architectural Press , 2011. Print. The authors discuss how designers can lead the new breed of widely distributed amateur creatives rather than be overrun by them. DPC challenges designers to transform audiences into users, and completed layouts into open-ended systems. By using case studies, critical essays, and interviews with leading designers in the field, the author leads the reader into a conversation about amateurs being able to create new models and ideas to our culture. Delwiche, Adam. The Participatory Cultures Handbook. Routledge, 2012. Print. Can be found through books.google.com Adam Delwiche addresses functions of teaching with collective strategies will encourage collaborative learning. Balsamo, Anne. Designing Culture: The Technological Imagination at Work. Raleigh: Duke University Press Books, 2011. Print. The author describes the springing of technological innovation. She writes on her crossdisciplinary teaching at USC an calls for new practices. She uses literary studies and design to talk about the social nature. Designing Culture is a manifesto for transforming educational programs and developing learning strategies adequate to the task of inspiring culturally attuned technological imaginations.
INTRODUCING ARIS GAMES
http://three.umfglobal.org/resources/1857/ARIS-themanual.pdf
Reading the ARIS games manual is helpful as an introduction. It gives the basic idea on how it works and also a little on how to get started. Most of the time, I had to google my problems and searched in the ARIS games forum, where there were hundreds of people using this as a template and figuring out the code and issues that came up. Some screens below on what the editor looks like. It can be a confusing at first, but after playing with it, I’m more proficient at it and can easily help anyone to learn how to use it.
Above: screenshot of ARIS editor
How can I use a QR code?? By searching and searching and communicating with other people. “here are two ways I would suggest doing it: 1. Create a “plaque” that gives you visual control of the screen for some message (“Congrats! You found the....”) and also gives the player 1 tooth item. 2. Simply create a tooth item - no plaque Either way, drag the plaque or item to the map to assign it a location and QR code. 1. Create an object (“one shiny molar”) 2. Put the molar on the game map. 3. Modify the Location of the molar on the game map, and click on Image Matching 4. Add Media > Upload New > (choose QR code image) > Choose File > Save and Close 5. Click Hidden under Modify the Location (the tooth should not be visible on the game map, as the players are essentially running around one floor of the Waterman building looking for QR codes) 6. Change Quantity to -1 (many players will need to stumble across that tooth, but each player can only hold one tooth maximum) 7. Scan the QR code”
Above: finding solutions to problems
RESEARCHING FOOD I’m a photographer, so I’ve taken the time to dig through my experiences of how Chinese is a part in my life. All of these photos of are mine or my Chinese friends/family. In my daily life, I play badminton. In the club, there are a lot of Chinese players, one of which is my doubles partner. We frequently hangout and talk about the Chinese culture and go out to eat. She’s helped me learn new terms, how Chinese cities, government, how anything I want to know about the Chinese traditions are. She’s helped me order food in Chinese as we go out to eat this semester to discuss my project and talk about random every conversations.
Learning about Dimsum at a Chinese Restaurant
柱候炆牛雜 chyu hau man ngau jap
DIMSUM 點心
芋角 wu gok 腸粉 Cheung fun
燒賣 siu mai
燒賣 siu mai Other favorites: Char siu bao (white buns) Haa gau (蝦餃) pink bonnets
CHINESE NEW YEAR “Happy Chinese New Year!”
中国新的一年快乐! Since my family is part Chinese, we celebrate Chinese new year. We send each other photos of our Chinese new year celebrations and dinners. Here is a collection of them. I wish them happy new year every year and have asked my Chinese friends what they do to celebrate. They do the same thing, make Chinese dishes and eat altogether. Near the mid-end of the year is a different celebration called Chinese Eve around August 30.
Also part of Chinese new year festivals include MOONCAKES “月饼”At our badminton potluck, some Chinese people brought over some mooncakes. I never knew there were multiple flavors. These mooncakes had Chinese characters on top, and it was interesting to find out that not ALL chinese people can read the characters. As one from Taiwan was not sure of one character, we ended up finding out the flavor was one called Lotus (莲蓉, lían róng) other flavors included red bean (豆沙, dòu shā) & jujube paste (dates), as told by my face, this was a new experience of learning what lotus mooncakes taste like
RESEARCHING CULTURE CHINESE SHOPS IN DIFFERENT CITIES Shopping in Chinatowns in San Francisco and shopping in Chinatowns in ATL. Gives an insight of how Chinatowns are in other countries and in China (ex: Thailand) Can learn the names of places and the names of specific food items. Usually traveled to the same ATL bakery and would order the same bakery items.
CHINESE CULTURE NIGHT AT UT I’ve visited Chinese culture multiple times for the Daily Beacon. The Chinese culture nights is a good way to learn how to cook, an essential understanding of a culture. One can ask questions and learn the most used ingredients of a Chinese culture, for example Chinese cooking wine, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, meats, Chinese eggplants, etc. Some included Chinese dancing from students and learning how to prepare dumplings from scratch.
HAVING A CHINESE ROOMMATE I had a Chinese roommate last year in Andy Holt. She’s helped me translate new phrases and words from Chinese letters from my grandfather and from books. She told me about “Wood ears” a black fungus. She always cooked with this particular fungus and I was interested in buying and learning how to use the fungus in Chinese dishes. As of now, it has been a big part of my diet this semester. Whenever i needed to contact her on facebook or call her while she was in China, it was impossible too. The rumors are true about the Chinese censorship.
TRAVELING TO THAILAND Thailand has given me a lot of new opportunities. From riding the trains, elephants, getting better at Thai, and being able to visit Chinatown. I learned how crowded trains are in China, especially during holidays people can be crammed with their language with no seating room and there are long extensive lines people must stand around for. in China. This was not the case in Thailand though.
This American Life, a Chicago podcast, is my Chinese friend and I’s favorite to listen to. We both listened to this one called Americans in China #467 http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/467/americans-inchina
We discussed our opinions and thoughts. I wanted to know if it was true Americans were laughed at and used as comedic relief. Also wanted to know about the bombing of the Chinese embassy and if she thought it was intentional bombing from the U.S. It was an eyeopening conversation and I wish I could tell other classmates. I think this space in the app can allow such conversation and sharing. “China says it is outraged after 4 people die and 20 are injured, when NATO bombs hit the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.” She remembers when that happened and I had never heard of it, but openly discussing news stories and about Chinese censorships has helped give me a better undertsanding of the culture itself than a textbook.
Events like these offer students a way to attend, share in convenient space
From my Chinese friend, shopping for books. Chinese bookstores look the same as American bookstores. I remember from class the books for books, so I would say SHU a lot outloud or things like “发现了一本 书””Found a good book!”
PRESENT IDEAS My present ideas included getting vocabulary, photographs of vocabulary words, getting audio, photos of interacting with Chinese students and Chinese culture. Having students learn not just by developing but by immersing into the culture and befriending students can aid in a better culture understanding and being able to talk on a one to one level of current topics and issues one ever has questions about.
East Tennessee Tai Chi Club performing "Tai Chi Rain" dance at the Chinese New Year Festival. Informative to attend these celebrations to listen to Chinese music and see a wide array of dances. Also to yoyoing and Chinese instruments like the
FUTURE IDEAS In the future, the template can expand to other places, such as the International House, Presidential court, the Library, the Strip, etc. I think the vocabulary can be elaborated on more using the help of the professor and Chinese students at UT. I think it could be a successful tool in using this to collaborate with the exchange student program and it being able to go from English to Chinese and Chinese to English language. It could aid in Chinese students using the same template in learning the language. A point system could be in place for the teachers to be able to “grade” and see the level of interaction.
RESEARCHING SITUATIONAL VOCABULARY Situational vocabulary is vocabulary used in the real world scenarios and in places I’ve used daily throughout in my own daily life. They are examples and research found by asking Chinese friends throughout this semester and searching online for vocabulary to use.
GOING OUT TO EAT Do you have... What are your specials? Can I get that to-go? Waitress, check please Do you take credit cards?
CAMPUS 您是否有... 你有什么特色菜？ 我得到了去？ 服务员,买单。 能刷信用卡吗
SCHOOL RELATED I slept in. Why are you late? Okay, I’ll try that. Why are you so busy? No I don’t have time, I have to go to the library. I don’t know, I feel like I’m always running out of time
我睡过头了 你为什么迟到？ 好的……我试试看. 你怎么这么忙啊？ 不行,我没时间. 我一会儿 得去图书馆. 我也不知道. 我觉得我的 时间总是不够用.
PANCAKE SATURDAYS Do you want some coffee? I can cook the pancakes Do you want big or small? Yep, I am going to bed
想打羽毛球吗？ 什么时候 好打 是啊, 我要去睡觉了
BADMINTON/SPORT VOCAB Want to play Badminton? What time? Good hit! Good game! Warm up first HIT! That was fun Who’s playing?
想打羽毛球吗？ 什么时候 好打 好游戏 先热身 撞! 这是乐趣 哪个队的？
DIFFICULTY These vocabulary and phrases can get more difficult as the year goes by. This is an example of how audio/phrases can help students engage in their surroundings more. After they buy food from any cafeteria, food market, or the Strip, students can upload a video/ audio of the interaction.
To prepare the app, I needed to prepare questions for students to be asked when entering the app. The app allows students to scan QR codes or click on items in the system which asks questions based on location. If they had just purchased an item or are in a restaurant, they can reply to these questions in Chinese only through audio.
Hi, How are you doing (嗨! 你好嗎?) What did you order? (你點些什麼?) What kind of drink did you get? (你點什麼飲料) How much did it cost? (種共多少錢?) Was the employee nice? (服務生態度好嗎?) How did you pay? (你用什麼付帳單?) How long have you waited? (你等多久?) How was the environment? (這裡環境怎樣?) Would you return again? (你會再度光臨嗎?)
DIFFICULTY These vocabulary and phrases can get more difficult as the year goes by. This is an example of how audio/phrases can help students engage in their surroundings more. After they buy food from any cafeteria, food market, or the Strip, students can upload a video/ audio of the interaction.
SKETCHES To prepare the app, I needed to prepare questions for students to be asked when entering the app. The app allows students to scan QR codes or click on items in the system which asks questions based on location. If they had just purchased an item or are in a restaurant, they can reply to these questions in Chinese only through audio.
FINALIZING After developing and doing trials and errors using this app, it is ready to be implemented. Content can be put in place and this can be taught to students in the class! There are endless possibilities, but we have narrowed it down to 3 types of mini-games that can be used in addition to learning in the textbook and expanding vocabulary. The next screens show how the screens look to familiarize what the layout and the basic ARIS games controls. FIRST MINI-GAME: Using quests to make challenges students can complete. A few below show examples of what can be done. Quests that can be: 1. Say hello to a Chinese person 2. Have a conversation with a Chinese person 3. Have a conversation with a classmate 4. Find a store, describe the experience 5. Buy food, take a photo and place on map 6. Describe a classmate’s photo in Chinese 7. Mimic a photo from Chinese history 8. Upload video of you ordering food in Chinese 9. Visit a Chinese New Year event and take a photo 10. Go to the I-House language table and speak with a Chinese person, create a note of topics discussed SECOND MINI-GAME: 1. Locate poster in area, scan QR code 1. Listen to Audio/Look at text 2. Students can respond to it, and comment 3. Can also be collected by tapping on map THIRD MINI-GAME: Scavenger hunt type - teacher can facilitate first, then students second once difficulty increases and more content is added. Difficulty level increases, facilitate content usage/integration and increase fluency 1. Starts as vocabulary 2. Increase to phrases 3. Increase to storytelling
THE SCREENS OF ARIS GAMES
Students can click on any game
Students resume/start Students can reset and start over
Above: Search screen for games within the area
Items on a map put in place with the editor. Any items can be video, audio, or photo and students can go to location or can touch an item
Above: The welcoming screen
Bar tools: Nearby Inventory Quests Maps More -> Notebook, Decoder, Exit
Nearby objects screen if one doesn’t want to see the map version of items
Number of items nearby in GPS location
Students can add audio/video/photo using the tools. A student can begin recording their voice and placing it on the map afterwards in that GPS location or sharing it with other students in the area.
This is a students “notebook� screen, it contains all the files they have uploaded and they can click on taking a photo, writing a note, or recording at the top to do and upload into the main server for other peers to view.
FIRST MINI-GAME: Using quests to make challenges students can complete. A few below show examples of what can be done. Quests that can be: 1. Say hello to a Chinese person 2. Have a conversation with a Chinese person 3. Have a conversation with a classmate 4. Find a store, describe the experience 5. Buy food, take a photo and place on map 6. Describe a classmate’s photo in Chinese 7. Mimic a photo from Chinese history 8. Upload video of you ordering food in Chinese 9. Visit a Chinese New Year event and take a photo 10. Go to the I-House language table and speak with a Chinese person, create a note of topics discussed
Top: Quest screen or active/ completed Left: The media screen. One can add a text item, audio, photo, or video, or camera library. Can add a location to it and the ability to share with classmates. Bottom: Example of uploaded video from quest
SECOND MINI-GAME: 1. Locate poster in area, scan QR code 1. Listen to Audio/Look at text 2. Students can respond to it, and comment 3. Can also be collected by tapping on map
Students receive an audio/text, then can comment or thumbs up “like� it such as you see on other social media
THIRD MINI-GAME: Scavenger hunt type - teacher can facilitate first, then students second once difficulty increases and more content is added. Difficulty level increases, facilitate content usage/integration and increase fluency 1. Starts as vocabulary 2. Increase to phrases 3. Increase to storytelling
Left: map of items students can add to their inventory RIght: A students inventory “backpack” full of phrases and items they can go back and look at. Can collect the teacher’s or classmates.
Left screen: Asking students to comment on what the item is Middle screen: Asking “Describe what is in here?” Right screen: Says “In 3 sentences, what is going on?”