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Due to its easy access and ubiquity, Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) can benefit language learners with no restriction of time and place. The present study, with pre-experimental design, which was carried out on 145 Iraqi EFL learners, first studied the effect of MALL on the learners’ English reading comprehension ability. Throughout the study, the EFL students were required to have reading courses via a mobile application. Applying a paired samples t-test, the study revealed a significant effect of MALL on participants’ reading comprehension ability. Secondly, to assess the degree of students’ goal orientation, the goal orientation questionnaire was given to fill out once at the beginning of the course and once at the end of the process. The results indicated that MALL can significantly affect learners’ goal orientation. Finally, the correlation between reading comprehension and goal orientation in Iraqi EFL students was significant, which indicated that students’ reading ability was also related to their level of goal orientation.

AbstractMany approaches exist in teaching statistics, however, learning statistics is frequently perceived by students as challenging. While evidence-based teaching approaches like case discussions and flipped-classroom models have been successfully incorporated into multiple disciplines, these methods can have inadequate success when students are affectively detached or sometimes paralyzed by the subject. The sudden need to switch to virtual teaching in Spring 2020 created unprecedented challenges that were overwhelming for instructors and students. This article explores the challenges of teaching a statistics course, and the importance of purposeful use of technology and supportive feedback to effectively engage students and promote learning. Furthermore, this article discusses the results of implementing a Technology-enhanced Supportive Instruction (TSI) model (used since Fall 2019) in teaching a business statistics course. The TSI model uses Microsoft Excel in conjunction with intentional interactions between the student and teacher to help students stay engaged in face-to-face and remote learning. The analysis of Fall 2020 course evaluations, when the course was taught in a dual mode, shows positive students’ perception of instruction and engagement, and indicates that Fall 2020 ratings during dual-mode instruction were not different from Fall 2019 ratings during face-to-face instruction, which supports the potential utility of the model. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

The article explores the didactic potential of the use of artificial intelligence technologies, specifically chatbots, in teaching foreign languages. It delves into the advantages of integrating chatbots into the foreign language learning process, based on the experience of teaching the “Foreign Language (English)” discipline to the first-year students of the 024 Choreography speciality of the Faculty of Musical Art and Choreography, and the 022 Design speciality of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design at Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University. While highlighting the educational benefits and interactive nature of chatbots, it also addresses their drawbacks and suggests methods to mitigate potential negative consequences such as academic integrity violations and copyright issues like plagiarism. The article offers advice on appropriate usage and adheres to relevant policies. Moreover, it provides practical examples of using chatbots in teaching foreign languages based on the use of Mizou software. The study is a theoretical research article employing general scientific analytic methods such as synthesis, generalization, and systematization. It includes a review of the related literature on the stated problem as well as an overview of the empirical experience of the introduction of chatbots in the “Foreign Language (English)” discipline. The paper defines the didactic potential of the Mizou by providing a general overview of the functions and modes of the aforementioned software and drives a reader through the personalized chatbot process of creation and customization. The provided research highlights the necessity of further investigation of the implementation of artificial intelligence chatbots as an innovative interactive technology with significant didactic potential that should be empirically tested and analysed.

AbstractResearch on interactive environments between humans and devices has become commonplace during this decade.The deployment of interactive signage has come to be a very major interest for creating interactivity that might bring a great advancement in the signage design and technology. The immersive nature of interactive technologies is just one of its many benefits.It has also been shown to maximize end users brand recognition and information retention,while also improving end users' perception of the brand.Interactive signage helps provide a high level of customer service while keeping costs low.The interactive technology in signage design can create even greater insights into consumer characters and habits,helping a company optimize its marketing and customer service initiatives. Along with an increasing number of different innovative capabilities,the need for the adoption of interactive signage in public increases,in order to minimize information overload due to ‘overuse’ of functionalities especially in case of people with disabilities environment.This research aims to put the basics of interactive digital signage design for people with disabilities.The research also aims to explore the benefits of employing interactive signage with other devices such as cell phones,tablets,smart phones,and wearable devices to achieve avery suitable interactive environment for people with disabilities.The research concludes that the main goal of interactive digital signage design is to provide seamless,engaging communication between a digital signage system and people with disabilities.Interactive technology,especially in the case of people with disabilities,seeks to create an immersive,user-friendly experience,one that is much more involved than an end user simply dealing with digital signage.

Abstract Hypertension is the main cause of cardiovascular disease, especially in women. Black women (58%) are affected by higher rates of hypertension than other racial/ethnic groups contributing to increased cardio‐metabolic disorders. To decrease blood pressure (BP) in this population, a pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effects of Interactive Technology Enhanced Coaching (ITEC) versus Interactive Technology (IT) alone in achieving BP control, adherence to antihypertensive medication, and adherence to lifestyle modifications among Black women diagnosed with and receiving medication for their hypertension. Participants completed a 6‐week Chronic Disease Self‐Management Program (CDSMP), and 83 participants were randomly assigned to ITEC versus IT. Participants were trained to use three wireless tools and five apps that were synchronized to smartphones to monitor BP, weight, physical activity (steps), diet (caloric and sodium intake), and medication adherence. Fitbit Plus, a cloud‐based collaborative care platform was used to collect, track, and store data. Using a mixed‐effects repeated measures model, the main effect of group means indicated no significant difference between the treatment and referent groups on study variables. The main effect of time indicated significant differences between repeated measures for systolic BP (p

Background: Interactive technology (texting, social media, email) is an engrained element of communication in family systems. Methods: This qualitative study examined parenting practices in communication via interactive technology using a sample of 9 parents and 9 early adolescents between the ages of 12 to 15. Parents and adolescents completed phone interviews separately. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and dyadic techniques. Results: Participants indicated they use interactive technology as channels of communication and for convenient connection. Parenting practices used through interactive technology that both parents and early adolescents identified included open communication and availability, guidance, expressions of parental warmth, and establishing trust. Conclusion: The results of this study provide support for a family systems thinking paradigm when examining interactive technology use in parent-teen relationships.

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has seen unprecedented growth in the use of interactive technologies in care facilities for social contact between residents and their close contacts due to the need for social distancing. As the pandemic is transitioning into a new phase, there is a need to critically examine the new practices associated with technology usage. Objective Our analysis is based on a case study of how a care facility in western Norway adopted a novel technology called KOMP. We empirically investigate the stability of practices with KOMP for maintaining social communication between residents and their relatives and consider whether these practices are likely to last beyond the pandemic. We draw on normalization process theory (NPT) to interpret our findings and critically examine how stable embedding of new technologies for social communication occurs under extraordinary circumstances. Methods We conducted a case study based on participant observation and interviews, and the data were analyzed through inductive thematic analysis. Participants are health care professionals from a public care facility in western Norway. Results Four major themes emerged from the data. The first revolved around the pressing need for communications between residents and relatives with a suitable tool. Second, staff showed engagement through motivation to learn and adapt the technology in their practices. A third theme centered on how staff and the organization could work effectively to embed KOMP in daily practice. Our fourth theme suggested that the professionals continuously assessed their own use of the technology. Conclusion From the perspective of NPT, practices with KOMP have been partially embedded by developing a shared understanding, engaging through cognitive participation, working collectively with staff and the organization, and reflexively monitoring the benefits of using KOMP. However, staff engagement with the technology was continuously threatened by factors related to diverging staff preferences, the burden of facilitating KOMP for residents with impaired cognitive and physical abilities, issues of privacy and ethics, and the technical skills of the residents’ relatives. Our analysis suggests that caring practices via KOMP have become relatively stable despite barriers to engagement and are therefore likely to persist beyond the pandemic.

Objective: To study packaging design from the perspective of consumers' emotional experience and explore interactive packaging design that can not only meet consumers' practical functions but also meet consumers' emotional needs. Methods: Starting from the overview of interactive packaging design based on emotional experience, combined with the expression principles of practicability, integrity and emotional sustainability of interactive packaging design, the construction of interactive relationship of interactive packaging design was studied in three results sensory stimulation, opening mode and blending of emotion and scene. Results: The interactive packaging design, which pays attention to the response principle and sensitive characteristics of packaging materials, and uses rapid response code, electronic components and augmented reality technology, can enhance consumers' emotional experience. Conclusion: Packaging design should reasonably implant interactive elements, close the relationship between consumers and products, and empower the sustainable development of packaging industry.

Abstract Background Digital tools for social communication have been deployed in care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate social connectedness between older people and their next of kin in a safe manner. This study explores how and why health care professionals facilitate the ad hoc and prompt use of a technology for social communication, known as KOMP, in care facilities in western Norway to promote communication and social engagement among residents and their next of kin during the crisis. Methods To investigate the perspectives and practices of health care professionals, we conducted focus groups, individual interviews, and participant observation in public short- and long-term care facilities in western Norway. An explorative investigation with inductive content analysis was applied to analyse interview transcripts and fieldnotes from participant observation. Results The resulting qualitative data reveal that prompt implementation of interactive technology to cope with social distancing during the pandemic added new routines to the staff workload. Using this interactive technology entailed new forms of collaborative work among residents, next of kin, health care professionals and technology facilitators. Additionally, the staff articulated a sense of responsibility towards using KOMP as a meaningful and practical tool for social communication in an extraordinary period of reduced social contact. Conclusions Improvised implementation of KOMP as an interactive technology shapes work routines, introduces new tasks and creates additional responsibilities. Despite creative efforts by health care staff, however, using KOMP remains constrained by the physical and cognitive abilities of its users. We suggest that health care managers ask a deceptively simple question when introducing novel technologies in health care contexts, namely: what kind of invisible work do these devices entail?

Electronic homework will be a trend with the improvement of informatization, and it has proved effective by researchers. However, there still exists a problem that the amount of students’ workload does not match their knowledge level. In order to solve this problem, the study applies the connection and interaction of knowledge emphasized by connection to construct connectionism-based interactive electronic homework approach to achieve the dynamic presentation of homework. By carrying out comparative experiments, the study has discovered that the approach can improve students’ learning performance, learning motivation and learning engagement, and there is a positive correlation between learning engagement and learning performance. Therefore, a connectionism-based interactive electronic homework approach will help primary school students complete their mathematics homework in a more efficient and high-quality way.

Immersive technologies have thrived on a strong foundation of software and hardware, injecting vitality into medical training. This surge has witnessed numerous endeavors incorporating immersive technologies into surgery simulation for surgical skills training, with a growing number of researchers delving into this domain. Relevant experiences and patterns need to be summarized urgently to enable researchers to establish a comprehensive understanding of this field, thus promoting its continuous growth. This study provides a forward-looking perspective by reviewing the latest development of immersive interactive technologies for surgery simulation. The investigation commences from a technological standpoint, delving into the core aspects of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies, namely, haptic rendering and tracking. Subsequently, we summarize recent work based on the categorization of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and open surgery simulations. Finally, the study showcases the impressive performance and expansive potential of immersive technologies in surgical simulation while also discussing the current limitations. We find that the design of interaction and the choice of immersive technology in virtual surgery development should be closely related to the corresponding interactive operations in the real surgical speciality. This alignment facilitates targeted technological adaptations in the direction of greater applicability and fidelity of simulation.

The study assessed a new interactive technology system for helping six people with intellectual and visual disabilities exercise relevant physical responses embedded within a fairly straightforward activity (i.e., placing objects in containers). Activity responses consisted of the participants taking objects from the floor or a low shelf and placing those objects in a container high up in front of them (thus bending their body and legs and stretching their arms and hands). The technology involved a portable computer, a webcam, and three mini speakers whose basic functions included monitoring the participants’ responses, delivering preferred stimulation contingent on the responses and verbal encouragements/prompts for lack of responses, and assisting in data recording. The study was conducted following a non-concurrent multiple baseline design across participants. During baseline (i.e., when the system was used only for data recording), the participants’ mean frequency of responses per session varied between zero and nearly 12. During intervention (i.e., when the system was fully working), the participants’ mean frequency of responses per session increased to between about 34 and 59. Mean session duration varied between nearly 10 and over 14 min. The new system may be a valuable tool for supporting relevant physical activity engagement in people with intellectual and multiple disabilities.

The conservation status of great apes (chimpanzees Pan troglodytes, gorillas Gorilla sp., orangutans Pongo sp., and bonobos Pan paniscus) is grave and zoological institutions are vital for maintaining numbers of these species and educating the public about their importance. Technology provides tools that can assist zoos in meeting these objectives. However, the extant research on technology use in zoos is potentially constrained by small sample sizes and there is no framework detailing the methodologies necessary for the successful incorporation of technology into great ape management. Therefore, this study aimed to determine current technology use in the management of captive great apes and whether technology-directed behaviour differs between ape genera. Primary carers of great apes in zoos were surveyed using a 43-question, online questionnaire. The purpose of integrating interactive technology into captive ape management was primarily for enrichment (53% of respondents), followed by research (20% of respondents). However, only 25% of respondents had apes directly engaged with technology. There were no differences in technology-directed behaviours between ape genera. By identifying differences in practice, this research marks the initial stage in developing a best practice framework for using technology.

The interactive inner space has become an integral part of the internal spaces that aim to spread culture and learning, to facilitate the delivery of thought and culture to all groups of the interacting society within the vacuum in all its age groups and also urges them to be creative and innovative. The interior designer aims to integrate the interior space with interactive technology, To discover every new result of technological progress, it may start by trying to employ new materials that technology has produced.And the research study here touched on to highlight the user's behavior inside the vacuum taking into consideration the type of activity taking place, and how to interact with the user by studying his behavior within the interactive activity environment to reach the highest efficiency and benefit from the interaction and integration between reality and imagination taking into account the requirements of functional, aesthetic, human and technological internal design.The interactive activity environment is a virtual environment in which reality and imagination are combined using modern methods and techniques, in which different forms of interaction between the user and the user occur, and between the user and another and finally between the user and interactive space tools and design elements. The interaction environment is an integrated continuous interactive circle through the compatibility of internal design elements such as walls, floors, roofs and work surfaces to serve the activity in the internal space with a study of the age group of users and their requirements and psychological and technological factors during the interaction; hence, that system is activated by choosing the appropriate interactive system to serve and enhance the requirements of the internal space Interactive.Thus, the circle of interaction within the vacuum is closed by the presence of an integrated vacuum in terms of the interactive system and communication between it and the user under the supervision of the specialist, and that the system includes methods for learning and innovation and obtaining new information related to the activity, the presence of specialists and educating those in work in the activity halls how to deal with and facilitate the interactive system On users.With clarification by mentioning an application of interactive activity within the space of a digital interactive museum for children.

For thousands of years, dogs have coexisted with humans and have been adopted as companion pets and working animals. The communication between humans and dogs has improved their coexistence and socialization; however, due to the nature of their activities, dogs and humans occasionally lose face-to-face contact. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine five essential aspects of current technology designed to support intentional communication between humans and dogs in scenarios where there is no face-to-face contact: (1) the technologies used, (2) the activity supported, (3) the interaction modality, (4) the evaluation procedures, and the results obtained, and (5) the main limitations. In addition, this article explores future directions for research and practice. The PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines were followed when conducting the review. Scopus (Elsevier), Springer-Link, IEEE Xplorer, ACM Digital Library, and Science Direct were used as data sources to retrieve information from January 2010 to March 2022. The titles and abstracts were individually reviewed by the authors (L.R.-V., I.E.E.-C., and H.P.-E.), and the full articles were then examined before a final inclusion determination. 15 (3%) out of the 571 records that were obtained met the requirements for inclusion. The most used technologies for dogs are: (1) 71% of technologies focused on generating messages are wearable devices equipped with sensors (bite, tug, or gesture), (2) 60% of technologies focused on receiving messages are wearable devices equipped with vibrotactile actuators, and (3) 100% of technologies focused on bidirectional communication are videochats. 67% of the works are oriented to support search and assistance tasks. 80% of the works developed technology for one-way communication. 53% of the technologies have a haptic dog interaction modality, that is, there is an object that the dog must wear or manipulate in a certain way. All of the reported evaluations were pilot studies with positive feasibility results. Remote human-dog interaction technology holds significant promise and potential; however, more research is required to assess their usability and efficacy and to incorporate new technological developments.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of interactive technology in the form of mathematical applications (apps) delivered using iPads on kindergarten children’s learning of number sense in a play-based learning environment. Secondly, factors influencing the use of interactive technology in a play-based environment were examined. This technology was introduced to a small (n = 13) rural kindergarten classroom using an experimental design embedded in a mixed methods approach. Results The teacher was keen to introduce technology to her class but was self-described as a beginner in using iPads for personal or teaching tasks. Small gains were noted between the control and intervention groups but they were not significant. Further, children were observed collaborating which supported prior research. Another observation was related to attention span, when an app became too challenging children would abandon the app or use a trial and error method to move to the next level. Lastly, when given choice, children were drawn to creative and entertaining apps rather than apps that were more pedagogically accurate but less creative. Although there was not a large gain in achievement, using interactive technology promoted student collaboration and engagement in a play-based learning environment. Conclusions Small gains in mathematics achievement and high levels of engagement suggest that using interactive technology in the kindergarten classroom enhances learning of mathematics. Factors influencing the use of interactive technology included the quality of the app such that creative and fun apps promoted children’s engagement in learning mathematics. The level of difficulty of an app was a second factor influencing children’s use of interactive technology. If the difficulty level was too challenging, children became disengaged with the app.

Purpose - The new omnichannel strategy aims to offer a holistic shopping experience through the integration of online and offline channels. The introduction of technology in the physical store is an essential factor to this end. The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to analyze how the intention to use different interactive technologies in a clothing store affects purchase intention and second, to test the moderating effect of gender on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach - An original model is developed and tested with 628 omnichannel customers. A multi-group analysis is performed to compare the results between two groups: men and women. Findings - The results show that the incorporation of new technologies in the physical store positively affects purchase intention, but no significant differences were found between the two groups. Originality/value - This study furthers the understanding of the importance of the new connected retail system and offers new insights for both the theoretical framework and businesses.

This article describes the features of the application of modern educational technologies in the process of forming of such necessary qualities for a modern specialist as social competence, communication skills, critical thinking skills, the ability to reflect and adequate perception of the events, other people and themselves, that would contribute to the prevention and overcoming of students’ moral alienation. The paper discusses the essence and diversity of modern interactive teaching technologies, the advantages of project method, possibilities of telecommunication training projects. It also provides the examples of practical realization of modern interactive technologies in the educational-upbringing process of the North%Ossetian State University. The results of the study extend the knowledge about the nature and possibilities of modern educational technologies, which facilitates students’ spiritual and moral development.

This paper presents a conceptual design of a dynamic and personalizable knowledge workspace suitable for collaboration in academic contexts. The concept of such workspace is aimed to cater the needs of students - as knowledge workers - for flexibility in various types of group and individual knowledge tasks. The research is focused on revealing challenges and obstacles faced by students who perform their daily knowledge work in current workspaces at various premises of Finnish campus. We propose solution that utilizes information technology and interior design. Based on literature on Ambient Intelligence and knowledge work, as well as our empirical user research, we designed a concept of flexible, transformable and user-friendly campus workspace with various features and functionalities. The concept is presented through visualizations and a semi-functional three-dimensional cardboard prototype. The workspace design itself is the main contribution of the current research. Dynamism, flexibility, personalization as well as features of the physical and mental engagement are principal novelties of proposed workspace for university students.

The urgency of the support of the specificity of social relations in children, as well as the need to provide educational and humanistic nature of interaction between adults and children. Shows the need for transforming the thinking of the teacher in the direction of nature-conformity and humanity. As essential characteristics in ensuring self-development of children and educators in preschool education dedicated towards the use of interactive technologies the development of individuality in the development of personality, introduction to educational technology’s components, the use of technologies of developing training, the use of design technologies to ensure the factors of health preservation.

Multiple recruitment strategies are often needed to recruit an adequate number of participants, especially hard to reach groups. Technology-based recruitment methods hold promise as a more robust form of reaching and enrolling historically hard to reach young adults. The TARGIT study is a randomized two-arm clinical trial in young adults using interactive technology testing an efficacious proactive telephone Quitline versus the Quitline plus a behavioral weight management intervention focusing on smoking cessation and weight change. All randomized participants in the TARGIT study were required to be a young adult smoker (18–35 years), who reported smoking at least 10 cigarettes per day, had a BMI

This paper presents the Sensory Interactive Table (SIT): an instrumented, interactive dining table. Through the use of load cells and LEDs that are embedded in the table surface, SIT allows us to study: (1) the eating behaviors of people in a social setting, (2) the social interactions around the eating behaviors of people in a social setting, and (3) the continuous cycle of feedback through LEDs on people’s eating behavior and their response to this feedback in real time, to ultimately create an effective dietary support system. This paper presents the hard- and software specifications of the system, and it shows the potential of the system to capture mass-related dimensions in real time and with high accuracy and spatial resolution.

The article deals with the investigation of the interactive technologies of foreign language teaching in future marine specialists’ training in the Danube river basin universities. The author gives definitions of the most popular interactive technologies aimed to form communicative competence as a significant component of future mariners’ key competencies. Typology and analysis of some interactive technologies of foreign language teaching in future marine specialists’ training are provided.

This article deals with the problem of the culture of professional self-realization of Russian students in the process of university education at the present stage. The role of information and communications technologies is revealed, in particular the interactive technology of self-regulation developed by the authors, as a necessary pedagogical condition for the successful professional self-realization of students. The paper describes the interactive technology of self-regulation formation used in teaching a foreign language in order to improve the educational process. The paper provides an analysis of the current state of the classroom educational environment in teaching a foreign language in order to determine the possibilities of improving the educational process. The main goal of the interactive technology of self-regulation formation is to optimize and intensify the activities of students in the classroom and extracurricular activities. The interactive technology of self-regulation formation in a nonlinguistic university was applied in the proposed work. Special attention was paid to the problem of structuring and the algorithmization of independent work. Ways for increasing interactivity are revealed, and an algorithm for teaching and speech actions in interactive mode was developed. It was established that the introduction of structured algorithmization using the interactive technology of self-regulation formation could be effectively used for teaching poorly prepared students. It has been established that the culture of professional self-actualization for modern students is directly dependent on the quality of online interaction with a university teacher. It was revealed that it is the student’s awareness of the objectives of learning interaction and ways for its implementation that allow him to competently perform his academic work, which in turn contributes to the actualization of personal professional qualities that are required by a university graduate for successful implementation in the future.

Interactive learning technology is an emerging innovation for future communication-aided teaching and learning that could positively enhance students’ engagement and intrinsic motivation. Due to the virtue of interactive communication, classrooms are now anticipated to enable a variety of interaction-based learning technologies with diverse infotainment (a subset of “serious play”) integrated with practical enquiry-based projects and case studies for employability improvement. In this paper, a comprehensive review of various teaching and learning pedagogies is assessed. Their suitability and association with infotainment and interactive technology is discussed and highlighted. In addition, a recent research activity on interactive communication is presented to form a new teaching application using interactive technology and infotainment (or edutainment) appropriate for student engagement in railway geometry and alignment design classes. The development of the integrated interactive technology and infotainment was implemented and evaluated in a postgraduate railway engineering class. Questionnaires were used to survey students’ experiences in the classes with and without the technology enhanced learning. The outcome clearly shows that students enjoyed and felt they were significantly engaged in the class with the new interactive resources. Their participation and learning performance increased. Despite the favourable outcomes, the flexibility and viability of using this interactive technology still largely depends on the students’ background and their previous experience.

Today’s children have more opportunities than ever before to learn from interactive technology, yet experimental research assessing the efficacy of children’s learning from interactive media in comparison to traditional learning approaches is still quite scarce. Moreover, little work has examined the efficacy of using touch-screen devices for research purposes. The current study compared children’s rate of learning factual information about animals during a face-to-face instruction from an adult female researcher versus an analogous instruction from an interactive device. Eighty-six children ages 4 through 8 years (64% male) completed the learning task in either the Face-to-Face condition (n = 43) or the Interactive Media condition (n = 43). In the Learning Phase of the experiment, which was presented as a game, children were taught novel facts about animals without being told that their memory of the facts would be tested. The facts were taught to the children either by an adult female researcher (Face-to-Face condition) or from a pre-recorded female voice represented by a cartoon Llama (Interactive Media condition). In the Testing Phase of the experiment that immediately followed, children’s memory for the taught facts was tested using a 4-option forced-choice paradigm. Children’s rate of learning was significantly above chance in both conditions and a comparison of the rates of learning across the two conditions revealed no significant differences. Learning significantly improved from age 4 to age 8, however, even the preschool-aged children performed significantly above chance, and their performance did not differ between conditions. These results suggest that, interactive media can be equally as effective as one-on-one instruction, at least under certain conditions. Moreover, these results offer support for the validity of using interactive technology to collect data for research purposes. We discuss the implications of these results for children’s learning from interactive media, parental attitudes about interactive technology, and research methods.

The article presents the basic results of a study, dealing with the problems of e-learning and e-teaching development in the University of Sofia. A new system - DIMEL (Distant and Interactive Management of E-Learning) was implemented by the „Management of Education” training courses with adult students. The courses are part of the continuing vocational training (the qualifications upgrading) of school principals, vice principals and other managing staff in the sector of education. The system DIMEL uses an original interactive training management technology, covering the field of e-learning and e-teaching activities, via digital library logistic platform. The author performs this project research in collaboration with the University Library „St. Kliment Ohridski”.

This study investigated the extent to which computer literacy dimensions (computer general knowledge, documents and documentations, communication and surfing as well as data inquiry), computer use and academic qualification as independent variables predicted primary school teachers’ attitude towards the integration of Personal Response System in English as a second language (ESL) classroom. Seventeen (17) Nigerian primary school teachers trained on why and how to effectively use Personal Response System (PRS) in ESL classrooms was the sample for the study. Data for the studywere gathered through the use of Clickers Attitude Questionnaire (CAQ), Teachers’ Computer Literacy Questionnaire (TCLQ) and Computer Use Questionnaire (CUQ). Descriptive statistics such as simplepercentage, mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics such as Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, and Multiple regression were used for data analysis at 0.05 significance level.The results show that the teachers’ computer literacy was more in the areas of documents and documentation as well as communication and surfing than in general knowledge and data inquiry. Further findings of the study indicated that general computer knowledge, documents anddocumentation, communication and surfing, and data inquiry combined to contribute to the prediction of teachers’ attitude towards the integration of PRS. Relatively, documents and documentation dimension was the potent predictor, while data inquiry was not a significant predictor of the outcome variable. Similarly, computer use, computer literacy and academic qualification jointly contributed to the prediction of the teachers’ attitude towards the integration of PRS in ESL classroom. Meanwhile, computer use made the most significant contribution to the prediction of teachers’ attitude towards PRS integration, while academic qualification did not make any significantcontribution to the teachers’ attitude towards the integration of PRS in ESL classroom.

This study investigated the extent to which computer literacy dimensions (computer general knowledge, documents and documentations, communication and surfing as well as data inquiry), computer use and academic qualification as independent variables predicted primary school teachers’ attitude towards the integration of Personal Response System in English as a second language (ESL) classroom. Seventeen (17) Nigerian primary school teachers trained on why and how to effectively use Personal Response System (PRS) in ESL classrooms was the sample for the study. Data for the study were gathered through the use of Clickers Attitude Questionnaire (CAQ), Teachers’ Computer Literacy Questionnaire (TCLQ) and Computer Use Questionnaire (CUQ). Descriptive statistics such as simple percentage, mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics such as Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, and Multiple regression were used for data analysis at 0.05 significance level. The results show that the teachers’ computer literacy was more in the areas of documents and documentation as well as communication and surfing than in general knowledge and data inquiry. Further findings of the study indicated that general computer knowledge, documents and documentation, communication and surfing, and data inquiry combined to contribute to the prediction of teachers’ attitude towards the integration of PRS. Relatively, documents and documentation dimension was the potent predictor, while data inquiry was not a significant predictor of the outcome variable. Similarly, computer use, computer literacy and academic qualification jointly contributed to the prediction of the teachers’ attitude towards the integration of PRS in ESL classroom. Meanwhile, computer use made the most significant contribution to the prediction of teachers’ attitude towards PRS integration, while academic qualification did not make any significant contribution to the teachers’ attitude towards the integration of PRS in ESL classroom.

The sensitive environments, which Studio Azzurro has been developing in an artistic context since 1994, bring an open dialogue between physical elements and intangible aspects, through interactive technology. We came to realize that these works could also be extended in educational terms and could be successfully adapted to the museums thematic paths. The concept of the sensitive environment in the museum project is considered as a place in which there is an interrelation between the virtual component and the physical presence. It is a narrative habitat where the person is supposed to play an active role and where a collective enjoyment is preferred in order that the story proceeds through the effect of more than one decision and so that as well as the human relationship with technology, there also remains a powerful interpersonal relationship. The interactive systems are natural interfaces which react without the use of technological intermediaries but through traditional methods of communication- touch, the voice, a gesture, etc.- so as to create a more natural situation. The museum becomes more a dynamic place, not just a place for collecting and exhibiting: this is a distinguishing feature in the passage from an idea of a museum as a collection to that of a museum as narration.

The interpretation and understanding of physical gestures play a significant role in various forms of art. Interactive technology and digital devices offer a plethora of opportunities for personal gesture-based experience and they assist in the creation of collaborative artwork. In this study, three prototypes for use with different digital devices (digital camera, PC camera, and Kinect) were designed. Subsequently, a series of workshops were conducted and in-depth interviews with participants from different cultural and occupational backgrounds. The latter were designed to explore how to specifically design personalised gesture-based expressions and how to engage the creativity of the participants in their gesture-based experiences. The findings indicated that, in terms of gesture-based interaction, the participants preferred to engage with the visual traces that were displayed at specific timings in multi-experience spaces. Their gesture-based interactions could effectively support non-verbal emotional expression. In addition, the participants were shown to be strongly inclined to combine their personal stories and emotions into their own gesture-based artworks. Based on the participants’ different cultural and occupational backgrounds, their artistic creation could be spontaneously formed.