Handy Melvin McBogg TrendsPaper Nov18 2012

7/30/2019 Handy Melvin McBogg TrendsPaper Nov18 2012

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Kinect in Education: Gesture-based Learning

Now and In the FutureINTE 6750 - Trends Project

Professor Brent Wilson, PhD

November 18, 2012

Team Tigers - Corinne Handy, Melanie Melvin and Duncan McBogg

Corinne Melanie Duncan

According to the 2011 Horizon Report, gesture-based computing in education is still a few years

away, but its significance cannot be underestimated, especially for a new generation of

students accustomed to touching, tapping, swiping, jumping, and moving as a means of

engaging with information (Horizon Report, 2011). Driven by the popularity of Apples iOS and

gaming systems such as the Nintendo Wii and Microsofts Xbox Kinect, gesture-based

computing has strong potential in education, both for learning, as students will be able tointeract with ideas and information in new ways, and for teaching, as faculty explore new ways

to communicate ideas (Horizon Report, 2011).

Gesture-based computing includes a handful of technologies such as touch screen and voice

recognition technologies, however, this report will specifically focus on Microsofts Xbox Kinect

gaming system and its potential uses in all levels of education, inside and outside of the

classroom. This report will outline the inner workings of the technology and its current and

future pedagogical applications, as well as the benefits, limitations and variables associated with

its use in education.

Kinects road to the mainstream was dependent on the general advances of digital technologies,the mass adoption of touch screen technologies, the general acceptance of avatars via gaming

and popular culture.

Popular culture has done a really good job of preparing us for the technology of the future. The

introduction of the iPhone set the stage for mass adoption of gesture-based technologies driven

by the human body alone. Apple continues to revolutionize and define the way in which gesture-


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The hardware that powers Kinect works in conjunction with a vast array of

computer servers which operate behind the scenes. Cong and Winters

summarize this interchange best:

The Kinect's "brain" is really the secret. Stored in the system is enough

intelligence to analyze what it sees and align that with stored collection ofskeletal structures to interpret your movements. Once the brain has

enough data on your body parts, it outputs this reference data into a

simplified 3D avatar shape. Beyond gauging player movements, the

Kinect must also judge the distances of different points on your body

throughout the entire game. To do this it uses a host of sensors and

analyzes all this data 30 times a second (Cong and Winters, n.d.). Data

is constantly being transferred back and forth between the Kinect and the

objects in its field of vision while you simply enjoy the fun of being a

character in a game, without holding anything in your hands(Cong and

Winters, n.d.).

The Future is NowSome may think gesture-based gaming technology is a little far-fetched for use in education.

However, only a decade or two ago the same was said about distance learning and

videoconferencing and now, both are ubiquitous. Technologies such as 3D holograms and

gesture-based gaming are quickly making their way into the mainstream, especially with

younger generations also known as the digital native. These days, teenagers expect to see

cutting edge technology as the norm, rather than the exception. Adoption of gesture-based

gaming technologies in education is more a matter of convincing teachers about its potential

relevance than it is convincing the students with which they serve.

Popular media has already set the stage for adoption of farout technologies by showing a

futuristic world with technologies that let you control a computer with only your hand, your voice

and/or your physical expressions. These days, all you have to do is watch the latest television

crime show to see the latest in gesture-based technology in action. Suffice it to say that TV

show technology is driven by computer-assisted animation. Nonetheless, the psychology impact

of these TV shows demonstrates that people are comfortable with the concept of gesture-based

technologies in more areas of their life than their playrooms at home.

ScopeExplaining the intricate technical details of Kinects technology is well beyond the scope of this

report. The emphasis of this report is on the current and potential uses of Kinect in education.

For more information on the technology that powers Kinect, visit our website: One Stop Shop:

Kinect in Education.
http://onestopshopkinectineducation.weebly.com/http://onestopshopkinectineducation.weebly.com/http://onestopshopkinectineducation.weebly.com/http://onestopshopkinectineducation.weebly.com/http://onestopshopkinectineducation.weebly.com/http://onestopshopkinectineducation.weebly.com/


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The Pedagogy

When researching the pros and cons of Microsoft Kinect in learning, there was an abundance of

information on the benefits. Much of this information came either directly from Microsoft, or from

someone quoting Microsoft. But there is also quite a bit of research done by external sources.

One source used often throughout this report is KinectEDucation. Their website describes thatKinectEDucation is an educator-driven community resource for developers, teachers, students,

enthusiasts, and any other education stakeholder to promote the use of Kinect applications in

classrooms.

The CheerleaderWhile relatively new in the classroom setting, there is an abundance of information on the types

of benefits Kinect can have in a learning environment. Just a few of these benefits are listed

below.

CostWhen reviewing all the information on the benefits of using Kinect in the classroom, the biggest

trend found was the cost of the device. While compared to any other gesture-based learning

technology, Kinect stands alone. Kinect is relatively cheap as it costs around $149. If the

classroom is equipped with a projector and a computer, Kinect can be regarded as an

inexpensive add-on (Hsu, 2011, pg. 335). In other words, in order to add Kinect to a standard

classroom, the setup requires a projector, computer, the Kinect device, and the software that

comes with the device. Teachers also have the ability to create their own programs, or access

programs other teachers have developed via the Kinect in the Classroomschool activity plans

page, or performing a Google search. Essentially, teachers can add this to their classes for

relatively little money, and the opportunity for new lesson plan ideas is limitless.

Active Learning

Another benefit of using Kinect in the classroom is to promote active learning. Active learning is

generally defined as any instructional method that engages students in the learning process. In

short, active learning requires students to do meaningful learning activities and think about what

they are doing (Prince, 2004). When using Kinect in the classroom, students dont only find out

the what of what theyre learning, but also the how. They begin to connect the dots which

allows for further understanding and deeper comprehension of the topic. According to the

Horizon Report, gesture-based learning is an upcoming trend that will continue to be integrated

into classrooms over the next few years (KinectEDucation, 2011). Kinect is easy to use and a

cost effective gesture-based tool, so it is easy to see why it will become the tool of choice forteachers.

Seamlessly Integrate Technology

In order for technology to work effectively in a classroom, the learner needs to forget its there

and focus on the learning instead. The most successful technology in the classroom is one

where the learners dont even recognize that its there, and instead are engaged in the learning
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itself. Kinect is seamless; as long as the software is well-programmed, user awareness of the

device is rare (KinectEDucation, 2011).

Figure 2: First-grade teacher Cheryl Arnett introduced Kinect into her classroom at

Sunset Elementary School in Craig, Colo., and has been delighted by the results,

which include outstanding standardized test scores (Source).

Embrace Cultural Diversity

Using Kinect in the classroom is a way to connect learners from many different countries, all

over the world, at one time. In order to do this, Kinect allows the users to create their very own

avatars. An avatar is a graphical image that represents a person over the Internet. When doing

this, learners can make a visual representation of themselves, and meet in a common space to

connect with others. Since the device is cheap, this excludes no population. For instance,

Microsoft is piloting Kinect in Africa, a sure sign this device can reach learners from all

demographics and socioeconomic statuses (KinectEDucation, 2011).

Here is an example of different avatars that have been created. While using Kinect, the avatarsrepresent how the user moves his or her body.
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Figure 3: Side by side human and avatar(Source).

Kinect can even recognize facial changes and the movement of eyebrow, and display them on

screen as well.

Figure 4: Human and Avatar positive facial gesture comparison (Source).

Figure 4: Human and Avatar negative facial gesture comparison (Source).
http://www.lazytechguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/XBox-Avatar-Kinect.jpghttp://www.lazytechguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/XBox-Avatar-Kinect.jpghttp://www.lazytechguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/XBox-Avatar-Kinect.jpghttp://www.merawindows.com/Portals/0/Content/Newsletters/Jan2011/AvatarKinectPrev3.jpghttp://www.merawindows.com/Portals/0/Content/Newsletters/Jan2011/AvatarKinectPrev3.jpghttp://www.merawindows.com/Portals/0/Content/Newsletters/Jan2011/AvatarKinectPrev3.jpghttp://images.kinectaku.com/news/2011/01/avatar_kinect_is_online_chat_with_avatars_pulling_faces/attachment/0/large.jpghttp://images.kinectaku.com/news/2011/01/avatar_kinect_is_online_chat_with_avatars_pulling_faces/attachment/0/large.jpghttp://images.kinectaku.com/news/2011/01/avatar_kinect_is_online_chat_with_avatars_pulling_faces/attachment/0/large.jpghttp://images.kinectaku.com/news/2011/01/avatar_kinect_is_online_chat_with_avatars_pulling_faces/attachment/0/large.jpghttp://www.merawindows.com/Portals/0/Content/Newsletters/Jan2011/AvatarKinectPrev3.jpghttp://www.lazytechguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/XBox-Avatar-Kinect.jpg


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For more information on the use of avatars in Kinect, please refer to the following YouTube

demonstration:Avatar Kinect Microsoft CES Keynote.

Establish Content Relevancy

When it comes to science classes, it is not always practice to have a full, working lab forstudents to use. While a lab would take learning to the next level, the cost to build and maintain

that lab could be far too much for the schools to afford. When combining science (and other

classes) with Microsoft Kinect, these classrooms can come to life. Kinect can build a virtual

classroom for students to explore. Augmented labs that integrate gestures and Kinect will

bridge the gap between virtual labs and true-to- life labs (KinectEDucation, 2011).

Kinect also helps students in other classes. Pilot programs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston,

Scottsdale, Flagstaff, and Fairfax and Loudoun Counties in Virginia show that use Kinect show

how teachers who use Kinect games in lesson plans are engaging students better on subjects

such as mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies. They are also showing

positive results in physical education, adaptive P.E., and special education (link:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/teachers-are-using-kinect-for-xbox-360-to-engage-

students-and-bring-learning-to-life-141564563.html ).

Explore New Environments

Using the Kinect system, students can explore in a hands-on way, topics that used to be just a

page in a book. For example, instead of hearing about the universe or human body via a book

or movie, students can now explore via Kinect. The following links are examples of how

students can virtually explore the universe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qvMHAvu-yc )

using Kinect, and the human body (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw_6o7AuBzk ).

Some experts will argue the idea of gesture-based learning in the classroom is far-fetched. It is

true that this technology is new and has relatively little classroom exposure. But when we

evaluate learning research, instructional needs, and the relatively inexpensive price for Kinect, it

becomes further evident that this technology will be a 21stcentury tool to facilitate instruction

(KinectEDucation, 2011).

Special Needs

Another benefit of using a tool like Kinect in the classroom is that it opens many doors for

students with a variety of disabilities. Lacina (2009) summarizes the benefits of integrating

technology into the classroom including meeting the needs of visual learners, more interactively

teaching whole-class lessons, and better engaging students (Hsu, 2011).
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Figures 5 and 6: The Power of Kinect in Special Education (Source).
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Yeah but... the flip sideKinect in the classroom is intriguing and exciting, but most of all it is emerging. Of course we

want students to be engaged, active, multi-cultural, and given every opportunity to explore the

world beyond the classroom. In theory the addition of Kinect to the classroom will meet the 4

steps in John Kellers ARCS Model of Motivational Design. To promote the learning process

and sustain motivation, the ARCS Model starts with gaining the learners attention, which theKinect activities will easily accomplish gaining the attention of the class. After gaining attention,

the material needs to be relevant for the learner outside of the classroom. The Kinect will allow

the student to make relevant connections using avatars and lively game-like environments.

Succeeding in the activities and the ability to explore freely develops confidence. And the last

step, satisfaction from this success is achieved with new exciting rewards such as the

celebration of the students avatar on the screen after they successfully complete an activity

(Keller, 2010). Who wouldnt want this? Of course we agree that the cost for the Kinect system

in the classroom is relatively inexpensive. But is it realistic? What is the flip side of this coin?

Even Microsoft admits a few things are needed for Kinect be successful in education: a

reformed classroom model, software and a paradigm shift.

Lack of Space

Creating a classroom space that will best display the Kinect is the easiest of the three needed

items, and that is not always easy. We will discuss the other two below. Teachers are used to

moving desks and students, a classroom layout as suggested by KinectEDucation would be

simple if there were empty space in the classroom, which is doubtful. Because the system is

active, there must be space for the students to move freely and white space to project the game.

There has to be enough space in the room for the screen and the sensor to detect the students.

And even then, it takes time for the Kinect to track a new user in the classroom (Hsu, 2011). If

even possible, there would be a need to rearrange classroom furniture, which would at the least

take time and could be more of a distraction to students than the benefit of the activity.


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Lack of Material

Because it is just emerging, the likelihood of the average teacher being interested in adding a

Kinect lesson to their immediate plans is slight. The setup of the Kinect system is not plug and

play and the availability of developed content is minimal. The average teacher would need to

spend time setting up the system at the least and would need to be quite tech savvy to write agame.

Kinect in the Classroom website has over 200 ready-to-go activity plans. Which may sound like

plenty. But this is for every subject, every age and every possible Kinect game. Many

lesson/games require additional purchases which can add to the initial purchase price. For

example, there are less than twenty math games for ages 5-10. The limited amount of material leaves teachers with hours of setup time to play a limited number of games with his or her class.

There are few educators that have the ability or are going to take the time to develop software.

Creating games takes a higher-level computer skill. The launch of the Kinect for Windows

Software Development Kit (SDK) has made game development more user friendly. Microsoft

has also added Kodu, which allows students to participate in the game creation using an icon-

based programming language for designing, programming and testing games. These additions

are helpful, but the setup is still not simple.

Lack of Time

Calibration of the Kinect takes a long amount of time, which can take away from instructional

time or planning time. When it is time to use the Kinect with the students, the system may need

to be recalibrated for each student to be recognized or the game may stall while the system is

recalibrating. Delays such as this in a classroom of excited students can be disastrous.

The Novelty Factor

There is no doubt that students will be more engaged in learning and excited when they see the

Kinect set up in their classroom. There is also no disputing the Kinect system allowing

educators to appeal to all learning styles. At question is whether the addition of the system will

promote the lesson or be a distraction? Charlie Osborn (2012) refers to this threat as the

novelty factor. Playing a game with the Kinect, while fun, is not always the best way to convey

the lesson material to the learner. Teachers have to decide if it is the best method for their

material, their learners and their classroom setup. The curriculum still has to be taught and the

tests still have to be taken. Is the addition of this cool technology going to supplement the

current systems and processes or is it going to be a hindrance?

Administrative Opinion and Approval

No doubt, it is a great value in a world full of declining budgets. But if the tool is not used or

understood by the teachers, it is money wasted. Most school systems are still offering training

on the use of email and the interactive white boards if they are lucky enough to even have them.

One would assume that they are offering this training because it is needed if this is the case,


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these schools are not ready for a Kinect in every classroom. Fiscal decision-makers have to

choose technology that is beneficial to the most students and the most teachers.

Speaking of politics and budgets, The US Department of Education cites the number one

reason that teachers quit or are likely to quit as a constant battle with administration. This is

the same administration charged with convincing early adopting teachers that they will be

adding value to their lesson plans by bringing in a gaming system to the classroom. If theteachers are already in a constant battle, it seems that they dont want to start another one.

Regarding the paradigm shift, the KinectEDucation blog agrees that just the association with

videogames is a hurdle for educators to get passed before the system can be adopted. The

administrators and those that have to justify purchases will seriously question the ingenuity of

purchasing a Kinect. The cost may not be as much of an issue as the perception of having a

video game in the classroom.

ConclusionThe potential of Kinect in education seems fairly limitless. Kinect has every aspect of aneffective education tool. Kinect is engaging, high quality, immersive, and customizable. The idea

of meeting kids where they are and introducing learning modules on devices they are already

using sets the stage for future widespread adoption, both in the classroom and in online

teaching environments. As with any technology, educators should not assume that everyone

who wants access to it actually gets the access they so desire, especially those that cannot

afford it.

We can see why the Horizon Report named gesture-based technology as a technology to watch

in the upcoming years. With Kinect, Microsoft has made it possible for human beings to control

technology like never before. However, Kinect gestures, and more importantly the learning

curve associated with learning these gestures has a little ways to go before the average teacher

will adopt it as a learning tool in the classroom. In the short term, we are convinced the typical

educator will not spend the amount of time it takes to learn, configure, and lesson plan around

Kinect. We can see niche applications for the Kinect in education, e.g., teaching with technology,

data visualization, and special needs applications.

In the end, we found a fair amount of subjective high-level promotional materials, but very few

concrete case studies to support Kinects effectiveness in a real world classroom setting with

actual students. As the Horizon Report suggests, the topic is in its infancy, so we expect the

level of rigor to substantially increase over time.

At present, the technology savvy teacher may be excited about using a Kinect activity in their

classroom. They may even spend their weekends developing software. However, the average

teacher is too overwhelmed, and the Kinect is under-supported to make this technology

anything more than emerging and novel. We posit that if professional course development were

funded with grants and Microsoft dollars, it could be more useful for the masses. Otherwise, the

technology may remain in the classrooms of a few highly motivated teachers.


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Handy Melvin McBogg TrendsPaper Nov18 2012

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