This thesis provides an introduction to an advance in technology-aided instruction. Most of the research in this area has focused on PowerPoint® based applications or white board-centered electronic ink applications with the capability of broadcasting slides, ink annotations and so forth, used for presentation or classroom lectures. But these tools lack the capability of annotating on any kind of applications with active content playing (a movie or a simulation, for instance) in the background. Additional useful, but currently unavailable functionality would include the capability of broadcasting the presentation information, which can further consist of lecture slides, ink annotations, video of the desktop screen activity, or any other application program that might be used to demonstrate a concept or illuminate an idea. Therefore, the current research attempts to provide these facilities with a new tool, WriteOn. WriteOn improves both the presentation of information and the interactivity in classroom instruction, because it gives the instructor the ability to ink annotate on any application by using a virtual transparency surface, called electronic vellum or simply eVellum, which in effect resides on top of all desktop window applications. The instructor can enable the vellum at any point during the lecture and write on it to draw diagrams, make notes, emphasize points, or otherwise elucidate the presentation content. The instructor can also pierce the eVellum in order to switch to different applications, modify an applications parameters or operating values, or otherwise manipulate an operating program as part of a classroom demonstration or discussion. These features allow the instructor to demonstrate the dynamic operation of any application, which is an improvement on a static PowerPoint display of a program's operation. With WriteOn, the instructor can save the ink annotations along with desktop screen activity over an interval of time as a movie file and later make this file available to students. Alternatively, the instructor can transmit to the students the presentation information along with ink annotations in real-time so that the students can make their own notes on top of information being produced by the instructor. Thus the tool can be used to enhance the interactive lecturing process and help students to develop good note-taking processes and habits. WriteOn is also capable of saving the voice of the instructor, provided there is an audio device attached to the instructor's Tablet PC. However, broadcasting the instructor's voice is not yet fully supported. The WriteOn tool was developed using Microsoft's technologies: Windows Media Encoder® and DirectShow of DirectX®, as well as Microsoft's ConferenceXP API to achieve streaming of the presentation information. The first chapter explains the need for computer tools used for effective teaching purposes. The second chapter presents the architectural and technical details of WriteOn. Chapter three describes the architecture of the WriteOn tool. Chapters four through six explain the major software components of the system and also give the pros and cons of the DirectShow and Windows Media Encoder technologies. The seventh chapter provides an explanation of the usage of the tool by instructors and students. The eighth chapter presents the experiences of the instructors and students using the WriteOn tool in the classroom and concludes with a discussion of future work in this area. The Appendix V provides a developers guide for those who might like to expand on this open source code. / Master of Science

Tablet PC is not a brand-new idea. But it did not draw much attention of consumers in the past. However tablet PC became the hottest product since Apple released the iPad in April 2010 which hit 15 million sales record in less than nine months. And this fever drives all of the IT, PC, mobile companies to start their production line. A war of tablet PC is about to begin in 2011. But from consumers¡¦ perspective, is tablet PC so different from its counterpart being utilized currently that attracts consumer to use it? What are the factors influencing the intention to use tablet PC? To answer the question, this study presents an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) integrating innovation diffusion theory and perceived price to examine the factors that influence the adoption of tablet PC. And the proposed model was empirically tested through data collected from an online questionnaire with 536 samples. And principal analysis, ANOVA, multiple regression as well as descriptive statistics were conducted to analyze the data. The findings indicate that all of the factors proposed in the model anticipate potential users¡¦ intention to use tablet PC. Among the factors, perceived enjoyment, perceived ease of use, relative advantage have the most significant influence and image is the least one. This study may extend use of TAM and provide further insights into tablet PC marketing strategies.

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία εκπονήθηκε στο Εργαστήριο Αλληλεπίδρασης Ανθρώπου Υπολογιστή του Τμήματος Ηλεκτρολόγων Μηχανικών και Τεχνολογίας Υπολογιστών του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών. Είχε ως στόχο τη μελέτη της συνεργασίας με χρήση φορητών υπολογιστών και εστίασε στις δυνατότητες που παρέχει ο υπολογιστής ταμπλέτας με σκοπό τη βελτιστοποίηση της ποιότητας της συνεργασίας και της μάθησης. Η εφαρμογή που χρησιμοποιήθηκε ήταν το Synergo Client της πλατφόρμας Synergo.Σε αυτήν προστέθηκαν νέα εργαλεία για την υποστήριξη της πένας. Πιο συγκεκριμένα προστέθηκε το free draw tool,το οποίο παρέχει τη δυνατότητα ελεύθερης σχεδίασης στον κοινόχρηστο χώρο εργασίας και μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί παράλληλα με όλες τις υπόλοιπες λειτουργίες του Client. Επιπλέον κάποιες ήδη υπάρχουσες λειτουργίες προσαρμόστηκαν ώστε να διεξάγωνται πιο εύκολα με την πένα. Κατά τη διαδικασία ανάπτυξης ακολουθήθηκε επαναληπτική διαδικασία σχεδίασης με διαδοχικούς σχεδιασμούς, υλοποιήσεις και αξιολογήσεις. / This diploma thesis was done at the HCI lab of the department of Electrical engineering and computer technology of the University of Patras. The main object was the study of collaboration through tablet PC and focused at the possibilities provided by the tablet pc to optimize the collaboration. The application used was the Synergo Client, that has been developed at the HCI lab.

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εκπονήθηκε στο εργαστήριο Αλληλεπίδρασης Ανθρώπου Υπολογιστή του τμήματος Ηλεκτρολόγων Μηχανικών και Τεχνολογίας Υπολογιστών του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών. Σα στόχο είχε τη μελέτη της αλληλεπίδρασης σε ομάδες συνεργασίας με τη χρήση φορητών υπολογιστών, και εστίασε στις δυνατότητες που παρέχει ο υπολογιστής ταμπλέτας με σκοπό τη βελτιστοποίηση της ποιότητας διδασκαλίας. Η εφαρμογή η οποία χρησιμοποιήθηκε αρχικά ήταν το Synergo Supervisor Station, το οποίο αποτελεί εργαλείο της γενικότερης πλατφόρμας Synergo. Επανασχεδιάστηκαν ορισμένα τμήματα της διεπιφάνειας της εφαρμογής αυτής αλλά και υλοποιήθηκε ένα νέο εργαλείο για την παρακολούθηση των επιφανειών εργασιών των ομάδων συνεργασίας σε πραγματικό χρόνο. Το εργαλείο αυτό ονομάζεται Synergo Vision και είναι και αυτό μέρος της γενικότερης πλατφόρμας Synergo. Το Synergo Vision μπορεί να λειτουργήσει και αυτόνομα αλλά και ως πρόσθετο στο Synergo Supervisor Station. Με το Synergo Vision ο καθηγητής μπορεί να βλέπει σε πραγματικό χρόνο τους χώρους εργασίας των συνεργαζόμενων ομάδων, τις κινήσεις των μελών κάθε ομάδας, να αποστέλλει δραστηριότητες στις ομάδες, να επικοινωνεί μαζί τους μέσω μηνυμάτων, εκμεταλλευόμενος τις δυνατότητες που του προσφέρει η πένα των υπολογιστών ταμπλέτας αλλά και ο προβολέας σαν εναλλακτική μορφή διαδραστικού πίνακα. Κατά τη διαδικασία ανάπτυξης ακολουθήθηκε επαναληπτική διαδικασία σχεδίασης με διαδοχικούς σχεδιασμούς, υλοποιήσεις και αξιολογήσεις. / This diploma thesis was prepared for the Human – Computer Interaction (HCI) Group of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of University of Patras. The main object of this thesis was the study of the interaction on collaborative groups using portable computers, and focused on the possibilities provided by the tablet computer to optimize the teaching process. The application that was used firstly was Synergo Supervisor Station, which is part of the wider platform Synergo. Some parts of its user interface were redesigned, and a new application was developed for watching the workspaces of collaborative groups in real time. That application is called Synergo Vision and it is part of the wider platform Synergo, as well. Synergo Vision can run as a standalone application and as plug-in for Synergo Supervisor Station. Using Synergo Vision the teacher is able to watch in real time the workspaces of the collaborative groups, the moves of each group member, send activities to the groups, communicate with them using text messages, taking the advantages of the table computers’ stylus and the use of the projector as an alternative form of an interactive whiteboard. During the development phase, we use recursive design with consecutive design, implementation and evaluation strategies.

Interactive touchscreens such as tablet PCs (TPC) and interactive whiteboards (IWB) are becoming more and more common in classrooms around the world. To date, very little research has been conducted on the impact of the new technology on physics education. This systematic literature review aims to investigate research on what impact tablet PCs and interactive whiteboards might have on the education in upper Secondary School. The review was performed in response to the following questions: 1. What is the influence of IWBs and TPCs on students’ active participation in physics education? 2. How can an IWB or TPC improve students’ learning about physics concepts? 3. How can educational research on touchscreen technology help inform effective teaching strategies in physics education? To respond to the questions of the study, relevant research about interactive whiteboards and/or tablet PCs was consulted and analysed. Twelve articles were located, mainly through the ERIC and Scopus databases, but also through Google Scholar. The included articles reported empirical research about physics education with interactive whiteboards or tablet PCs. The results from the articles indicate that interactive touchscreens might help improve learners’ active participation in physics education. Interactive whiteboards can, for example, be used to display interactive simulations during group work, something students are found to appreciate and easily engage in. A tablet PC can be used in the same way, but also allows students to receive anonymous support and feedback from the teacher during class which seems to be beneficial for learning. Results show that it is possible to improve students’ understanding of physics concepts by using interactive whiteboards or tablet PCs. However, further research is required to compare results from students using touch technology and students taught in traditional manner to be able to draw any general conclusions about observed learning effects.

Actively engaging students in the classroom and promoting their interaction, both amongst themselves and with the instructor, is an important aspect to student learning. Research has demonstrated that student learning improves when instructors make use of pedagogical techniques which promote active learning. Equally important is instructor feedback from activities such as in-class assessments. Studies have shown that when instructor feedback is given at the time a new topic is introduced, student performance is improved. The focus of this thesis is the creation of a software program, Virtual Clicker, which addresses the need for active engagement, in-class feedback, and classroom interaction, even in large classrooms. When properly used it will allow for multi-directional feedback; teacher to student, student to teacher, and student to student. It also supports the use of digital ink for Tablet PCs in this interaction environment. / Master of Science

A evolução das tecnologias móveis ampliou significativamente a possibilidade de inclusão digital das pessoas com deficiências em geral, permitindo a interação sem as barreiras de espaço e tempo. Dentre estas novas tecnologias está o tablet PC, considerado atualmente a tecnologia móvel mais implementada em instituições de ensino do mundo, devido à sua ampla capacidade de interatividade, flexibilidade, mobilidade, navegação pelos Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVAs), e acessibilidade de diferentes perfis de usuários. Entretanto, a maioria dos usuários com baixa visão (BV) tem encontrado dificuldades em navegar nos AVAs por meio desta tecnologia, tendo que fazer uso de Tecnologias Assistivas voltadas para os cegos. Muito embora as diretrizes utilizadas para a construção destas Interfaces Gráficas do Usuário (GUIs) baseiem-se nos preceitos do W3C e do Design Universal, este fato pode prejudicar sua condição, gerar frustração e, consequentemente, resultar na sua exclusão digital. Com isso, o objetivo desta pesquisa é melhorar as condições de usabilidade dos AVAs no tablet PC, através de uma sistemática estruturada que forneça diretrizes capazes de orientar os desenvolvedores a criarem GUIs pensando no usuário com BV. A metodologia utilizada baseou-se no AVA Moodle como cenário de uso para o estudo de caso, foi realizada em três etapas que incluíram especialistas web, assim como usuários com BV, levando ao desenvolvimento da sistemática. Como resultado final da sua validação, tem-se um Guia de Diretrizes voltado para a construção de GUIs acessíveis aos usuários com BV, no tablet PC. Conclui-se que esta sistemática possibilita ao desenvolvedor agrupar e conceber suas próprias recomendações, em forma de guia de diretrizes, capazes de orientá-lo no incremento de interfaces voltadas especificamente para um usuário típico definido, independente do cenário de uso estabelecido. Refletindo, desta forma, na garantia e qualidade de acesso deste usuário, e permitindo a melhoria do processo de implementação de projetos pelo desenvolvedor. / The evolution of mobile technologies has significantly broadened the digital inclusion possibility for persons with general disabilities, by providing interaction with no space and time barrier constraints. Among these new technologies, the Tablet PCs are currently deemed the most widely implemented mobile technology in teaching institutions worldwide due to their wide capacity of interactivity, flexibility, mobility, browsing through Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), and accessibility to different user profiles However, most Low Vision (LV) users have faced difficulties to browse through VLEs by means of this technology and must resort to Assistive Technologies aimed at blind persons. Although the guidelines employed for the construction of those Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs) are founded on the precepts of W3C and Universal Design, this fact may harm their condition, generate frustration and, consequently, result in their digital exclusion. This way, the objective of this research is to improve the VLE usability conditions on Tablet PCs through a structured systematic to provide guidelines capable of instructing developers to create GUIs with LV users in mind. The methodology employed is based on the VLE Moodle as the scenery used for the case study, was carried out in three stages and included Web experts as well as LV users, leading to the development of the systematic. As an end result of its validation, there is a Guidelines Guide aimed at the construction of GUIs that are accessible to LV users on Tablet PCs. It has been concluded that this systematic allows developers to group up and conceive their own recommendations in the form of a guidelines guide that are capable of instructing them in incrementing interfaces specifically aimed at a defined typical users regardless of the established scenery of use. This way, it would reflect as an access guarantee and quality for those users, and allow for improvements to the project implementation process by developers.

In this thesis research, we investigate the usability of hand-held display (Tablet PC) and wearable head-mounted display (Google Glass) interfaces and their effect on doctor-patient interaction during clinical ward round in the hospital. We looked at existing literature to identify existing research about our topic. Using a User Centered Interaction Design process we developed a prototype hybrid system that used both a hand-held and head-mounted display. An evaluation of this prototype with a hand-held system and a paper based interface was performed in a simulated patient room with 20 doctors and 5 patients. The participants were observed, surveyed, and interviewed about their experiences. Generally, the patients had a high satisfaction rate and felt the interfaces were not causing the doctors to lose focus on them. The doctors found the hand-held display by itself and existing paper-based interface to be the most usable and least distracting interfaces for accessing patient information during clinical ward rounds.

A evolução das tecnologias móveis ampliou significativamente a possibilidade de inclusão digital das pessoas com deficiências em geral, permitindo a interação sem as barreiras de espaço e tempo. Dentre estas novas tecnologias está o tablet PC, considerado atualmente a tecnologia móvel mais implementada em instituições de ensino do mundo, devido à sua ampla capacidade de interatividade, flexibilidade, mobilidade, navegação pelos Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVAs), e acessibilidade de diferentes perfis de usuários. Entretanto, a maioria dos usuários com baixa visão (BV) tem encontrado dificuldades em navegar nos AVAs por meio desta tecnologia, tendo que fazer uso de Tecnologias Assistivas voltadas para os cegos. Muito embora as diretrizes utilizadas para a construção destas Interfaces Gráficas do Usuário (GUIs) baseiem-se nos preceitos do W3C e do Design Universal, este fato pode prejudicar sua condição, gerar frustração e, consequentemente, resultar na sua exclusão digital. Com isso, o objetivo desta pesquisa é melhorar as condições de usabilidade dos AVAs no tablet PC, através de uma sistemática estruturada que forneça diretrizes capazes de orientar os desenvolvedores a criarem GUIs pensando no usuário com BV. A metodologia utilizada baseou-se no AVA Moodle como cenário de uso para o estudo de caso, foi realizada em três etapas que incluíram especialistas web, assim como usuários com BV, levando ao desenvolvimento da sistemática. Como resultado final da sua validação, tem-se um Guia de Diretrizes voltado para a construção de GUIs acessíveis aos usuários com BV, no tablet PC. Conclui-se que esta sistemática possibilita ao desenvolvedor agrupar e conceber suas próprias recomendações, em forma de guia de diretrizes, capazes de orientá-lo no incremento de interfaces voltadas especificamente para um usuário típico definido, independente do cenário de uso estabelecido. Refletindo, desta forma, na garantia e qualidade de acesso deste usuário, e permitindo a melhoria do processo de implementação de projetos pelo desenvolvedor. / The evolution of mobile technologies has significantly broadened the digital inclusion possibility for persons with general disabilities, by providing interaction with no space and time barrier constraints. Among these new technologies, the Tablet PCs are currently deemed the most widely implemented mobile technology in teaching institutions worldwide due to their wide capacity of interactivity, flexibility, mobility, browsing through Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), and accessibility to different user profiles However, most Low Vision (LV) users have faced difficulties to browse through VLEs by means of this technology and must resort to Assistive Technologies aimed at blind persons. Although the guidelines employed for the construction of those Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs) are founded on the precepts of W3C and Universal Design, this fact may harm their condition, generate frustration and, consequently, result in their digital exclusion. This way, the objective of this research is to improve the VLE usability conditions on Tablet PCs through a structured systematic to provide guidelines capable of instructing developers to create GUIs with LV users in mind. The methodology employed is based on the VLE Moodle as the scenery used for the case study, was carried out in three stages and included Web experts as well as LV users, leading to the development of the systematic. As an end result of its validation, there is a Guidelines Guide aimed at the construction of GUIs that are accessible to LV users on Tablet PCs. It has been concluded that this systematic allows developers to group up and conceive their own recommendations in the form of a guidelines guide that are capable of instructing them in incrementing interfaces specifically aimed at a defined typical users regardless of the established scenery of use. This way, it would reflect as an access guarantee and quality for those users, and allow for improvements to the project implementation process by developers.

A evolução das tecnologias móveis ampliou significativamente a possibilidade de inclusão digital das pessoas com deficiências em geral, permitindo a interação sem as barreiras de espaço e tempo. Dentre estas novas tecnologias está o tablet PC, considerado atualmente a tecnologia móvel mais implementada em instituições de ensino do mundo, devido à sua ampla capacidade de interatividade, flexibilidade, mobilidade, navegação pelos Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVAs), e acessibilidade de diferentes perfis de usuários. Entretanto, a maioria dos usuários com baixa visão (BV) tem encontrado dificuldades em navegar nos AVAs por meio desta tecnologia, tendo que fazer uso de Tecnologias Assistivas voltadas para os cegos. Muito embora as diretrizes utilizadas para a construção destas Interfaces Gráficas do Usuário (GUIs) baseiem-se nos preceitos do W3C e do Design Universal, este fato pode prejudicar sua condição, gerar frustração e, consequentemente, resultar na sua exclusão digital. Com isso, o objetivo desta pesquisa é melhorar as condições de usabilidade dos AVAs no tablet PC, através de uma sistemática estruturada que forneça diretrizes capazes de orientar os desenvolvedores a criarem GUIs pensando no usuário com BV. A metodologia utilizada baseou-se no AVA Moodle como cenário de uso para o estudo de caso, foi realizada em três etapas que incluíram especialistas web, assim como usuários com BV, levando ao desenvolvimento da sistemática. Como resultado final da sua validação, tem-se um Guia de Diretrizes voltado para a construção de GUIs acessíveis aos usuários com BV, no tablet PC. Conclui-se que esta sistemática possibilita ao desenvolvedor agrupar e conceber suas próprias recomendações, em forma de guia de diretrizes, capazes de orientá-lo no incremento de interfaces voltadas especificamente para um usuário típico definido, independente do cenário de uso estabelecido. Refletindo, desta forma, na garantia e qualidade de acesso deste usuário, e permitindo a melhoria do processo de implementação de projetos pelo desenvolvedor. / The evolution of mobile technologies has significantly broadened the digital inclusion possibility for persons with general disabilities, by providing interaction with no space and time barrier constraints. Among these new technologies, the Tablet PCs are currently deemed the most widely implemented mobile technology in teaching institutions worldwide due to their wide capacity of interactivity, flexibility, mobility, browsing through Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), and accessibility to different user profiles However, most Low Vision (LV) users have faced difficulties to browse through VLEs by means of this technology and must resort to Assistive Technologies aimed at blind persons. Although the guidelines employed for the construction of those Graphic User Interfaces (GUIs) are founded on the precepts of W3C and Universal Design, this fact may harm their condition, generate frustration and, consequently, result in their digital exclusion. This way, the objective of this research is to improve the VLE usability conditions on Tablet PCs through a structured systematic to provide guidelines capable of instructing developers to create GUIs with LV users in mind. The methodology employed is based on the VLE Moodle as the scenery used for the case study, was carried out in three stages and included Web experts as well as LV users, leading to the development of the systematic. As an end result of its validation, there is a Guidelines Guide aimed at the construction of GUIs that are accessible to LV users on Tablet PCs. It has been concluded that this systematic allows developers to group up and conceive their own recommendations in the form of a guidelines guide that are capable of instructing them in incrementing interfaces specifically aimed at a defined typical users regardless of the established scenery of use. This way, it would reflect as an access guarantee and quality for those users, and allow for improvements to the project implementation process by developers.