In this meeting, we will discuss 3 research activities that will be presented the following week at the HCII conference. Titles and Abstract are as follows:
(1) PRESENTED BY STEFAN CARMIEN :
Tools for Living and Tools for Learning
Abstract
This paper interweaves the notions of distributed intelligence and scaffolding
with fading in discussing the nature of the modes of use of artifacts as
tools, particularly computational artifacts. We introduce the notions of
tools for living and tools for learning as parts of a framework for evaluating
how artifacts are used and as broad guidelines for the design of artifacts.
The tools concept is then studied in the context of the Memory Aiding Prompting
System (MAPS) for supporting persons with cognitive disabilities in daily
living tasks. Finally, the paper investigates the cultural implications of
the use of both kinds of artifacts.
(2) PRESENTED BY MELISSA DAWE:
Smart Care: the Importance and Challenges of Creating Life Histories for People
with Cognitive Disabilities
authors: Melissa Dawe, Gerhard Fischer, Andrew Gorman, Anja Kintsch, Shin'ichi Konomi, James Sullivan, John Taylor, and Greg Wellems
Abstract
This paper presents preliminary results from an ongoing ethnographically-informed
research project focused on designing technologies that support people with
cognitive disabilities residing in community living settings and the distributed
network of caregivers. Over the past thirty years, social and legislative
reforms in the U.S. have enabled people with cognitive disabilities to steadily
move from long-term care settings in centralized institutions to independent
and semi-independent living in decentralized community residences. This paper
will examine some of the socio-technical challenges and opportunities for
improving the long-term quality of life for residents and the job satisfaction
for the network of professionals who care for them. We illuminate the potential
role of personal life histories in this effort, and describe a multi-tiered
socio-technical architecture that addresses these challenges.
(3) PRESENTED BY GERHARD FISCHER:
From Reflective Practitioners to Reflective Communities
Abstract
Over the last decade we have explored collective creativity in knowledge work
primarily in the context of complex design problems. These problems require
more knowledge than any single person possesses, and the knowledge relevant
to a problem is usually distributed among many stakeholders. Bringing different
and often controversial points of view together to create a shared understanding
among these stakeholders can lead to new insights, new ideas, and new artifacts.
The challenge for the future will be not only to support reflective practitioners but also to develop new frameworks, new media, and new social environments, as well as to support reflective communities by overcoming the limitations of the individual human mind.