MultiPoint Mouse SDK from Microsoft and AeL Collaborative Content

Premises

In the current information society, the introduction of IT&C tools in education has become a necessity, in order to ensure the development of high computer skills. Some countries have already allocated huge budgets for providing schools with modern technology. Virtual laboratories, interactive tables, educational platforms, mobile devices, digital educational content, all these have become complementary instruments adopted and used successfully in the teaching/learning process. More countries aim now to align their education system to international standards, due to constant positive results presented by various extensive studies regarding the use of modern tools in the teaching/learning process.

But many schools in the developing countries were provided with only a few computers that students can use during classes and which are available especially in laboratories. Thus, most of the times, a computer is used by 2-3 or even more students, an aspect that doesn't allow for all students to use the computer during the class. Because the educational process becomes very difficult to control in this kind of situations, the teachers decide to give up on using computers.

To find a viable solution to this problem, Microsoft Corporation created MultiPoint, a technology which allows multiple users to share a single computer and using their own mouse. MultiPoint is being used by schools in order to increase student engagement, develop teamwork skills, and empower teachers to create novel instructional activities. The teacher is no longer a referee; he/she becomes a coordinator, gaining more time to analyze individual's or group's work, or to provide further explanations on certain topics.

In order to complete the pedagogical value of Microsoft MultiPoint technology, SIVECO Romania has developed AeL collaborative content, offering a modern approach in computer-based education. AeL collaborative content is based on psycho-pedagogical constructivist principles, focusing on active learning, helping students to discover, to search for information, work together, be creative, draw their own conclusions and build their own knowledge.

The pilot project

In May 2009, Microsoft Corporation and SIVECO Romania carried out a pilot project in the no.1 Gymnasium School in Minsk, Belarus Republic. The targeted public of the project was represented by 66 students aged between 12 and 15 years, their teachers of biology, physics and chemistry and two school principals.

This research aimed to analyze the impact that Microsoft MultiPoint and AeL collaborative content has on students in Belarus. SIVECO Romania developed AeL collaborative content based on the premises that it can improve results and increase students' motivation for learning.

Challenges of the pilot project

• Teachers need training in order to understand teh importance of the pilot and to become active participants.
• Teachers need to be motivated in order to adopt the use of IT&C tools as complementary resources in the classroon, along with traditional tools.
• Students need to be carefully monitored by teachers throughout their involvement in group activities.

Impact on students

The pilot project recorded outstanding results:

• Students perceived the MultiPoint application as very attractive and most of them claim that the application is very easy to use.
• Students considered that the digital content helps them to learn many new concepts.
• The interviewed students said they feel more motivated to learn when using MultiPoint application. Students believe that using modern learning method on a daily basis can improve their school results.
• Students believe that by using MultiPoint and AeL collaborative content, they can solve exercises and problems much faster, become more creative, interact and communicate more with their classmates and use the computer better, thus improving their school results.

When using the MultiPoint application and AeL collaborative content, students have especially appreciated the following elements:

• The visual components - attractive graphics, colourful animations, realistic presentations and simulations of natural phenomena.
• Team work and collaboration: they can work in groups of 2 students.
• Interesting experiments, conducted in a safe environment, without any risk of accidents or failure, the possibility to repeat experiments.
• Multimedia lessons, presented as attractive games.
• The amount of information and modern teaching methods.
• Interactivity and the opportunity to study alone or in groups, coordinated by a teacher.

Impact on teachers

Analysing data from teachers, school directors and coordinators involved in the project, the following results have been emphasised:

• Teachers assign a high importance to pedagogical value and regarded the application's educational value as very high.
• Teachers considered that MultiPoint application and AeL collaborative content allows students to easily perform the required tasks, according to the pedagogical objectives and regard this as relatively important.
• Teachers appreciated MultiPoint and AeL collaborative content as very attractive and interactive, motivating students to become more active.
• Teachers believe that the MultiPoint application and AeL collaborative content can improve collaboration and teamwork, thus helping students to solve problems and exercises more easily and develop their creativity and imagination.
• Teachers consider that the provided applications offer the possibility to observe not only the work of each student, but also groups of students and how they collaborate with each other.
• Teachers state that by using digital content they gain more time to provide students with additional explanations on difficult phenomena; get quick feedback from students and can capture students' attention more easily from the beginning of the class.
• Teachers unanimously consider that students are more involved in the learning process when using MultiPoint application and AeL collaborative content.
• All the interviewed teachers consider that the performance of students would improve if they used MultiPoint and AeL collaborative content on a daily basis.
• Teachers mentioned that MultiPoint application and AeL collaborative content offers: attractive graphics, realistic simulations of phenomena, ease of use, teamwork facilities, all these leading to a greater involvement of students in the learning process.
• Teachers believe that MultiPoint and AeL collaborative content should be mapped on the national curricula and a modern teaching methodology should be adopted.