SoS, Signal Orchestration System

SoS, Signal Orchestration System
Wearable devices and classroom furniture to display digital signals indicating collaborative orchestration mechanisms

The Signal Orchestration System (SOS) augments the physical environment with digital signals indicating orchestration aspects. It includes a manager, where orchestration visual and auditory signals are configured, changed on the fly and transmitted. These signals are rendered in physical devices that students can easily wear in a way that the signals can be collectively perceived (by the rest of the students in a group). This facilitates awareness of the social dynamic and the activity flow. For instance, to indicate group formation, students’ devices can show color signals. The students with the same color form a group. Blinking lights can indicate role or resource distribution, sound signals change of activity, etc. However, the actual meaning of each signal depends on the needs and creativity of the teacher who design the collaborative dynamic and its orchestration.

Publications:

Balestrini, M.; Hernández-Leo, D.; Blat, J.: Orchestration support matters: distributed awareness visualization of group formation fosters collaboration and performance. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 7(1), 2014, 17-30. (doi:10.1109/TLT.2013.33)

Hernández-Leo, D.; Balestrini, M.; Nieves, R.; Blat, J.; Exploiting awareness to facilitate the orchestration of collaborative activities in physical spaces, CEUR Proceedings of the 2nd Workshop on Awareness and Reflection in Technology-Enhanced Learning, EC-TEL2012, Saarbrücken, Germany, September 2012, CEUR WS Vol. 931, pp. 55-56.

Hernández-Leo, D.; Nieves, R.; Arroyo, E.; Rosales, A.; Melero, J.; Blat, J.: SOS: Orchestrating Collaborative Activities Across Digital and Physical Spaces Using Wearable Signaling Devices. Journal of Universal Computer Science 18(15), 2012, 2165-2186 (link to paper)

Hernández-Leo, D. et al., Orchestration Signals in the Classroom: Managing the Jigsaw Collaborative Learning Flow. In: Proceedings of 6th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, EC-TEL 2011, Palermo, Italy, September 2011, pp. 153-165