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1. what did you find 1.1. interesting about the article? The description/analysis of the transportation system using EDC. I found it a little difficult to understand the abstract explanations for HCI and EDC in the early part of the paper, but the overview of the transportation experiment showed how these concepts (HCI, EDC) could be applied. 1.2. not interesting about the article? As stated in the first part of this question, I found the part of the paper prior to the transportation system example a little too abstract and theoretical. I was looking more for the purpose and necessity of HCI/EDC through practical application. 2. what do you consider the main message of the article? Considering the powerful state of modern technology, learning environments should "not be restricted to the delivery of predigested information to individuals; rather, it [should] provide opportunities and resources for design activities embedded in social debates and discussions in which all stakeholders can actively contribute rather than being confined to passive consumer roles." We should challenge ourselve by trying to innovate new methods and build conceptually-superior systems that can further the efficiency with which we can learn rather than trying to speed up outdated, traditional techniques. 3. are themes discussed in the article which you would like to know more about? After finishing the article, I have become fascinated with the concept of Human-Computer Interaction. As a computer science major, I've become accustommed to using computers in a particular way which I must admit now seems below-potential. For most, computers are pretty much a flexible notepad bundled together with a gigantic encyclopedia. But they can do so much more if we program them to. It would be very interesting to see where the field of HCI research goes, exploiting the power of computers to harness the natural gifts and talents of humans. 4. what did you find interesting about the “EDC” system? That participants could really interact with the system and manipulate it as they went along while the system could adapt. This really displayed the concept of end-users no longer being passive consumers, but rather actively working with the system that was flexible enough to meet their needs. The physical model, in the form of the horizontal whiteboard, was ingenious, especially for the application (a bus system) since it was much easier to simulate and modify for people not accustomed to working with complicated software. Exceptional example of an HCI/EDC system. 5. do you know of other papers, ideas, and systems which are closely related to the article and the “EDC” system? Voice-recognition systems are slowly becoming more common. For instance, T-Mobile uses voice-activated commands for checking minutes and paying the monthly bill. Also, many cellphones have the capability to recognize people's names, thus shortcutting the process of dialing a phone number. 6. what do the article and the associated system say about 6.1. design This is best done in an "open system". Allow for progressive modification by end-users. The system should be started off with a "seed" and permit the ability to improve in all aspects by all participants of the system. 6.2. learning Highly effective in a action-reflection cycle. This concept in particular made a lot of sense to me. I do not learn very efficiently when I'm given a manual to read or documents to study-up on. I'd rather a system allow me to get started and allow me to make mistakes as I go along, incrementally gaining knowledge. 6.3. collaboration This is critical for trancending the individual mind. It's also useful in exploiting the "symmetry of ignorance". EDC allows for people to share in knowledge as well. It is also pointed out that people must be motivated to participate and overcome "passive consumer" syndrome with some sort of reward. 6.4. innovative media to support these activities? EDU systems, physical models in addition to strictly computational environments. For instance, the combination of horizontal and vertical whiteboards. Innovative HCI systems have the potential to impact intellectual grown/advancement as much as reading and writing when it first came into existence. 7. do you have any ideas how this research could / should be extended (based on your own knowledge and experience)? To me, the one thing that must really be addressed in order for this research to extend is the idea of rewarding people for participation. The concept of HCI in itself is great, but people need to be motivated to follow through. Considering a lot of money is at stake with companies unwilling to change their fundamental designing techniques for software, the leaders in this movement would need a reason to pass up the financial rewards of traditional high-tech companies to bring HCI to life.
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