After spending some time playing with this website (which Wensi presented), I thought that it might make a really interesting platform for my project.
http://angiogenesis.amgen.com/
I like the navigation and think it might be cool to have the "panels" as different environments (maybe different parts of a jungle and moving into ocean)....these different environments can highlight the different types of arthropods.
I was also thinking of having some kind of timeline...maybe Cambrian Period and present time, to highlight the differences of arthropods then and now and to contrast the environments. Therefore, you could move around in many ways. Back and forth between different environments and back and forth in time.....I'm not sure how much this is making sense...it's hard to describe in writing...
From the various environments, there would be whatever links are necessary (animations, games etc...). Perhaps the user could build their own arthropod and place it in the environment....
Anyhow...some random thoughts.
Also, this video is hilarious (in a really terrible way)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6AiZaGBal0
Monday, May 18, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Presentation
On Monday and Wednesday of this week, we presented where we were at with our MRPs. This is what I presented:
I want to create an interactive kiosk or website with some game elements that would teach a general audience of all ages about arthropod evolution.
1st problem: creating something that would appeal to all ages - something that kids would understand, but would also keep the interest of adults.
2nd problem: knowing how in depth to go with the project - as there could potentially be a large genetic component, I need to figure out what is important to include and what is too much.
-as far as animations go, I want to have them showing the major changes that occurred in relation to body segmentation and appendages - perhaps 1 animation for each class of arthropod?
3rd problem: how will these animations fit in with the rest of the interactive display?
As far as I figure, there are two main options for the set up of the display
1. Have the whole thing as a linear module. The users would start at the beginning and move through in a set way - more like a game
2. The display could be non-linear and completely interactive and self-guided. I feel this may be better in a museum setting, as you don't have to wait for someone to finish the entire module.
The other thought is to drop the museum thing and focus more on a younger audience. Check different grade curriculum and see if something like this would be useful or in need. That way, a more game like approach could work as well.
Information to find if sticking with a museum:
1. What amount of time do museums want people at their displays?
2. What age do they really aim for? Is it dependent on where in the museum it is?
3. What format of interactivity is generally more successful in this environment?
I want to create an interactive kiosk or website with some game elements that would teach a general audience of all ages about arthropod evolution.
1st problem: creating something that would appeal to all ages - something that kids would understand, but would also keep the interest of adults.
2nd problem: knowing how in depth to go with the project - as there could potentially be a large genetic component, I need to figure out what is important to include and what is too much.
-as far as animations go, I want to have them showing the major changes that occurred in relation to body segmentation and appendages - perhaps 1 animation for each class of arthropod?
3rd problem: how will these animations fit in with the rest of the interactive display?
As far as I figure, there are two main options for the set up of the display
1. Have the whole thing as a linear module. The users would start at the beginning and move through in a set way - more like a game
2. The display could be non-linear and completely interactive and self-guided. I feel this may be better in a museum setting, as you don't have to wait for someone to finish the entire module.
The other thought is to drop the museum thing and focus more on a younger audience. Check different grade curriculum and see if something like this would be useful or in need. That way, a more game like approach could work as well.
Information to find if sticking with a museum:
1. What amount of time do museums want people at their displays?
2. What age do they really aim for? Is it dependent on where in the museum it is?
3. What format of interactivity is generally more successful in this environment?
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Beginning of the Blog: An Introduction
I guess first off, I need to get caught up on my MRP blogging, as I'm a little behind! Here's what's happening so far:
Committee:
Master's Research Project (MRP) title/general idea: Arthropod Evolution
Goal: To produce a fun, informative, and interactive display (game, website, museum kiosk) that would teach people the key characteristics found amongst all arthropods, and how these characteristics evolved from primitive arthropods.
I still need to narrow down an age group...I think this will be determined by the means of communication I choose (ie: if I stick with museum kiosk then I would be creating something for all ages, whereas a website or game based approach could be focused to a younger crowd)
Committee meeting #1: My first committee meeting was on Wednesday April 22nd. Dave, Shelley and I met Darryl at UTM and Dave filled him in on what the BMC program entails and what he can expect as a content advisor on one of the MRP projects. We also explained that I would be in the New Media stream and how this differed from the 3D stream.
We discussed possible ideas for the project . Darryl suggested that I could focus on general arthropod evolution, but it could be interesting to focus and explore one of the various schools of thought on this topic or to do a comparison between different schools of thought (mostly classification and genetic disagreements).
Shelley also had a wonderful "build your own arthropod" concept that I think will work wonderfully within the project.
Finally, we talked about future requirements. We will have 2-3 more committee meetings and explained to Darryl that I may have content questions at various points while working on the project.
Other decisions to be made:
Committee:
- Supervisor: Dave Mazierski
- Voting Member: Dr. Shelley Wall
- Content Advisor: Dr. Darryl Gwynne
Master's Research Project (MRP) title/general idea: Arthropod Evolution
Goal: To produce a fun, informative, and interactive display (game, website, museum kiosk) that would teach people the key characteristics found amongst all arthropods, and how these characteristics evolved from primitive arthropods.
I still need to narrow down an age group...I think this will be determined by the means of communication I choose (ie: if I stick with museum kiosk then I would be creating something for all ages, whereas a website or game based approach could be focused to a younger crowd)
Committee meeting #1: My first committee meeting was on Wednesday April 22nd. Dave, Shelley and I met Darryl at UTM and Dave filled him in on what the BMC program entails and what he can expect as a content advisor on one of the MRP projects. We also explained that I would be in the New Media stream and how this differed from the 3D stream.
We discussed possible ideas for the project . Darryl suggested that I could focus on general arthropod evolution, but it could be interesting to focus and explore one of the various schools of thought on this topic or to do a comparison between different schools of thought (mostly classification and genetic disagreements).
Shelley also had a wonderful "build your own arthropod" concept that I think will work wonderfully within the project.
Finally, we talked about future requirements. We will have 2-3 more committee meetings and explained to Darryl that I may have content questions at various points while working on the project.
Other decisions to be made:
- should I write a paper?
- should I evaluate (probably yes)?
Well, that was a bit of a catch-up on the older stuff. Here are some of the links I've found to online resources (there are amazingly many e-books that I've come across on arthropods). The entire books may not be available, but enough for me to gage whether it would be worth finding elsewhere!
http://books.google.ca/books?id=aJAnh7CrOJsC&pg=PA75&dq=arthropod+evolution#PPP1,M1
http://books.google.ca/books?id=65KqxDz3GmEC&pg=RA4-PA95&dq=arthropod+evolution#PPP1,M1
http://books.google.ca/books?id=Pj-q9eHyIx0C&pg=PA106&dq=arthropod+evolution#PPP1,M1
Here's one for fun (Dave and Shelley, it's the website I mentioned during the MRP that I found somewhat amusing and definitely filled with info!)
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/arthropodstory
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