SOS: Orchestrating collaborative activities across digital and physical spaces using wearable signaling devices

Abstract

Carrying out collaborative learning activities (supported by technologies or not)/ntypically involves the coordination of multiple participants, in their dynamic assignment to/ngroups and roles and in the distribution of resources and tools to specific group or individuals./nWhile the mechanisms required to address these coordination aspects in digital educational/nspaces have been largely studied, less research has been conducted on orchestration support for/nfacilitating this coordination in (technology-enhanced) physical spaces, such as the classroom/nor the playground. This paper presents the Signal Orchestration System (SOS), a system that/naugments the physical environment with digital signals indicating orchestration aspects. The/nSOS facilitates its integration with digital educational spaces to allow transitioning activities/nfrom digital to physical spaces. The paper describes the SOS system and its underlying/narchitecture through a functional prototype that has been developed to show its feasibility and/nto enable its evaluation in authentic situations. The main components of the prototype include a/nManager, where orchestration visual and auditory signals are configured, changed on the fly/nand transmitted, and three different designs of Wearable Signaling Devices, which are carried/nby participants and render the orchestration signals. The prototype has been used in two/ndifferent experiments in the context of a real course applying adaptations of the well-known/nJigsaw collaborative learning flow pattern. The results show that the SOS enables a flexible/ndynamic orchestration of the collaborative activities.