14 DAY TRIAL // The CeBIT 2009 show this year will see the presentation of a new computer-assisted learning program, one that is especially designed to meet the needs of the students and to present content in an accessible manner that will make “Crayons” one of the most appreciated such software, the producers hope. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institutes for Information and Data Processing IITB, in Karlsruhe, Germany, say that this is the learning method of the future, and that the sooner the scientific community gets to work on it, the better for the children.
“One advantage of Crayons is that it can be used completely intuitively. The author is given editors for each exercise that function like existing programs such as Word. There is no painstaking effort required of the user in learning how to operate it. Crayons is suitable for schools, universities and vocational training,” the leader of the project, Daniel Szentesm, explains.
He adds that numerous functions can be intertwined, such as pictures, videos, images and hyperlinks. Furthermore, exercises can be added in order to make it easier for the pupils to deepen the knowledge they receive in the classroom. In addition, a wonderful feature of the new software allows students to create tutorials of sorts, which they can then give to their peers in order to help other children with their studies as well.
“It enables authors of learning materials to arrange courses in modules for flexibility and user-friendliness. Users can draw on all types of media, such as text, images, graphics, video film, virtual worlds and simulations,” the head of the project, Dr. Fanny Klett, adds. “Our software is universal. It is not independent of browser and the platform. It incorporates all fundamental standards and enables contents to be re-used in another context.”
Also, the most amazing thing about it is that IITB scientists have already created a version that is suited for children suffering from various impairments, such as deafness or blindness, so that they too can enjoy the new program. It remains to be seen whether Crayons will catch on with the general public, and what kind of reaction it will cause at CeBIT 2009.