Chien-Hsing Chou 1, Feng-Chih Hsu1 and Hui-Ju Chen1
1Department of Electrical Engineering, Tamkang University, Tamsui, Taiwan 251, R.O.C.
Received:
April 19, 2017
Accepted:
October 4, 2017
Publication Date:
March 1, 2018
Download Citation:
||https://doi.org/10.6180/jase.201803_21(1).0016
ABSTRACT
In this paper, a Mandarin phonetic symbol-based teaching aid that uses interactive digital blocks is developed. The teaching aid consists of five components: four interactive digital blocks (namely as iBlocks) and a computer for learning Mandarin phonetic symbols, called the Zhuyin Fuhao learning system. This teaching aid was designed by adopting the concept of tangible user interface (TUI). By assembling different combinations of iBlocks, children learn to recognize Mandarin phonetic symbols and their pronunciations. Each iBlock contains an embedded system responsible for I/O control and communication with the Zhuyin Fuhao learning system. The front of the iBlock is a touch screen, which displays a phonetic symbol.In addition, the sides of the iBlocks are equipped with button sensors. When iBlocks are put together, the Zhuyin Fuhao learning system examines the consonants, vowels, and tones on the iBlocks, then reads the pronunciation of the word and displays related vocabulary items and pictures. The proposed teaching aid not only interacts with children to attract their attention while the children learn phonetic symbols,but also provides children with visual, auditory, and tactile experiences.
Keywords:
Tangible User Interface, Mandarin Phonetic Symbols, iBlock, Assembling Blocks, Zhuyin Fuhao Learning System
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