For its annual design issue, The New York Times wanted to include a futuristic laptop for teenagers. The project's main thrust was to re-think the future of education and then construct a laptop that would best deliver that vision. The end result is gelfrog, a dynamic, portable device concept that enables new educational experiences without sacrificing the need for individuality.
Understanding the realities of kids' lifestyles informed every stage of the project. The initial research focused on the current state of high school education, the social lives of U.S. teens, and new socially progressive technologies.
Insights from brainstorming and contextual inquiry activities drove gelfrog's requirements list: the new device needed to be integrated, durable, easily accessible, and adaptable to the user's personality and learning style. gelfrog incorporates a number of new and existing technologies to deliver course work and school lessons through a customizable interface that empower kids to learn on their own terms.
Creating personal relevance was key in designing an attractive educational product and user interface prototype. The gelfrog acts as an intellectual and personal extension of the student's identity by allowing them to tune stylistic and knowledge-based attributes. It resonates deeply with students because its appearance and information format can be personalized.
All interface elements are organized around an object-based system. The Knowledge Tree interface displays a network of educational themes and topics. Both the type of school subjects shown and their connections to each other are based on the individual student's capabilities and interests. The Brain Slider controls provide an intuitive system through which the student can adjust both the content feed and arrangement to the part of their mind they want to stimulate.
The gelfrog converges style and function. The final product is rugged, yet flexible enough to be used in the classroom, in the urban jungle, or on the nature trail. Encased in a smart skin, the gelfrog displays image content from a mobile mirror, photo slide show, video projector and everything in between. Wireless technology enables immersive and interactive learning. Through video capture capabilities and just-in-time data library access, the gelfrog is both a journal of student experiences and a window to new worlds.
The gelfrog enables learning that is highly personalized, adaptive and intuitive. Students of all learning styles, interests and personalities can utilize the device in any environment to learn from the world around them. Beyond expanding the personal learning space, the gelfrog provides the opportunity to revamp the traditional education model. This concept provides a catalyst for educational evolution and personal growth.
