Method and Tool Innovations for Speech Science Education (M.A.T.I.S.S.E.) April 16-17, 1999 London, UK

New tools for interactive speech and language training: Using animated conversational agents in the classroom of profoundly deaf children

Ron Cole (1), Dominic W. Massaro (2), Jacques de Villiers (1), Brian Rundle (3), Khaldoun Shobaki (3), Johan Wouters (1), Michael Cohen (2), Jonas Baskow (2), Patrick Stone (4), Pamela Connors (4), Alice Tarachow (4), and Daniel Solcher (5)

(1) CSLU, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
(2) Perceptual Science Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
(3) CSLU, Oregon Graduate Institute, Portland, OR, USA
(4) Tucker Maxon Oral School, Portland, OR, USA
(5) SBC Communications Inc., San Antonio, TX, USA

This article describes our experienees with an animated conversational agent being used in daily classroom activities with profoundly deaf children at the Tucker Maxon Oral School in Portland Oregon. We first articulate some reasons why animated conversational agents can revolutionize learning and language training by providing a more effective mode of human computer interaction. We then describe the capabilities of our animated agent, Baldi, and the software environment used to design and run interactive media systems. We then describe applications designed by teachers and students that illustrate ways in which students in three different classrooms converse and interact with Baldi. We conclude with a brief look at the next generation of animated conversational agents.

Full Paper

Bibliographic reference.  Cole, Ron / Massaro, Dominic W. / de Villiers, Jacques / Rundle, Brian / Shobaki, Khaldoun / Wouters, Johan / Cohen, Michael / Baskow, Jonas / Stone, Patrick / Connors, Pamela / Tarachow, Alice / Solcher, Daniel (1999): "New tools for interactive speech and language training: Using animated conversational agents in the classroom of profoundly deaf children", 45-52 In MATISSE-1999, #.