WO2002017275A2

WO2002017275A2 - Communication device for imparting predetermined teaching material

Info

Publication number: WO2002017275A2
Application number: PCT/DE2001/003200
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stefan Jung; Christl Lauterbach
Original assignee: Infineon Technologies Ag
Priority date: 2000-08-22
Filing date: 2001-08-22
Publication date: 2002-02-28
Also published as: WO2002017275A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication device comprising a communication interface for acquiring and outputting information and an electronic teaching system for selecting or creating teaching elements depending on the information that has been input via the communication interface. The communication device is configured as a mobile communication device.

Description

description

Communication device for conveying predetermined teaching content

The invention relates to a communication device for conveying predetermined teaching content.

An electronic teaching system is known for imparting predefinable teaching contents, for example of language, natural sciences, economics, in general any possible type of information to be taught, which, for example, uses an Internet browser function using the Internet from a server computer to a client computer. Computer, designed as a personal computer, representing teaching content.

This teaching system only represents the teaching content to be conveyed to the user and does not automatically go to specific learning skills of the user such as his learning speed, i.e. Comprehension, a.

For this reason, a so-called electronic intelligent teaching system (Intelligent Tutoring System, ITS) was developed, which can interact with a user to determine their level of knowledge, hereinafter referred to as the user's level of knowledge, and select or create teaching elements based on this. An overview of such an electronic intelligent teaching system can be found in [1].

In the following, teaching elements are to be understood for example: • teaching information to be conveyed (teaching material),

• questions about the teaching information to be conveyed,

• Exercises on the teaching information to be conveyed, etc. Such an electronic intelligent teaching system has, for example, a knowledge level determination component for determining knowledge level information of a user of the communication device and a teaching element selection component with which teaching elements are selected or generated depending on the knowledge level information of the user determined.

Furthermore, an expert model component can be provided, in which the correct answers or solutions are stored for at least some of the questions and / or exercises relating to the teaching information to be conveyed.

The expert model component thus clearly contains the model solutions to the questions and / or exercises relating to the teaching information to be conveyed.

In this case, the teaching element selection component is usually set up in such a way that it determines the determined one

The user's knowledge status compares with stored solution information for the teaching elements and, depending on the comparison result, selects or generates the teaching elements.

All electronic teaching systems described above are based on a personal computer or a workstation and are therefore subject to considerable restrictions in their user-friendliness and usability.

The known electronic teaching systems can therefore only be used at predetermined locations.

Furthermore, the computers to be operated by means of a keyboard are not suitable for use with small children or the disabled, each of which has an additional one Operating components required to be able to use a teaching system at all.

For children in particular, only very simply structured learning programs are known, which can be controlled by mouse clicks on a computer mouse.

Another electronic teaching system is described in [2].

Electronic teaching toys are also described in [3] and [4].

[5] and [6] each describe a mobile electronic vocabulary trainer in which a comparison is made between an entered word, which is intended to represent the translation of a word presented to a user into a given target language.

The invention is therefore based on the problem of a

To provide communication device that reduces at least a portion of the disadvantages presented above.

The problem is solved by a communication device with the features according to the independent claim.

A communication device for conveying predetermined teaching content has a communication interface for capturing and outputting information by a user or to a user. Furthermore, in the

Communication device integrated an electronic teaching system for selecting or generating teaching elements depending on the information entered by the user via the communication interface. The communication device is designed as a mobile communication device. In this context, a mobile communication device is to be understood as a portable communication device, which is also referred to as a handheld communication device, for example a communication device which is designed in its outer form similar to a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

The invention makes it possible for the first time to be able to use an intelligent teaching system regardless of location. This leads to a considerable flexibility in learning both with regard to the temporal aspect and the local aspect.

The invention can clearly be seen in the combination of an electronic, preferably interactive and intelligent teaching system with a mobile communication device.

Preferred developments of the invention result from the dependent claims.

The electronic teaching system can be designed as an intelligent electronic teaching system.

This configuration significantly increases the quality of the teaching system and thus the learning achievements that are likely to be achieved.

The electronic teaching system preferably has the following components:

A knowledge level determination component for determining knowledge level information of a user of the communication device,

• A teaching element selection component with which, depending on the knowledge level information determined

User teaching elements can be selected or generated. The teaching elements can thus be completely previously stored data and / or units that are only newly generated from preferably stored data, possibly using information previously entered by the user.

This further training increases the flexibility of the teaching system.

A further improvement of the teaching system is achieved by an embodiment of the invention, in which the electronic teaching system has an expert model component, the teaching element selection component being set up in such a way that it compares the determined knowledge status information of the user with stored solution information for the teaching elements and depending on the comparison result, selects or generates the teaching elements.

In the following, teaching elements are to be understood for example:

• teaching information to be conveyed (teaching material),

• questions about the teaching information to be conveyed,

• Exercises on the teaching information to be conveyed, etc.

The teaching elements can be stored as textual information, as audio information and / or as image information and can accordingly be provided in a multimedia manner.

The communication interface can have at least one of the following information input units:

A speech detection unit and a speech recognition unit,

• a keyboard,

• a virtual keyboard, • a touchscreen,

• a handwriting recognition unit and a handwriting recognition unit. In particular, a speech detection unit, for example a microphone integrated in the communication device, and the speech recognition unit coupled to the speech detection unit make it possible for the small children who cannot yet use a keyboard, for example, to use the communication device. Furthermore, the communication device in this case is no longer dependent on a physical keyboard.

In this way, the usability is significantly increased.

A virtual keyboard is to be understood as an input option in which, for example, a keyboard is displayed on a touchscreen and by touching the touchscreen over a key shown, the communication device interprets the touch as a corresponding key input.

Furthermore, the communication interface can have at least one of the following information output units:

• a screen, • a speech synthesis unit,

• a speech unit.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, there is also a translation module for translating the recorded and / or stored information from a first language into a second language.

In this way it becomes possible to convey teaching content in different languages universally or to control the communication device with different languages, in general to use the teaching system with different languages. In order to make the teaching system usable for small children and to motivate the children to learn, the communication device can be designed as a children's toy.

In this context, it is provided, for example, that a virtual character as a tutor is designed, for example, as a cartoon character and communicates with the child, i.e. conveyed teaching content, asked questions, etc.

Furthermore, in this case in particular, the speech synthesis unit can be set up in such a way that the output audio information is synthesized with the voice of a predetermined speaker, for example a famous personality.

The communication device can for example be designed as a doll or as a soft toy.

Furthermore, the communication device can have a radio interface, preferably an infrared interface, via which data can be transmitted to another computer, for example a personal computer or a workstation.

This embodiment of the invention makes it possible, in particular, to outsource complex, computationally complex tasks to the further computer, as a result of which the communication device itself can be made considerably simpler and less expensive.

The individual components of the communication device can be implemented as a computer program, ie in software or as a special electronic circuit, ie in hardware. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the figures and are explained in more detail below.

Show it

Figure 1 communication device for conveying predetermined teaching content according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 communication device for conveying predetermined teaching content according to a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 communication device for conveying predefinable teaching content according to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 4 is a block diagram of the components included in the teaching system.

First embodiment:

1 shows a communication device 100 for conveying predefinable teaching content according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention.

The communication device 100 has a housing 101 in which a microphone 102 and a loudspeaker 103 are integrated.

Furthermore, the communication device 100 has an infrared interface 104, via which digital data can be transmitted.

Via a headphone connection 105 of the communication device 100, a headset (headphones and Microphone) or headphones can be connected to the communication device 100.

Furthermore, the communication device 100 has a processor and a memory which are coupled to one another and to the microphone 102, the loudspeaker 103, the infrared interface 104 and the headphone connection 105 via a computer bus.

Furthermore, the communication device 100 has a color screen 106, which is likewise coupled to the computer bus and is designed as a touch-sensitive data display device, hereinafter referred to as a touchscreen. The touchscreen 106 thus functions as a tactile input unit and as a visual output unit.

In the communication device 100, an intelligent teaching system 400 is implemented in the form of a computer program stored in the memory.

The individual components of the intelligent teaching system 400 are explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 4.

Via the microphone 102 as an audio input unit, the user of the communication device 100 speaks any information, for example control information or also answers to questions or exercises for the teaching information presented to the user by the intelligent teaching system 400.

The spoken information is fed to a speech recognition unit, by means of which speech recognition of the signals spoken by the user is carried out. A handwriting input via the touchscreen 106 is fed to a handwriting recognition unit, by means of which handwriting recognition of the information written by the user is carried out.

According to this exemplary embodiment, a context recognition unit is provided in addition to the speech recognition unit, with which the meaning content, i.e. the semantics of the recognized word sequence is determined.

Furthermore, a translation unit for translating the information from a first language into a second language is optionally provided in the communication device 100.

Furthermore, the functionalities customary for a personal digital assistant (PDA) are implemented in the communication device 100, i.e. for example:

• an electronic calendar, • a calculator,

An address database,

• a note database,

A database for a list of tasks to be completed,

An electronic mail (e-mail) function, a synchronization mechanism for synchronizing the databases of the communication device 100 with databases stored in a personal computer or a workstation.

Via the loudspeaker 103, audio information generated, for example, by a speech synthesis unit coupled to the computer bus is output to the user.

Visual information is output to the user on the color screen 106. As shown in FIG. 4, the intelligent teaching system 400 has the following components:

A knowledge level determination component 402

(Student model) for determining knowledge status information 403 of a user 401 of the communication device 100.

• A teaching element selection component 404 (pedagogy module), with which teaching elements 406 stored in a teaching element component 405 are selected or generated depending on the ascertained knowledge status information 403 of the user 401. Expressed in graphic terms, this means that the knowledge level determination component 402 controls the teaching element selection component 404 as a function of the acquired knowledge level information 403 of the user 401.

The teaching element selection component 404 is set up in such a way that it stores the ascertained knowledge status information 403 of the user 401 with stored solution information, i.e. compares the sample solution 408 from the expert model component 407 to the teaching elements 406 and, depending on the comparison result, selects or generates the teaching elements 406. In this context, the knowledge status information 403 is, for example, the respective answer 409 of the user 401 to a question 406 presented to him or a solution 409 of a training exercise 406 given to the user 401.

An expert model component 407, in which sample solutions 408 for the respective teaching elements, in particular the questions and exercises, are stored, i.e. for example, the answers to the questions or the results of the exercises.

• A teaching element component 405 (Domain Knowledge), which contains the teaching elements 406 provided for the respective teaching content to be conveyed. • A communication component 410, via which the

Communication of the intelligent teaching system 400 with the user 401 takes place. According to all of the exemplary embodiments described, the following information is thus used as teaching elements 406:

The actual teaching information to be conveyed to the user,

Questions about the teaching information to be conveyed, presented to user 401, and

Exercises presented to the user 401 on the teaching information to be conveyed, etc.

The intelligent teaching system 400 thus clearly illustrates the progress of the teaching process, i.e. the answers and solutions entered by the user. the selection of the teaching elements 406 presented to the user 401 is controlled, whereby the teaching information is presented individually to the user 401 in a user-friendly manner.

If the teaching information is a language to be learned, in this case teaching element component 405 is, for example, the source language which the user 401 masters and which contain the target language to be learned by the user 401.

In this case, a translation unit is particularly advantageous since the language information required for translation is already available and does not have to be provided additionally.

Second embodiment:

2 shows a communication device 200 for conveying predefinable teaching content according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention.

The individual functionalities and modules of the

Communication device 200 according to the second exemplary embodiment essentially corresponds to that of FIG Communication device 100 according to the first embodiment.

For this reason, the same components are provided with the same reference symbols, and only the features which differ from the first exemplary embodiment are explained below.

In order to make the communication device 200 particularly suitable for use by a child as the user 401, the housing 201 is designed to be extra stable and robust.

The housing 201 also has two color screens 106, each of which is integrated in a housing part 202, 203.

The two housing parts 202, 203 can be folded together and coupled via a hinge 204, so that the housing 201 can be opened and closed like a book.

Furthermore, the communication device 200 additionally has music pieces stored in the memory independently of the stored teaching information and a plurality of stored fairy tales which can be selected by the user 401 and then played back.

A fairy tale is stored as textual information and, when selected, is synthesized by the speech synthesis unit into a speech signal which is output to the user 401 via the loudspeaker 103.

Matching animated or non-animated illustrations can also be displayed on the color screen. The speech synthesis unit is set up in such a way that the audio information output is output with the voice of a predetermined speaker, for example a famous personality.

Furthermore, a virtual teacher is provided, designed according to this embodiment as a cartoon character, via which the audio-visual communication with the child takes place.

Third exemplary embodiment:

3 shows a communication device 300 for conveying predefinable teaching content according to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Again, the individual functionalities and modules of the communication device 300 according to the third exemplary embodiment are essentially the same as those of the communication device 100 according to the first exemplary embodiment.

The housing 301 of the communication device 300 has a shape of a toy, in particular a face of a cartoon character, whereby the child using the communication device 300 is motivated.

The microphone 102 is integrated in a first region 302 of the housing 301, which represents a first ear of the cartoon character, and the loudspeaker 102 is integrated in a second region 303 of the housing 301, which represents a second ear of the cartoon character. The intelligent teaching system thus gives the impression of an artificial personality. This impression can be reinforced by giving facial expressions to the face of the comic character on the color screen and in this way expressing emotions of the comic character.

Further configurations:

Some alternative configurations to the exemplary embodiments shown above are shown below.

The communication device can for example be designed as a doll or as a soft toy. In this

In this case, a screen can be omitted so that the communication between the intelligent teaching system and the user takes place only via voice (voice input and voice output).

Furthermore, it can be provided that functions which require a great deal of computation, for example context recognition, are carried out on a further computer which is connected to the communication device via the infrared interface. In this case, the computing load of the processor of the communication device is reduced and only the required requests from the

Transfer communication device to the further computer or the results determined from the further computer to the communication device. The following publications are cited in this document:

[1] IST Intelligent Tutoring Systems, available on the Internet on August 21, 2000 at:

www. acm.org/crossroads/xrds3-l/aied.html

[2] DE 198 53 898 AI

[3] DE 88 00 753 Ul

[4] US 5,944,533

[5] US 5,827,071

[6] WO 99/03083

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

100 communication device

101 housing

102 microphone

103 speakers

104 infrared interface

105 headphone jack 106 color screen

200 communication device

201 housing

202 First housing part

203 Second housing part

300 communication device

301 housing

302 First area housing

303 Second housing area

400 intelligent teaching system

401 users

402 Knowledge level determination component

403 Knowledge level information

404 teaching element selection component 405 teaching element component

406 teaching elements

407 expert model component

408 model solution

409 answer / solution

410 communication component

Claims

claims

1. Communication device for conveying specifiable teaching content, • with a communication interface for recording and outputting information,

With an electronic teaching system for selecting or generating teaching elements depending on the information entered via the communication interface, the electronic teaching system having the following components:

A knowledge level determination component for determining knowledge level information of a user of the communication device, a teaching element selection component with which teaching elements are selected or generated depending on the knowledge level information of the user determined,

An expert model component, the teaching element selection component being set up in such a way that it compares the ascertained knowledge status information of the user with stored solution information for the teaching elements and selects or generates the teaching elements depending on the comparison result, and

• The device being designed as a mobile communication device.

2. Communication device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic teaching system is an intelligent electronic teaching system.

3. Communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the teaching elements contains at least one of the following elements:

• teaching information,

• questions about the teaching information, • Exercises for teaching information.

4. Communication device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the communication interface has at least one of the following information input units:

A speech detection unit and a speech recognition unit,

• a keyboard, • a virtual keyboard,

• a touchscreen,

• a handwriting recognition unit and a handwriting recognition unit.

5. Communication device according to one of claims 1 to 4, in which the communication interface has at least one of the following information output units:

• a screen, • a speech synthesis unit,

• a speech unit.

6. Communication device according to one of claims 1 to 5, with a translation component for translating the

Information from a first language into a second language,

7. Communication device according to one of claims 1 to 6, set up as a children's toy.

8. Communication device according to claim 7, set up as a doll.

9. Communication device according to claim 8, set up as a soft toy.