Xbox Kinect - What's Not Cool (Tyler)

    While the Xbox Kinect has a wide variety of uses, it ultimately limits the user’s experience physically, mentally, and socially.  The Kinect can only receive signals in a certain area and needs to operate in an open space.  Many households simply cannot provide ample space around the users; an individual must stand eight feet from the device and have an additional six feet of free space on every side.  This is further complicated with the introduction of another player.
    Another problem with the Kinect is that while it promotes some physical activity, is it a substitute for natural outdoor activity?  Why limit yourself to a piece of carpet when we have the entire world to play on?  An open field does not present as many safety hazards as a confined space surrounded by furniture.  Individuals have more materials to interact with and a larger range of motion outdoors; they can engage in games of soccer, swim in a pool, or jog around a block.  One can certainly expend more energy outdoors and burn more calories, a standard measure of exercise for many people.
    The Kinect only allows two users to interact with it at one time.  Even in the presence of others at a social event, users are engaged in the game and have little social interaction with others.  This takes away from the social connectedness of a group or family, a consequence of many forms of modern technology.  The book Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam shows strong correlation between the use of technology and the decline of social groups.  Socially, individuals might benefit more if they were members of a fitness club, soccer team, or community organization, all of which provide similar entertainment to that of the Kinect.  People should be “kinected” to others, not a camera or microphone.
    Finally, the current age of media and technology has heightened some functions of our brains, but dulls others.  No longer can we focus on an activity for an extensive period of time.  No longer can we read a book cover to cover with the same level of comprehension, even if we do finish it.  In Maryanne Wolf’s book Proust and the Squid, she claims that the rush of information and accelerated thought processes caused by technology isn’t necessarily a good thing (213).  Her book takes a look at the reading brain, how we engage and process information, and the continuing development of our mental systems and structure.  The brain is set up with dedicated “‘delay neurons’ whose sole function is to slow neuronal transmission by other neurons for mere milliseconds” (Wolf 214).  This allows us time to make inferences and compose new knowledge.  With the wealth of signals we are receiving from the Kinect and other sources, has technology injected itself into these moments, limiting our ability to think and comprehend?  Have the Kinect, and all of technology, created “a society of decoders of information, whose false sense of knowing distracts them from a deeper development of their intellectual potential" (Wolf 226)?  The Xbox Kinect limits us in more ways than one.

Xbox Kinect - What's Cool (Claire)

    The Xbox Kinect has begun to shape the future of gaming technology. With voice activated technology, a RGB camera, and ability to recognize depth and 3-D perceptions, this device allows for a hands free experience. By playing hands free, players are able to be much more interactive in the game. Instead of pressing ‘A’ or ‘Up’ to have different actions, they can now physically jump or move around and it will be emulated on the screen. This gaming device also supports connections with Pandora, a popular music site, Netflix, and all TV channels to get a complete experience. In comparison to other gaming devices, this Kinect is great for social events. People can get together to play these interactive games together, as well as watch movies and sporting events in a whole new way. Also, this device is connected to Xbox live, which connects users with players from all around the world. This creates an even bigger social connection that would not be possible without this technology.  In terms of physical activity, the Xbox Kinect allows much more mobility than the average game. Players can even perform fitness regimens and have virtual personal trainers. Instead of sitting on the couch, the Kinect inspires players to at least get minimal physical activity. Some parents may be leery of the safety hazards of connecting with strangers worldwide, which is a common concern of much technology these days. However, parents can disable the Xbox live as well as limit shows or movies with inappropriate ratings. This can ensure parents that they can at least take the proper steps to protect their children from strangers. The Kinect technology was hacked and Microsoft used that bad situation to turn around the future of the Kinect. The SDK, or Software Development Kit, is now available for consumers, who can use the technology of the Kinect to adapt in to their own environment. For example, it can now be used as a simulated instrument or for creating avatars. In the medical field, doctors are using Kinect technology to work machinery located outside of the operating room while remaining sterile inside. Also, games have been developed to work with children during physical therapy.  The future of the Kinect is headed in the direction of the creators; the options are limitless. Currently, the future is headed towards educational situations. In February 2012, the software will be available for Windows compatible computers to even further be implemented in the school and work force.  Children can get great views of parts of the human body, and can even use their bodies to simulate things like an analog clock.
    In Maryanne Wolf’s The Proust and the Squid, she urges her readers to understand that

We must teach our children to be 'bitextual,' or 'multi textual,' able to read and analyze texts flexibly in different ways, with more deliberate instruction at every stage of development on the inferential, demanding aspects of any text. Teaching children to uncover the invisible world that resides in written words needs to be both explicit and part of a dialogue between learner and teacher, if we are to promote the processes that lead to fully formed expert reading in our citizenry. (Wolf 226)

In simpler terms, she is stressing the importance of not only teaching reading comprehension but also analytical reasoning. Although video games are not the best for learning to analyze, the Xbox Kinect is something totally revolutionary. Since it has begun to be implemented in the classroom, the technology can be used to teach children how to analyze. Therefore, children will not think of just video games when they think of Xbox. Oppositely, they will think of learning, expanding, creating, and, therefore, analyzing. There is no doubt that the future of education is changing. Thankfully, wonderful programs like Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect are changing education in a positive way.

Xbox Kinect - Intro

    The Xbox Kinect is an innovative piece of technology that is just beginning to make its mark on the world.  On November 4, 2010, Microsoft released this device, and on February 1, 2012, the Kinect will be available for Windows.  At a current price of $120, the Kinect offers controller-free entertainment.  The device received a Guinness World Record for the fastest selling consumer electronics device ever, with 18 million units sold in the past year.  The Kinect’s camera is capable of face recognition, which allows users to sign-in just by presenting their face.  Also, the camera’s gesture recognition makes it possible for users to manipulate the Xbox interface and interact with games.  The Kinect’s depth sensor allows it to see a room in three dimensions under any lighting conditions.  The Kinect even receives audio signals; its multiarray microphone enables voice recognition and headset-free communication with online users.

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