CarettaKids: a system for supporting children's face-to-face collaborative learning by integrating personal and shared spaces

We developed a new system called CarettaKids that supports face-to-face collaborative learning by children. CarettaKids uses a sensing board based on the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to support collaboration in a shared space, and the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device to support activity in personal spaces. We also introduced this system into an actual classroom environment to evaluate its performance in support for children's collaborative learning, by analyzing the childrens' interaction. As a result, we have confirmed that CarettaKids's feature of transition between two spaces, makes it possible for children to reflect on problems detected in the shared space so as to find solutions in their respective personal space, and to engage in an active exchange of opinions in the shared space, based on ideas generated from personal-space learning.