Matthew Kam | AIR - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Matthew Kam

The expertise required to develop a speech recognition system with reasonable accuracy for a give... more The expertise required to develop a speech recognition system with reasonable accuracy for a given task is quite significant, and precludes most non-speech experts from integrating speech recognition into their own research. While an initial baseline recognizer may readily be available or relatively simple to acquire, identifying the necessary accuracy optimizations require an expert understanding of the application domain as well as significant experience in building speech recognition systems. This paper describes our efforts and experiments in formalizing knowledge from speech experts that would help novices by automatically analyzing an acoustic context and recommending appropriate techniques for accuracy gains. Through two recognition experiments, we show that it is possible to model experts' understanding of developing accurate speech recognition systems in a rule-based knowledge base, and that this knowledge base can accurately predict successful optimization techniques f...

Fifth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT'05), 2005

Based on our findings from an ongoing pilot with shared computers in rural primary schools in Utt... more Based on our findings from an ongoing pilot with shared computers in rural primary schools in Uttar Pradesh, India since 2001 and two follow-up field studies in the same schools in 2004, we propose some principles for designing educational technology for developing countries as hypotheses. They include constructivist, small-group collaborative learning through digital storytelling and integrating paper-with computer-based practices. We also discuss the need to balance pedagogy, usability and mobility.

In this paper, we describe our experiences and thoughts on building speech applications on mobile... more In this paper, we describe our experiences and thoughts on building speech applications on mobile devices for developing countries. We describe three models of use for automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems on mobile devices that are currently used – embedded speech recognition, speech recognition in the cloud, and distributed speech recognition; evaluate their advantages and disadvantages; and finally propose a fourth model of use that we call Shared Speech Recognition with User-Based Adaptation. This proposed model exploits the advantages in all the three current models, while mitigating the challenges that make any of the current models less feasible, such as unreliable cellular connections or low processing power on mobile devices, which are typical needs of speech application in developing regions. We also propose open questions for future research to further evaluate our proposed model of use. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of two mobile speech recognizers that ar...

This symposium brings together researchers at the frontier of an emerging subcommunity of the lea... more This symposium brings together researchers at the frontier of an emerging subcommunity of the learning sciences that looks toward developing methodologies and infrastructures with the potential to lead towards an integrated agenda of global research in the learning sciences, spanning both the developed and the developing world, in both formal and informal learning environments. It explores how emerging technologies and methodologies could be further developed to this important end, building on work already in progress.

Proceedings of the 2017 Conference on Designing Interactive Systems, 2017

We describe our experiences co-designing low-cost Virtual Reality-augmented learning experiences ... more We describe our experiences co-designing low-cost Virtual Reality-augmented learning experiences with and for an after-school learning center in Mumbai, India that caters to low-income children from neighboring communities. In partnership with 5 staff members and 16 students at the center, we spent 7 weeks co-designing, piloting, and iterating on VR lessons targeting 28 academic topics over a total of 15 classroom sessions. We found that VR was used to demonstrate real-world phenomena, illustrate abstract concepts, compare and contrast places in the curriculum against virtual landmarks, and motivate students. Most importantly, VR's representational fidelity appeared to arouse students' curiosity, leading them to ask more questions that reflected deeper engagement with the topic.

Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2011

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof argues that "in this century the paramount mor... more Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof argues that "in this century the paramount moral challenge will be the struggle for gender equality around the world." We present a design model for promoting women"s empowerment in the developing world that cuts across individual application areas and allows the HCI community to characterize the escape path for low-income women from the vicious cycle of poverty. We conducted research in which our field studies took place over 15 weeks in 3 phases, with a total of 47 staff members from various non-government organizations, as well as 35 socioeconomically challenged women in rural and urban India. Our results show that the women supported by the NGOs appear to belong to five different stages of development. We refined our understanding of our population through co-design sessions with NGOs and women using 7 proof-of-concept prototypes. We also present the application designs and our lessons from these sessions.

CHI '10 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2010

Building on the successes of prior workshops at CHI and other HCI conferences on computing in int... more Building on the successes of prior workshops at CHI and other HCI conferences on computing in international development, we propose a panel to engage with the broader CHI community. Topics to be discussed include why international development is important to HCI as a discipline, and how CHI researchers and practitioners who are not already involved in international development can contribute.

This paper presents evidence describing how a single player typing game, designed for use on a lo... more This paper presents evidence describing how a single player typing game, designed for use on a low-cost (~US$10) computing platform, was utilized as a computer-supported collaborative learning activity. The group computer interaction was found to consistently induce verbal language experiences that extended the potential educational utility of the highly limited 8-bit computing platform. Building on these experiences, we describe some of the design implications for promoting participatory learning with video games, particularly in lowincome households and developing contexts.

Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2010

In many developing countries such as India and China, low educational levels often hinder economi... more In many developing countries such as India and China, low educational levels often hinder economic empowerment. In this paper, we argue that mobile learning games can play an important role in the Chinese literacy acquisition process. We report on the unique challenges in the learning Chinese language, especially its logographic writing system. Based on an analysis of 25 traditional Chinese games currently played by children in China, we present the design and implementation of two culturally inspired mobile group learning games, Multimedia Word and Drumming Strokes. These two mobile games are designed to match Chinese children's understanding of everyday games. An informal evaluation reveals that these two games have the potential to enhance the intuitiveness and engagement of traditional games, and children may improve their knowledge of Chinese characters through group learning activities such as controversy, judgments and self-correction during the game play.

Proceedings of the 9th international conference on Computer supported collaborative learning - CSCL'09, 2009

In resource-constrained classrooms in the developing world, it is common for several students to ... more In resource-constrained classrooms in the developing world, it is common for several students to share each computer. Unfortunately, dominance behavior often naturally emerges in these situations, when one child monopolizes the mouse and keyboard. One way to mitigate this phenomenon is by providing each child with a mouse and a corresponding onscreen cursor so that everyone can interact. Though such multiple-mouse configurations reduce the possibility of total domination by one individual, they do not automatically eliminate dominance behavior completely. We propose the use of a design for small-group learning on shared computers based on enforced turn-taking in a split-screen, multiple-mouse environment. In an evaluation with 104 rural schoolchildren in India, we found that dominance behavior was indeed reduced through these design choices.

2007 International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development, 2007

Low levels of education remain a barrier to economic empowerment in the developing world. In our ... more Low levels of education remain a barrier to economic empowerment in the developing world. In our work on English language learning among underserved communities in India since 2004, we have observed differences between school communities in terms of their access to educational opportunities outside school, access to ICTs including cellphones and digital gaming, enthusiasm for visitors, and the relationships between students. We report on these observations and argue that they call for the greater use of a comparative approach in constructing models of the micro-cultures at various schools, so that user-centered design processes and methods can better account for the unique differences across communities.

Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2013

One consequence of rapid advances in computer technology is the obsolescence of hundreds of milli... more One consequence of rapid advances in computer technology is the obsolescence of hundreds of millions of computers each year. This paper explores strategies for increasing the reuse of outdated computers through an investigation of an 8-bit home computer that is still popular in developing countries. We observed the use of the computers in 16 households in Ahmedabad and Bangalore, India in order to gain insight into the contextual factors that support the continued popularity of the device. While most computers become obsolete in less than a decade, this 30-year-old computer technology remains useful because it provides exciting, multiuser family entertainment. While having minimal processing power and virtually no connectivity, the 8-bit computer supports input and output channels that are especially suited for co-located social game play. In contrast, PCs are primarily designed for individual use. Therefore, we offer low-cost design recommendations that would enable outdated PCs to support greater shared use and increased utility within the constrained material context of low-income households. These simple interventions, if adopted by computer refurbishment industries, have the potential to significantly extend the useful lifespan of PCs.

CHI '08 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2008

This workshop explores the challenges in applying, extending and inventing appropriate methods an... more This workshop explores the challenges in applying, extending and inventing appropriate methods and contributions of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) to International economic and community Development. We address interaction design for parts of the world that are often marginalized by the Global North as well as people in the Global North who are themselves similarly marginalized by poverty or other barriers. We hope to extend the boundaries of the field of Human Computer Interaction by spurring a discussion on how existing methods and practices can be adapted and modified, and how new practices can be developed, to deal with the unique challenges posed by these contexts.

CHI '09 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2009

This workshop continues the dialog on exploring the challenges in applying, extending, and invent... more This workshop continues the dialog on exploring the challenges in applying, extending, and inventing appropriate methods and contributions of Humancentered Computing (HCC) to International economic and community development, borne out of tremendously successful HCI4D workshops at CHI 2007 and 2008. The workshop aims at 1) providing a platform to discuss interaction design practices that allow for meaningful embedding of interactive systems in the cultural, infrastructural, and political settings where they will be used 2) addressing interaction design issues in developing regions, as well as areas in the developed world marginalized by poverty or other barriers. We hope to continue to extend the boundaries of the field of Human-centered Computing (HCC) by spurring on more discussion on how existing methods and practices can be adapted/ modified, and how new practices be developed, to combat the unique challenges posed by this context.

Human Factors and Ergonomics, 2012

2009 International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD), 2009

Literacy is one of the great challenges in the developing world. But universal education is an un... more Literacy is one of the great challenges in the developing world. But universal education is an unattainable dream for those children who lack access to quality educational resources such as well-prepared teachers and schools. Worse, many of them do not attend school regularly due to their need to work for the family in the agricultural fields or households. This work commitment puts formal education far out of their reach. On the other hand, educational games on cellphones hold the promise of making learning more accessible and enjoyable. In our project's 4th year, we reached a stage where we could implement a semester-long pilot on cellphone-based learning. The pilot study took the form of an after-school program in a village in India. This paper reports on this summative learning assessment. While we found learning benefits across the board, it seemed that more of the gains accrued to those children who were better equipped to take advantage of this opportunity. We conclude with future directions for designing educational games that target less well-prepared children in developing regions.

Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2012

Learning to read in a second language is challenging, but highly rewarding. For low-income childr... more Learning to read in a second language is challenging, but highly rewarding. For low-income children in developing countries, this task can be significantly more challenging because of lack of access to high-quality schooling, but can potentially improve economic prospects at the same time. A synthesis of research findings suggests that practicing recalling and vocalizing words for expressing an intended meaning could improve word reading skillsincluding reading in a second languagemore than silent recognition of what the given words mean. Unfortunately, many language learning software do not support this instructional approach, owing to the technical challenges of incorporating speech recognition support to check that the learner is vocalizing the correct word. In this paper, we present results from a usability test and two subsequent experiments that explore the use of two speech recognitionenabled mobile games to help rural children in India read words with understanding. Through a working speech recognition prototype, we discuss two major contributions of this work: first, we give empirical evidence that shows the extent to which productive training (i.e. vocalizing words) is superior to receptive vocabulary training, and discuss the use of scaffolding hints to "unpack" factors in the learner"s linguistic knowledge that may impact reading. Second, we discuss what our results suggest for future research in HCI.

Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, 2005

Link analysis algorithms have been used successfully on hyperlinked data to identify authoritativ... more Link analysis algorithms have been used successfully on hyperlinked data to identify authoritative documents and retrieve other information. They also showed great potential in many new areas such as counterterrorism and surveillance. Emergence of new applications and changes in existing ones created new opportunities, as well as difficulties, for them: (1) In many situations where link analysis is applicable, there may not be an explicit hyperlinked structure. (2) The system can be highly dynamic, resulting in constant update to the graph. It is often too expensive to rerun the algorithm for each update. (3) The application often relies heavily on client side logging and the information encoded in the graph can be very personal and sensitive. In this case privacy becomes a major concern. Existing link analysis algorithms, and their traditional implementations, are not adequate in face of these new challenges. In this paper we propose the use of weighted graph to define and/or augment a link structure. We present a generalized HITS algorithm that is suitable for running in a dynamic environment. The algorithm uses the idea of "lazy update" to amortize cost across multiple updates while still providing accurate ranking to users in the mean time. We prove the convergence of the new algorithm and evaluate its benefit using the Enron email dataset. Finally we devise a distributed implementation of the algorithm that preserves user privacy thus making it socially acceptable in real-world applications.

Adjunct Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing, Oct 1, 2003

Based on our deployments of Livenotes, a Tablet-based application for collaborative note-taking i... more Based on our deployments of Livenotes, a Tablet-based application for collaborative note-taking in open educational settings, we observe that communication breakdowns, potentially affecting learning, arise from imperfect knowledge about other users' identities. This leads us to argue that user identity is an under-explored topic in ubicomp. We show that the concept of identity needs to be expanded to include digital, social, and physical features. We conclude with preliminary design implications.