Due: Thu, Feb 11, 10:30AM

We are still exploring the essence of remote presence and action. For this exercise, we would like you to experiment with a partner in creating a telematic experience. Afterward, we’d like you jointly to write a blog post describing and documenting the experience.

We recommend using smartphones for this exercise on account of their portability and personal nature. If this is not feasible, then computer-based communication is also workable.

Objectives

  • Use an existing telecommunication system to create a social link between two locations.

Prompts

This is meant to be a fun creative exercise, so the requirements are open to leave a lot of room for interpretation.

Here are some suggested approaches:

  • Ambient, non-directed presence. Can you identify a context in which passively transmitting and receiving would create a sense of connection?
  • Tele-action. Can you choose roles and a task in which one person directs another to accomplish a goal? Is there a task for which the roles could be symmetric?
  • Long-duration presence. Arguably, many people already use text messages to create long-running ever-present conversations. Can you define a set of rules for when to send or respond which create an awareness without feeling intrusive?

Tools

  1. Video: Zoom, FaceTime, etc.
  2. Text: text messages, email
  3. Tactile: alerts, notifications

In class Brainstorming: collaborative brainstorming slideshow