EXPERIENCE
Software Engineer; Researcher;
User Interface Designer; Support Materials developer; Lifelong
Kindergarten Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Media
Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, 2003-2006
Research Assistant; Teaching assistant;
Grassroots Invention Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Media Laboratory, Cambridge, MA, 2001-2003
Visiting Graduate Fellow; Everyday Learning
Group, Media Lab Europe, Dublin, Ireland, Summer 2002
Computer Engineer; Researcher; Support Materials
Developer; Coordinator/Supervisor; On-site Coordinator; Consultant;
R&D Unit 3:
Applied Information Systems, Computer
Technology Institute, Patras, Greece, 1997 - 2001
Software Engineer: Designed (in a team of 5 people) and
developed (team of 2) a new graphical programming language, called
Scratch
that enables kids and teenagers to create their own games, animations
and interactive art. Scratch is based on the Smalltalk open source
platform Squeak.
Research Associate: Planned and participated in observations
of children using Scratch in a variety of settings and applications
(mini-games, story-telling, animations etc.) Designed and ran workshops
with additional technological tools like the PicoCrickets
(PicoCricket is a small toy-microcontroller that can be connected
to and control lights, sensors, motors and other such devices plugged
into it).
User Interface Designer: Designed parts of the Scratch
UI (paint editor, file dialogs, interactive tools, dynamic highlight
of running scripts) and participated in design reviews on all aspects
of the Scratch UI.
Support Materials developer: Designed support materials
for Scratch including help screens with illustrative scripts for
every available command block. Created additional documentation
in the form of tutorials, how-to guides, example Scratch projects
etc.
Research Assistant: Designed and developed the CodaChrome
system, a software and hardware tool for programming the colors
and color transitions on tricolor LEDs by novices and children.
(CodaChrome’s hardware core is a microcontroller called the
Tower,
and small tricolor LEDs that can be programmed to transition among
different colors.) Designed and developed the java-based software
programming environment for creating the animated colored light
patterns. Used CodaChrome with children to create new forms of interactive
jewelry and wearable art. Organized and developed activities mainly
for children’s workshops lasting from one day to two weeks
involving participants ranging from 6 to 60 years of age. Led a
multidisciplinary team of software and electrical engineers as well
as artists, teachers and undergraduate students throughout the project.
Teaching assistant: Led class sessions and prepared materials
and presentations for “The Nature of Constructionist Learning”
class at MIT Media Laboratory.
Courseware at MIT involved projects implemented with technological
tools developed by engineering groups at MIT, like a hypercube network
switch modeled with Tower microcontrollers, and multiple projects
based on the iPaq platform running Linux and utilizing technologies
from Project
Oxygen (pervasive computing).
Co-organized two week-long workshops each with 20 children and adult
participants, called Electo-Jewels,
using computationally enhanced materials (including CodaChrome) with
traditional craft materials to create electronic jewelry and wearable
art. Collaborated with professional jewelry designers, the
Ark (a cultural center for children in Dublin) and researchers
at Media Lab Europe. Developed a prototype of CodaChrome’s programming
environment on the PocketPC platform using Embedded Visual Tools.
Computer Engineer, R&D Unit 3: Applied Information
Systems, Computer Technology
Institute, Patras, Greece, 1997-2001
Computer Engineer: Led the architectural design and implementation
of a number of European Union and Greek R&D projects applying
innovative technologies in the areas of learning research, math
and science education, and foreign language learning. Led a team
of 3 software developers and 5 teachers in developing production-quality
educational software (Xenios)
for the subject of foreign language learning in Greek high schools
using the E-slate
platform (component-oriented software platform for
authoring educational software) and a hybrid system architecture
designed by me. Authored educational software and developed educational
activities for foreign language learning with a team of teachers
using a variety of custom software tools in addition to commercial
software such as Lotus Learning Space (Project
Mentor, predecessor to Xenios). Designed and was responsible
for the purchase of all the equipment used in Project
C3 (differential GPS, walkie-talkies, PDA,
wireless GSM card, mobile phone). Supervised the software developed
in all the above platforms to wirelessly transmit the real time
GPS data to map generation software. Conducted feasibility studies
and evaluated existing technologies for the creation of an architectural
framework for the wireless interoperability of embedded and mobile
devices (Project
e-Gadgets). Designed and developed an information system
(SATEP) for the
archaeological documentation and excavation practice in Dispilio,
Greece. Developed java-based software components for the educational
software platform E-Slate. Used
tools such as Java Development Kit, Java Media Framework and QuickTime
for Java to develop components for music education software (Project
YDEES). Defined project deliverables and presented
results to representatives of the Greek Ministry of Development.
Researcher: Designed and implemented educational activities
like map construction and treasure hunt to evaluate young children’s
spatial awareness and understanding (Project
C3). Collaborated with researchers from
CTI’s research partner, the Educational Technology Lab of
the University of Athens on a number of projects to provide customizations
on the E-Slate platform to facilitate classroom observations.
Support Materials Developer: Co-wrote and was the editor
of the Xenios software support materials handbook (foreign language
learning). The book is published by CTI Press and is now part of
the curriculum at the Greek Open University. Prepared support materials
and held training sessions for archaeologists (Project
SATEP).
Coordinator/Supervisor: Coordinated the Greek team in
the European project Mentor
(Collaborative Framework for Foreign Language Learning in High School
using the Emerging Multimedia Capabilities of the Internet). Defined
project deliverables and presented progress reports at the EU headquarters.
Defined and co-supervised a BS thesis titled “Organization
of multimedia data from an archaeological excavation into a semi-structured
database” (2001) which structured sample archaeological data
using XML tools.
On-site Coordinator: Supervised the installation and maintenance
of the on-site computer laboratory of the archaeological excavation
of SATEP at Dispilio in Kastoria,
Greece.
Consultant: Acted as technical and administrative liaison
between CTI and Greek company-university consortia developing educational
software (Project Seirines.)
Evaluated project proposals. Consulted with consortia on both technical
and educational content issues. Oversaw their software and support
materials deliverables. |
