First, watch the TED-talk about Siftables, then come back again:
What’s really intriguing about the Siftables-blocks is that at first, they seem pretty harmless and fun to use. The setup is easy (there is none), there are no premises that has to be met when you first start playing with them and it’s a fantastic way of interacting with a (lot of) computer(s).
Instead of having a crippled interaction model like the keyboard and mouse that works great when inputting text and pointing at objects on a screen, you just pick up the blocks and start playing around. Of course we also have the iPhone as an example of how human interaction with computers is changing (“tap is the new click”) and it works beautifully for that device. What makes Siftables so different to me, is that it’s you don’t point-and-click at all – in the last example where a young boy created his own story line, he connects the “Dog” and the “Cat”, and then they “talk” to each other. He doesn’t need any other object than two physical representations of the figures on the screen and then they act accordingly to his wishes.
The other interesting examples are the sound system, word game and calculator. Obviously, I find the sound system fascinating seeing that I am so interested in music, and I really hope I can get to play with that specific configuration at one point.
When it comes to the word game and the calculator, however, it becomes more interesting from a pedagogical point of view. You’ll train the vocabulary extensively by being forced into creating words at a rapid pace, and I can definitiely see the beneficial financial aspects of selling such a game to the wider masses.
Likewise, the calculator would be amazing to see a school class play around with. It makes mathematical challenges a social event that you can group around and solve in plenum – hopefully it will be available to educational institutions in a near future, so kids can become interested in mathematics from a young age and help each other out.
To sum up, the reason Siftables is a big deal is simply becuase it takes human-computer interaction to a whole new level, and I’m sure other people have made nice attempts at coming up with something as simple as this, but they have not succeeded in making it widely available. I really hope the team behind this has better luck with that.