An Example of the 4th Paradigm in Teaching & Learning Practice

As appraised by many leading astronomical researchers, WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is one of the best implementations of Virtual Observatory (VO), or "big data observatory" nowadays. Meanwhile, we also believe that natural user interface (NUI), such as the Kinect device, can be used to enhance the VO experience. As we are exploring how we may put all these together to benefit our data- and information-intensive research, kids are picking up these technologies naturally in their classrooms. Watch this video and see how WWT and Kinect are making an impact in a middle school in China. The smile on that little girl as she 'navigates in the universe' makes me feel really good about doing my job.

WWT-Kinect for kids.mp4