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Brian Smith
- Director, Solutions Institute
- Associate Professor of Information Sciences and Technology and Education
- College of Education
University Park, pa 16802
Websites:
Education:
- Ph.D., Learning Sciences Northwestern University
- B.S., Computer Science & Engineering UCLA
Biography:
Smith's research studies the use of computation to support and augment human performance and learning. He is particularly interested in ways ubiquitous computing technologies can be created to assist people in reflecting on prior beliefs and ways of doing. Examples of his work include video annotation systems for biology education, GPS-enabled cameras and image databases for history education, and interventions around photography and computer visualizations to promote awareness of personal health practices. Current projects are underway to explore information design for informal, everyday decision-making. Smith, B. K., Frost, J., Albayrak, M., and Sudhakar, R. (to appear). Improving diabetes self-management with glucometers and digital photography. To appear in Personal and Ubiquitous Computing. Smith, B.K. & Reiser, B.J. (2005). Explaining behavior using video for observational inquiry and theory articulation. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 14(3): 315-360. Blankinship, E., Smith, B., Holtzman, H., and Bender, W. (2004). Closed caption, open source. British Telecom Technology Journal, 22(4), 151-159. Reiser, B.J., Tabak, I., Sandoval, W.A., Smith, B.K., Steinmuller, F., & Leone, A.J. (2001). BGuILE: Strategic and conceptual scaffolds for scientific inquiry in biology classrooms. In S.M. Carver & D. Klahr (eds.), Cognition and Instruction: Twenty Five Years of Progress (pp. 263-305). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Smith, B.K. & Blankinship, E. (2000). Justifying imagery: Multimedia support for learning through explanation. IBM Systems Journal, 39(3&4): 749-767. Smith, B.K., Blankinship, E., & Lackner, T. (2000). Annotation and education. IEEE Multimedia, 7(2): 84-89.Biographical Information
Prior to joining Penn State, Smith was on the faculty of MIT's Media Laboratory where he led their <em>information: organized</em> research consortium, a collaboration with 20 corporations to define new methods for information description, design, and dissemination. He is currently the principal investigator for IST's medical informatics research initiative and the research director for IST's involvement in the <a href="http://www.apple.com/education/hed/adc/">Apple Digital Campus initiative</a>.
Smith received a Faculty Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation in 2000 to begin a research agenda around visual learning. He appeared on the cover of Black Issues in Higher Education in February 2002 as one of ten influential African-American innovators in information technology. He received the Jan Hawkins Award for Early Career Contributions to Humanistic Research and Scholarship in Learning Technologies from the American Education Research Association in 2004. Apple Computer also named him an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2004.
Research and Teaching
Publications:
