Digital scent is one of the latest developments in technology. This recent approach to interpreting online or computer generated information has the potential to change the way in which students around the world respond to classroom activities. According to a recent "Digital Scent Technology" blog, "Smell reaches out into a new, visceral dimension, transporting viewers...into the realm of the senses" (Digital Scent Technology Blog, 2009). Appealing to the sense of smell draws the participant into the computer-based experience including, but not exclusive to, the following ways:
makes content extremely immersive and compelling
creates mood, such as foreshadowing or ambiance
intensifies emotions, such as fear or love
establishes place and season
helps develop characters
gives a heightened sense of reality
(Digital Scent Technology Blog, 2009).
Think of the implications this approach to teaching can have in the classroom! From an English Literature perspective, an educator can use this technology to his or her advantage in guiding students through the process of developing effective writing skills. In stressing the importance of mood and foreshadowing, students could be exposed to smells of decay, cigarette smoke, and perfume as a stimulus to lead them into the creation of a descriptive or narrative paragraph. Students could be prompted with the smell of burning leaves, smoke from a fireplace, or freshly mown grass to propel them into recalling a particular time and place. By providing students with a higher perception of reality, they should be more at ease in the process of writing or recording thoughts because of the presence of heightened emotion drawn from past experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment