Two-Way Play

Microsoft Studios has recently released Kinect Sesame Street TV, a new form of media for television that merges traditional means of watching episodes with game like physical actions via the Xbox and Kinect. This paper presents an overview and early findings of an initial study that investigated how ideas of embodied cognition and comprehension can be leveraged to understand the experiences of three and four year old participants, and explore the ways in which bidirectional television can facilitate new meaning-making. Early research took place at Microsoft Research in Redmond, WA, and analysis is continuing at [removed for blind review]. The findings inform the development and design of other interactive television products and programs for early learners. The presentation also breaks down directions for future analysis, showing how initial findings illustrated a need for deeper research and analysis in the nuanced ways young children learn and demonstrate knowledge.