Technology is changing our way to experience education from one-dimensional (physical) to multi dimensional (physical and virtual) education using a diversity of resources such as web-based platforms (eLearning), videoconferences, eBooks... more
Technology is changing our way to experience education from one-dimensional (physical) to multi dimensional (physical and virtual) education using a diversity of resources such as web-based platforms (eLearning), videoconferences, eBooks and innovative technologies (e.g. mixed reality, virtual worlds, immersive technology, etc.). This represents bigger opportunities for universities and educational institutions to collaborate with partners from around the world and to be part of today’s knowledge economy. This also enables greater opportunities to experience distance learning, modifying our experience of both space and time, changing specific spatial locations to ubiquitous locations and time as asynchronous/synchronous according to our necessities. The use of virtual and remote laboratory activities is an example of the application of some of these concepts. In this paper we propose a different approach to the integration of the physical and virtual world by creating remote mixed reality collaborative laboratory activities within an InterReality Portal learning environment, thereby extending our previous progress towards these goals. The learning goal of our mixed reality lab activity is to produce Internet-of-Things-based computer projects using combinations of Cross-Reality (xReality) and Virtual objects based on co-creative and collaborative interaction between geographically dispersed students.
As Immersive Learning matures, and moves from the lab to the market, there is an increasing need to provide non-technical users with simple but effective tools. An especially important need is the development of tools that empower... more
As Immersive Learning matures, and moves from the lab to the market, there is an increasing need to provide non-technical users with simple but effective tools. An especially important need is the development of tools that empower instructors and learners to create and interact with Units of Learning (UoL) in a simple (non-technical) way that promotes creativity and engagement. End-user programming is a paradigm that allows users to “program” a sequence of actions inside technological environments to customise them. In this particular case, we analyse the use of end-user programming applied to education from two different perspectives: the learner and the instructor. Both are considered end-users and they can both create “programs” inside our learning environment. In this paper, we extend our previous work towards the InterReality Portal, our collaborative mixed reality learning environment. The InterReality Portal applies Problem-based Learning (PBL), a constructionist student-centred method, and co-creative learning in the realization of mixed reality laboratory activities for learning computing fundamentals based on a combination of xReality and Virtual objects using enduser programming to produce creative Internet-of-Things computer projects using collaborative interaction between geographically dispersed students.
