Learning by Doing: The Power of Immersive Learning Experiences

Not all of the most powerful learning situations are in the classroom. Here Shawn McCusker looks at examples of situated learning and how to provide students with deep learning experiences.

How do parents teach their young babies to walk? As infants transforming into toddlers, they cannot yet sit still for the ‘classroom portions’ of the walking process. Close your eyes and envision a small child learning that walking is just a well-controlled process of falling forward without falling down.

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      string(5750) "Industry newsOver the last year it has been increasingly important for teachers to find new ways for children to learn and find value in life experiences beyond just a classroom environment.now>press>play is an immersive audio learning resource for primary school children which brings the curriculum to life through its original combination of sound, story and movement.The experiencesFrom climbing through layers of rainforest canopy in the Amazon, to fighting a woolly mammoth in the Stone Age, these audio-only adventures are uniquely designed to stimulate children’s imaginations. Through a child-centred approach to learning, they extend their life experiences while also making the curriculum both highly accessible and engaging.Originally designed to support and be delivered by a teacher as part of classroom teaching, now>press>play provides rich stimulus as an extension of classroom learning within different environments and locations, providing continuity as well as personalised learning across a number of areas and topics.There are currently 76 curriculum-based Experiences for EYFS, KS1 and KS2 covering a broad range of subjects, some of which aren’t often explored using physical, drama-based and emotion-led learning: Maths, Science, History, Geography, PSHE, RE, MFL, and Literacy.In a now>press>play experience, every child in the class puts on a pair of wireless headphones and becomes the main character in a story based on their curriculum topic. For up to 30 minutes, children move around the room and meet different characters while discovering new places, subjects and cultures. They are also encouraged to perform tasks and solve problems, and now, in addition to in-school experiences, they can do this at home.The power of soundSound as a medium has an incredible power to stimulate the imagination. It can engage the listener in an experience, making a moment highly personal and intimate. Alison Kriel, Education Advisor, describes it as, ‘an opportunity for them to develop a deeper understanding of what happens in the world to others, or what happens to them and how they then communicate that to the world.’Sound can heighten our senses and take us to places we’ve never been, make us feel what it’s like to be there and what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes as Year 2 pupils at Marshfield School found: ‘It’s so fun and exciting when you can pretend to be in the Arctic. I liked doing the actions and pretending to crawl in the snow.’‘I pretended to be Florence Nightingale helping the poor soldiers in the Crimean War.’This is why, with a decade of experience creating stories that harness sound’s power to immerse the listener in a moment and unlock emotion and empathy, now>press>play has such an impact. One Year 5 class teacher described it as ‘a wonderful piece of immersive technology’.  She said: I was blown away by how the pupils in Year 5 responded to this magnificent experience. They were plunged into the middle of WW2 and embraced and internalised every second without question! It has had such an incredible impact on their learning. This is a resource we will continue to utilise at every opportunity.’A stimulus for literacy activitiesSome children recoil from tasks that involve writing and spelling but being immersed in an experience helps to unlock language. This became apparent in lockdown when now>press>play was used for blended learning and parents became aware of the benefits of using audio experiences as a stimulus for learning. One parent of a year 3 pupil described the impact of now>press>play on her daughter:“I think she has always been afraid to take on bigger writing tasks as she finds the concentration aspect difficult. She is a child who just can’t sit still and much prefers exploring and physical/sensory activities to ‘desk’ learning.We had been working at the table indoors for a couple of sessions, but when the sun came out, we went outside to work. I realised that, as she acted out her ideas for the story in the garden, the language she was using changed from a very workmanlike, ‘let’s just get this done’ manner to a really adventurous and exciting form of words. As she knew she didn’t have to write it down and therefore didn’t have to worry about spelling (another area of difficulty), she used new and ambitious vocabulary. She was really pleased with the outcome.’Increasing engagementIn class, now>press>play stimulates children, engages them in a very immediate way by putting them at the centre of a story. This means that children are more willing to participate in related literacy activities based on scripts, quizzes, storyboards, writing opportunities and worksheets.For many children returning to school after a long absence, now>press>play provides an arena for imagination and self-expression. Teachers, parents and pupils will all benefit from this exciting child-centred approach to curriculum topics. 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      string(5752) "position. Using interactive, immersive, task- or project-based learning, we can now help learners to develop curiosity, creativity and collaboration while working towards learning the content that students require to pass exams. Ultimately, I would like to work with exam boards to determine how we can use edtech in new ways to assess progress, which I think is ultimately how we free up teachers and institutions to align learning with the development of skills that learners will need to thrive in their careers and their lives.Nano Simbox allows students to learn science differently. It exposes them to abstract science concepts, digital technology and self-guided exploration. We contextualise the science in a web of content, with major global challenges as a starting point, to enable students to develop a sense of responsibility and possibility with regard to the challenges they can be part of solving. 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There is a consistent link between pupils’ socio-economic status (SES) and their attainment and participation in science learning at school.” There are a number of hypotheses suggested in the report, as to why the current paradigm for science learning is not effective for low SES students, including: Lack of learning opportunitiesLack of interest in scienceLack of specific cognitive skills: literacy, scientific reasoning and meta-cognitionAll these hypotheses come down to one thing – learners don’t have the opportunity to develop confidence in tackling science or related subjects. 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Creative Teaching & Learning

Opening Doorways to STEAM Learning

17 Jul 2018

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Although the opportunity is there for free exploration, many teachers need to focus on working towards exams, so we link all our learning experiences to the curriculum, allowing the users to find new media to help explain tricky concepts.  “Particularly around the virtual reality, augmented reality side of things, to actually go in and see molecules in the full round and climb inside a nanotube was just mind blowing.” Ian Major, Clevedon School. Opening the door to inclusivityScience is often only accessible to those who have a high aptitude in their school science subjects or those who have role models working within in the science industry and so it can seem scary to many students. The science industry still has some problems to overcome with regard to creating gender balance and attracting employees from a broad socio-economic background, but edtech can help find ways to overcome some of the barriers to entry. In the review of SES and Science Learning in Formal Educational Settings an attainment gap between students from different socio-economic backgrounds has been highlighted. “Unfortunately, existing research on pupils’ attainment in science in U.K. schools has consistently shown an uneven spread of scientific knowledge. There is a consistent link between pupils’ socio-economic status (SES) and their attainment and participation in science learning at school.” There are a number of hypotheses suggested in the report as to why the current paradigm for science learning is not effective for low SES students, including: Lack of learning opportunitiesLack of interest in scienceLack of specific cognitive skills: literacy, scientific reasoning and meta-cognitionAll these hypotheses come down to one thing – learners don’t have the opportunity to develop confidence in tackling science or science-related subjects. They are too afraid or demotivated to even open the door to scientific exploration. By making science learning engaging, exploratory and creative, we begin to open the door to a wider range of learners being inspired through STEAM learning. This is just the first step to inclusivity – we have more plans to make science accessible and attractive to anyone. Opening the door to connecting with other peopleIt is important that learners can connect with role models who are working within the science industry so that they can create a connection between what they are learning and potential careers in science. We are building a community of science researchers, communicators, learners and educators to enable students to connect with science research that is taking place all over the world.“For some children, scientists are seen as people who are locked in a room with lots of chemicals swilling test tubes, and that’s not right. We really need to show children what real scientists do – that they’re real people using their knowledge, their intelligence, their thoughts and their research to develop new and exciting things.” Phil Brook, Teacher, Selwood Academy.Many students feel that STEM practitioners come from a different species and this is because they are missing out on role models. Through our work at Integrative Scientific we connect them in several ways:Give them the same tools as science researchers use – Nano Simbox is also used in universities and research labs around the world. Show them that science is a way of exploring and connecting to the world, rather than simply consisting of a bunch of facts to be learned. We believe that humans are innately all creative, curious and progressive – we are all scientists. Make a direct connection. We are working on different ways to directly connect science problems in research with people who are learning science. 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Digital Learning

Digital Doorways Unlocking Scientific Potential

22 May 2018

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      string(5696) "There is so much discussion of how Augmented and Virtual Reality are transforming education, but it’s not always clear how that is happening. Like with many tech tools, there can be a learning curve and an initial investment, making it seem out of reach for many. Virtual Reality is simply an immersive type of technology that can convince the brain that it is somewhere it isn’t. It is excellent for being transported to a place where you are not, including going back in time to historical moments or places, or to allow travel to distant realms, such as space or the depths of the ocean. The technology consists of realistic 3-dimensional images that are often rendered in real time, offering visual perspectives that respond to changes in movement and interactions that mimic those experienced in the real world. To fully experience VR, a headset is key, and options range from inexpensive cardboard versions that connect with a smartphone, to top-of-the-line gaming headsets. However, even without a headset, some of the technology, such as the Discovery VR outlined below, can be experienced through a mobile device, where simply moving the device changes the vantage point of the image on the screen, allowing for 360-degree viewing. Augmented Reality is a computer-aided interactive experience where objects that exist in the real world are augmented by computer-generated images that enhance a user’s perception of the reality. The game ‘Pokémon Go’is a popular example of AR, where the real world is augmented with imaginary characters.For better or worse, VR and AR have often been developed to the highest levels in the context of the video game industry, which has made it a bit tricky to convince educators of its value in the classroom. However, it does appear that this trend is changing and there are many cutting- edge companies engaging with educational applications and thinking about how to harness its full power. Although there are many excellent VR/AR apps that are connected to teaching through subject-specific games, for this month’s App Reviews we have focused on apps that use VR more widely or which have innovative tools/approaches to teaching through this medium. It is clear that there is definitely value to this technology that has the potential to transform learning on many levels. Universiv unimersiv.com/The Universiv app claims to be the largest VR platform for educational experiences. Their belief is that virtual reality should not only be used for gaming, but that it ‘can have a greater impact in our lives’. And so, they have developed a learning platform that uses VR to fully immerse students in learning new material in a fun and engaging way. The experiences on offer include: Dinos, Journey into the Brain, International Space Station, Anatomy, Stonehenge, Titanic, Acropolis, Ancient Rome and Mars Curiosity Rover. Within the ISS experience, students are given the opportunity to float around and learn about different areas of the ship and another ISS experience provides an excellent narrated tour or free exploration of the exterior. The Titanic experience showcases many areas of the ship and allows for some free exploring. The Roman architecture experience allows students to see quality digital 3D re-creations of significant Roman structures. The app requires students to have access to a VR headset. It is currently available for Samsung Gear VR, Rift Oculus, Daydream, Cardboard and Vive. It is a free download but there are costs associated with some of the available material, often between $3-5. They advertise a school rate of $49/headset (not including the headset) for full access to all the content and future releases. Reviews of the app are mixed, with most reviewers noting that the experiences are uneven – some are really great and some less compelling, so it would be a good idea to do your own research before investing too much in it at the outset. Discovery VR www.discoveryvr.comNot surprisingly, the experts at Discovery Channel have delved into the world of VR with high-quality programs and engaging, innovative content. Discovery VR is a collection of videos from popular Discovery series such as Our World, Shark Week, Racing Extinction and many others, that have a 3D component. Their Our World series focuses on human activities both current and historical. These include: ‘Under the Net’ – a story about a child in a refugee camp in Tanzania who is affected with Malaria, ‘Sharm el Sheikh: By Sea and Sand’ – a look at Egypt’s city on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula and ‘A Day in the Life on the Refuge – a look at living in the Arctic, including activities like building a cabin and dog sledding. The Racing Extinction series looks at issues relating to animals, including titles such as ‘Fishing and ecotourism’, ‘The Lion Whisperer’ and ‘Protecting Ocean Anchor Species’. The videos are fairly short – between 1-9 minutes long – but the immersive aspect means the videos are different with every viewing, depending on the viewer’s vantage point. The videos can be viewed directly on a desktop browser, smartphone or tablet and moving the device around changes the perspective and offers a 360-degree view. If you have access to a VR headset, the videos are even more immersive, situating the viewer directly in the scene. The content and the app are free and the topics are interesting and relevant to a wide range of subjects and educational approaches. CoSpaces"
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Assistive Technology

Transforming the Classroom with Augmented and Virtual Reality Apps

6 Nov 2018

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e-Learning Update issue 67"
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      string(5743) "e-learning UPDATE www.teachingtimes.comREIMAGINING THE POSSIBILITIES OFEDUCATION…THROUGH VRIn recent years, virtual reality (VR) has fuelled imaginations of what is possible through simulated environments,offering experiences that people could only once dream about. While gaming has been the initial beneficiaryof VR, and has no doubt driven the market growth, the popularity and innovation of VR has helped drive thistechnology into new verticals such as healthcare and astronomy… and more recently into education.According to research from Zion Market Research, VR is expected to reach $26.89 billion by 2022, showing itsrising popularity in the years ahead.While technology as a whole has grown, the education sector has been far slower in adopting new technologieswithin the classroom. The UK education sector has shown a willingness to put technology in the hands ofstudents, such as smart panels and interactive displays, but still more must be done. Limited budgets and alack of time are often cited as the main barriers in delivering the best possible experiences for students, but VRHelping teachers with today’stechnologyAn ICT Update Publicationwww.teachingtimes.come-learningUPDATEMarch 2018http://www.teachingtimes.comhttps://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/virtual-reality-markethttp://www.teachingtimes.comThis month’sFEATURESe-learning UPDATE www.teachingtimes.comhas helped reimagine possibilities not seen in the past 20 years, reinventing the experiences of students for thebetter and helping address many of these challenges.Can virtual become a reality in education?To better understand the opportunities of VR within education, Lenovo conducted a study asking 500 primaryand secondary school teachers about their views on VR, producing a number of interesting findings.Incorporating VR within the classroom is a widely supported view from teachers across the UK, with an almostunanimous 94 per cent believing that it would benefit the classroom. Nearly half (42 per cent) predict that it willbecome commonplace in the next five years, which supports the projected growth of the VR market industry inthe coming years.Currently, as VR is still a relatively new technology, adoption is still very much in its infancy. Only 23 per cent ofteachers have used VR in the classroom thus far, but of those that have used it almost all (97 per cent) found thatit made for more engaged students. This comes at little surprise as students are no longer limited by textbooks,and instead offered 360 degree visual and immersive experiences, helping bring ideas from paper to life.Initial applications of the technology has seen a handful of educational VR headsets used within schools,especially as teachers familiarise themselves with the technology. As the technology evolves, VR headsets willbecome more popular across the education system, as both teachers and students alike begin tapping into thebenefits of VR.Offering unrivalled experiencesOne of the largest challenges in education that VR technology is helping tackle is making things in the world realand relatable, helping them better visualise topics such as science and geography. With limited budgets (71 percent) and time (42 per cent) being persistent obstacles in education in offering these experiences, two-thirdsof teachers believe VR is helping visualise things faster than previously possible. This works hand-in-hand withthe visually immersive experiences students are used to in their day-to-day lives, further enforcing the naturalprogression of the technology within education.Teachers cited that taking students to explore new worlds through VR technology would be one of the biggestpulls of the tech. Some of the key areas to explore included climbing to the top of Everest (67 per cent), seeingmoments in history like the D-Day Beaches in WW2 (66 per cent), or exploring wildlife and the natural world suchwatching a volcano erupt (65 per cent). This mirrors the subjects which teachers feel would most benefit fromVR, with Sciences (27 per cent) and Geography (23 per cent) making up the top two.But what VR is also helping overcome is the financial and physical barriers that some students face. For studentsunable to embark on field trips or trips abroad, VR can help ‘level the playing field’, enabling similar experiencesfor students from all backgrounds.There’s also the application for long-distance learning, where travelling for hours is eliminated as VR is easily ableemulate the appropriate learning environments. In higher education for example, you can imagine the power ofVR in helping recreate a lab environment for those studying sciences to get a visually immersive experience thatclosely mimics a real-life setting.http://www.teachingtimes.comThis month’sFEATURESe-learning UPDATE www.teachingtimes.comInspiring the next generationVR technology is enabling teachers to provide more immersive experiences for its students, but is also a realdriving force in inspiring the next generation of technologists. Three in four teachers (74 per cent) stated thatthere will be a positive effect on the design and creativity skills of students, with over half (57 per cent) claimingthat VR can actually help build aspirations for students regarding the types of jobs they want to do. 73 per centof teachers agree that it is also the key facilitator to move classrooms forward into the future, and 55 per centfirmly believe that VR will see an up-turn in grades.This blended environment means that students are no longer bound by classroom walls or traditional lessonplans, thus"
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Digital Learning

Reimagining The Possibilities Of Education Through VR

6 Mar 2018

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