Transforming the Classroom with Augmented and Virtual Reality Apps

Video games are not the only realm benefiting from the latest technological advancements in special effects and graphics. These apps can transform your classroom and transport students to new educational realms.

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.

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      string(391) "... and English.Story-telling worlds are convergingStephen Cavalier, founder of Spy Pictures and Cav Films Ltd, and creator of Badger and Boson’s Adventures in Reality, said: “In future storytelling, we’re moving away from the separate industries of film, TV and games. Storytelling worlds are converging and blending, creating ..."
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      string(4708) "interviewed the game developer Frontier about their new Rollercoaster Tycoon video game, and for the current issue, released in December, they interview the developer E-Line for their video game inspired by Blue Planet, to create deep learning about our oceans and the natural world. Lesson packsThe  lesson packs cross disciplines, offering activities for writing and literacy, maths’, science, art, technology and even sport, with a recent issue dedicated to various sporting video games. All of the learning materials have been developed by teachers and are endorsed by the National Literacy Trust. As with any lesson plans, the learning is stepped throughout each lesson and over the course of the learning journey via the monthly issues. So, whether it be lesson plans inspired by Fall Guys, Sonic, Fifa, LEGO Super Villains or Checkpoints Kids the mission is to inspire creativity in children by using their love of video games as a route for deep learning. Tamer Asfahani, editor-in-chief and founder of Checkpoint Kids, set up the magazine during lockdown after seeing frustrated parents and teachers worrying about their children sat playing video games, he wanted to show that video games are not only engaging forms of escapism and entertainment for children, but they are also highly educational. Checkpoint Kds“Games, like good literature,” he adds, “allow the player to engage with other worlds, other ways of being, other philosophies: they engender understanding and empathy and are crucial to the contemporary learning package.”Dan Wiltshire, Deputy Head and Head ofLiteracy at Brickhill Primary School, agrees with Asfahani. He said:“Checkpoint Kids offers such an exciting opportunity not only for children toengage with technology and gaming but also providing them with a platform towrite and share their own content.”These new formats for learning not onlyopen up new ways to enhance digital learning and literacy but also to developchildren as the storytellers of the future. In addition to these interactiveformats, traditional broadcasters, such as ITV and the BBC, are now exploringways in which to develop multi platform educational content to be used in andoutside the classroom. ITV and the British Film Institute  have recently partnered with Spy Pictures and Cav Films to develop a new multi platform storytelling world, Badger and Boson’s Adventures in Reality. The show is still in development, but the plan is that it will enable the player and viewer to take control of their story across a range of devices, from the TV to tablet, console and cloud, giving multiple learning touch-points, and teachers will be able to use all of the elements in the classroom to support learning about science, history, maths’ and English.Story-telling worlds are convergingStephen Cavalier, founder of Spy Pictures and Cav Films Ltd, and creator of Badger and Boson’s Adventures in Reality, said: “In future storytelling, we’re moving away from the separate industries of film, TV and games. Storytelling worlds are converging and blending, creating new interactive formats that create something new, with different touch-points for engagement across multiple devices.” “The hope is that with the technology available today, we should see greater convergence between new and traditional platforms which enables us to tell the best stories of our times whilst also reaching a variety of audiences in different ways – either through TV, online and social, tablet, mobile, voice recognition or console. All in all, it’s a very exciting time to be a creator.” In contemporary pedagogy we now know thatteachers must focus on designing learning that causes learning to happen andfacilitate the process through formative feedback and assessment. By usingthese immersive platforms as a route to aid deep learning, teachers have theability to engage children whilst also creating fun, interactive, digitallessons tied into their favourite gaming brands.  For more information or to download the lessons plans, please visit https://checkpointmagazine.com/teachers/or visit the Bedtime Stories app via the App Store. To trial PAC-MAN Stories, teachers can simply ask for PAC-MAN Stories on an Alexa or contact PACMAN@waytoblue.com for a teacher learning kit. Clara Zerbib is a writer on gaming and education"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Immersive Story Telling Is Trending In Classroom Edutainment

11 Dec 2020

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      string(348) "... engaging environment for students to learn how to build games. It consists of tools, games and a community that allows students an accessible approach to video game design with an initial focus on visual design elements as opposed to the coding side. A series of manga cut-scenes and ‘missions ..."
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      string(3021) "support research on ancient Egypt as well as storyboarding and brainstorming techniques, or ‘Plant Survival Challenge’, where students can use Bloxels to learn the anatomy of plants and help gain understanding of plants’ physical needs and environmental factors. Students can also incorporate the game with their history lessons, connecting research on historical figures with design or story features of the games. Teachers are offered lots of support and tutorials and there is a very enthusiastic community of users that offer lots of tips and ideas for how to use the technology in the classroom. Bloxels offer an easy way to create interest, engagement and creativity in students as they learn about game development and coding in a simple way. The main drawback is the cost, which is variable but somewhat substantial, and some users have said that the digital rendering process can be somewhat finicky.Gamestar Mechanic (KS2 – KS3)gamestarmechanic.comGamestar Mechanic uses Manga visuals to create an engaging environment for students to learn how to build games. It consists of tools, games and a community that allows students an accessible approach to video game design with an initial focus on visual design elements as opposed to the coding side. A series of manga cut-scenes and ‘missions’ asks students to play, fix, and make different kinds of games built around specific mechanics, like collecting points or jumping. As they learn design, ‘sprites’, or pieces are unlocked for the games they’ve mastered that can then be used in their own game design workshops. Students can learn the process of coding through the self-directed scaffolding set up in the game or work collaboratively, learning from each other.Through the process of designing their game, students employ various aspects of creativity both in learning and in coming up with their own inputs, including customising their games with their own artwork. The directions are clear and easy to follow and the games that are created are real and playable. Students have to think both mathematically and artistically get the game built and they have true ownership over their work in the end. The accounts have free and paid options and accounts are transferrable, so students can continue to access and develop their game at home once the school year is over. Gamestar Mechanic allows students to learn about how systems work and how they can be modified or changed. Students learn to think analytically and holistically, to experiment and test theories, and to consider other people as part of the systems they create and inhabit. It is a great resource for developing the 21st-century skills associated with game design, including system-based thinking, creative problem solving, art and aesthetics, writing and storytelling, and of course, STEM subject knowledge."
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Computing and Coding

Gaming it up

17 Jul 2018

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      string(5834) "LiFi is lighting the way to wireless learningWireless technology has become an essential part of educational infrastructure, but the current WiFi bandwidth is coming under increasing strain with the exponential growth of wireless-enabled devices that are connected to the internet and the expansion of digital learning tools such as HD video, e-books or interactive educational games. This is set to continue as e-learning evolves to incorporate emerging technologies, like virtual reality and augmented reality, in the classroom, which require significant bandwidth. However, there is a relatively simple and tested solution at hand and that is to use light bulbs to transmit data through LiFi.WiFi is coming under pressureWiFi has transformed the way we use devices in all aspects of life, reducing the need for wired-in computers and opening the way to a new generation of portable laptops, smartphones and tablet devices.The figures for the growth in mobile data use are staggering. In 2016, mobile data traffic grew by 63 per cent and 60 per cent of total mobile data traffic was offloaded onto the fixed network through WiFi or femtocell, according to CISCO Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2016-2021 White Paper. It is forecast that by 2020 there will be 20 billion devices wirelessly connected to the internet. Almost 80 per cent of the wireless data is being consumed by bandwidth-hungry video for entertainment, video streaming and virtual and augmented reality.However, the ability to access data, information and entertainment on the move through WiFi has devoured vast swathes of the available radio frequency spectrum on which it relies.This looming spectrum crunch means that we must find an alternative to ensure wireless communications can not only continue to meet current requirements but, more importantly, the expected rise in demand in the future.Wireless communications in educationSchools are a prime example of how wireless communication has been transformational. Two decades ago, pupils used computers in dedicated IT suites, but in the modern school, functioning without wireless is not an option. While there is still a place for the wired-in computer, wireless-enabled devices offer greater versatility through the multi-purpose use of classrooms.In addition to the substantial online educational resources—videos, e-books, podcasts and more—blended learning now offers the opportunity to use digital media alongside traditional teaching methods to provide students with a more personalised learning environment through independent online study and curriculum delivery via a digital platform. The development of virtual reality and artificial intelligence offers further enhancement for education. Virtual reality can enable a student to travel to different continents or time periods and experience different cultures or eras from their desks, while artificial intelligence can be used to help predict a student’s individual learning needs. All of this relies on an increasing number of wireless-enabled devices—from laptops or tablets for students to interactive whiteboards, VR headsets and TVs—with an internet connection offering high bandwidth and low latency.There is also the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) for devices that form part of the wider school environment, such as heating systems controlled by temperature sensors, occupancy sensing for recording attendances and video surveillance monitoring that utilises AI/machine learning to enhance security. All of these devices are connected via the internet.‘We are pleased to support a Scottish-born company whose complementary, emerging technology has the potential to transform delivery of wireless broadband communications. The pilot trial in Kyle Academy represents a potentially very valuable contribution to our knowledge and understanding of evolving 5G technologies’Paul Wheelhouse, MSP Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands.LiFi: the solution from the ceilingIt is against this background that schools need to start exploring options to provide greater bandwidth—while ensuring low latency and security—to be able to cater for, and benefit from, the growing number of devices and digital tools as well as cope with sudden spikes in usage when an entire class streams a video. The solution to this can be found in the classroom ceiling—adapting existing lighting systems for LiFi to provide the next generation of high-speed wireless internet connectivity.I coined the term ‘LiFi’ in a TedGlobal Talk in 2011, and demonstrated the transmission of a video by an ordinary LED light installed in a desk lamp. To expedite the commercialisation and widespread adoption of LiFi, in 2012, I co-founded pureLiFi as a spin out from the University of Edinburgh. But while we believe we have provided pioneering contributions to the field of optical wireless communications by introducing LiFi as wireless networking solution, we are not alone in appreciating its value: an increasing number of organisations—including blue-chip organisations—have invested in LiFi, with companies such as O2 recently announcing that they are exploring LiFi as a means of future-proofing its network as it paves the way for 5G in the UK.The principle of using light to transmit data is well established, from the TV remote to the lasers that send data down fibre optic cables. However, LiFi enables a fibre-like experience in free space, providing almost unlimited wireless data rates. My group at the University of Edinburgh has"
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Digital Learning

Riding the Light Improving Bandwidth with LiFi

8 Aug 2019

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      string(5791) "National Education Network. To celebrate theconnection of the National Archives video conferencing suite to theeducational broadband network, SEGfL have been running a special VCworkshop based on World War I, which is due to run next in February 2006.The workshop is called ‘All Pals Together: A soldier’s story from the trenches’and is aimed at Year 9 pupils. This is an interactive lesson with an actorplaying Private Henry Fairhurst of the 14th York and Lancaster Battalion(Barnsley Pals).Don’t just do itby the book!When Cambridge-Hitachi (A20)started their i-read project, they gotexperienced literacy expert Pie Corbetton board as a series editor andcommissioned to write motivating newtexts by popular children’s authors andengaging new artwork. i-read is anexciting new reading resource forthese reasons and also (perhapssurprisingly) because it is on CD-ROMfor the interactive whiteboard.The i-read programme is built aroundthe idea of direct teaching of reading –demonstrating different strategies and techniques and then getting thechildren to have a go themselves. Using the screen as a tool for teaching andlearning opens up opportunities for multi-sensory strategies and allows youto meet children at their best vantage point.i-read takes teaching and learning of reading a step forward by makingbest use of whiteboard technology, including music, video clips, sound effects,poetry readings, oral storytelling and dialogues to hone listening skills andhelp children engage with the text. However, i-read isn’t about ‘bells andwhistles’. The children can interact with the software, but the teaching andlearning remains firmly in control of the teacher.i-read Series Editor Pie Corbett says “I have often wondered what it wouldbe like if every child could read . . . it may sound idealistic, but that has to beour aim. i-read could become a dynamic part of your reading repertoireaimed at achieving this goal.”Reaching out in 3-DEducation Interactives Limited (EIL) is a specialist software creator for the education sector and a provider of hardware installations. They havedeveloped interactive content in the areas of science, English, history and technology.EIL’s 3-D system on offer allows 3-D objects to appear out of the screen, ‘hovering’ above your head, giving the illusion that you can ‘reach out’ andtouch it. The system can be tailored to suit the room it is installed in and according to whether you have an interactive or static screenand its size and projector brightness. Using special software, it allows access to thousands of 3-D web-basedmodels which can be instantly viewed in this unique way.The system also enables you to create your own filmsand then play them back in 3-D.It has proven to be successful in providing a funmedium for children to engage with and also has astrong element of learning key points which are linkedto the National Curriculum. As one teacher put it: “Todaywe got to see a preview of the 3-D heart. It fascinated thestudents to see a giant heart in front of them. Even though wecouldn’t touch (and looked stupid when we tried to) we gota good look at the inner workings and how the hearttransfers blood around the entire body.”EIL will also be launching its newMindScene software at the show onstand L51, a state-of-the-art packagethat fuses mind mapping with 3-Dvirtual reality.54InteracTive January 2006Curriculum FocusNEWS ROUNDUPEverything on screen onlineDeveloped by the British Film Institute and funded by a £1.2 million grant from the lottery New Opportunities Fund, screenonline(www.screenonline.org.uk) is a website devoted to the history of British film andtelevision, and to Britain’s social history as revealed by film and television.The site features hundreds of hours of video clips from the vast collections of theBFI’s National Film and Television Archive, alongside thousands of stills, posters andpress books and several hours of recorded interviews with film and TV personalities.Also included are over 800 biographies of film and television personalities andorganisations. This material is supplemented by rich and authoritative contextualmaterial by expert writers.The site, which you can see on stand P2, is primarily aimed at teachers and studentsin secondary and further education, and lifelong learners in libraries, but it is suitablefor anyone interested in the history of British film and television. It is the single mostextensive publicly available resource devoted to this field, but is entirely free toregistered users in secondary and further education and libraries. People using thesite from home, work or in public Internet access centres can access to all of thematerial presented except for moving image content.Creating thefuture of educationVisit the NESTA Futurelab stand (Y30) and you’ll find a vision of the‘future of education’, with a range of innovative education projectson show created through partnerships to transform the way youngpeople learn.Space Mission is one of their pioneering learning resources, developed inpartnership with the National Space Centre. As a disaster occurs in space,pupils role play as experts in an emergency response team on Earth.Encouraging teamwork, the pupils use video conferencing, web chat andinteractive materials, as well as their skills as scientists, mathematicians,planetary geographers and communicators, to help resolve the disaster.You can also see a demonstration of the exciting audiovisual tool,Jungulator, which enables young people to manipulate sights and sounds tocreate their own"
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Digital Learning

The Curriculum Collection

1 Jan 2005