Immerse Students in Learning with AR/VR and AI!

Purpose & objective

Many examples will be shared showing how the different tools can be used in different content areas and grade levels and attendees will have time to share stories and ideas for using AR and VR as well as exploring AI with students and the benefits. Using tools like those for augmented and virtual reality which enable students to become more immersed in their learning environment, to interact with objects, and the content they are learning about in a way that enables them to explore more closely, interact in unique ways that increase engagement in learning as well as curiosity and bring learning to life. Through these tools, students can explore parts of the world and have a more hands-on learning experience, that previously was not accessible, or not easily accessible. Some of the tools which may be included are: Nearpod, CoSpacesEDU, Class Immerse VR, DeVar, Figment AR, Leo, 3DBear, Metaverse, MergeVR, Round Me, Story Fab, Thyng, Tour Builder and the use of different tools for creating AR and VR. Discussion of AI and tools to explore with students including AI World School, Rex Academy, MIT App Inventor, Google AI Experiments and the ISTE U Course and AI Curriculum guides.

Students have become more engaged in learning by using these tools in our classroom for STEAM as well as foreign language classes. The success was also in having Spanish 2 students create a story using a few of these AR/VR tools, which lead to a more creative and authentic learning product and more meaningful learning for students. We shared projects and explored, in doing so, students practiced their vocabulary and verbs by interacting in the environment and reading/listening to the story. Students also built digital citizenship skills and their collaborative skills, working in small groups, mindful of social-emotional learning skills and working as part of a team and reflecting
The benefit is that it promotes more independent learning through the exploration using these tools, and leads to more curiosity in learning and student creations, which will engage and motivate students more. It benefits problem-solving and critical thinking, when exploring as well as creating their own environments, and promotes creativity and innovation in the designs. Students have learned a lot about this area and have retained the content material more because of the authentic learning, and have started to advocate for the use of these tools in other classes, and also have taught peers about some of them. The transfer of learning and enhanced student engagement have continued to increase through the use of these tools. For anyone looking to start using these tools in the classroom, I am excited to share our steps and hope that it can help make the implementation easier for others, and I look forward to learning more about the topic as well, from shared experiences during the session. Students have created amazing interactive AR and VR experiences and become more confident in working with their peers and teaching their classmates as well.

Outline

We adjusted the originally planned session to provide the experience in Mozilla Hubs. All resources from the original presentation are shared in the digital tote, please let me know if you have questions!

The session will begin with a brief overview and explanation of AI and how to teach about AI with some resources to explore. Following the AI discussion, we will explore the differences between Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality with examples provided and highlights of how students are creating with these tools and the benefits (15-20 minutes)

Focus on the uses of Augmented and virtual reality, the different apps, and tools to learn features and time to interact (depending on the length of session) with some apps such as CoSpaces,, 3DBear and other AR/VR apps. Ideas for how to demonstrate these tools and use as a lesson, then to promote student creations. (10-15 minutes) Focus on the uses of Artificial Intelligence, with some explanation of how these tools can be used in any classroom, as ways for students to explore and design their own chatbots, for example. (20-25 minutes) Attendees will see examples of some of the student creations made using CoSpaces,Thyng, Nearpod, and others.
The remaining time during the session will be adjusted based on the interests of those in attendance, and as much time as possible will be provided to explore and interact with the tools. Many resources will be shared during the session and available for attendees. Attendees will be able to identify the differences between AR and VR, as well as AI and some tools for each. Attendees will walk away with ideas of how to start using AR and VR, AI in the classroom as well as for cross-curricular collaboration. Attendees will have resources available to meet needs as far as devices, comfort level, and content area.
For anyone looking to start adding this into their curriculum and engaging students in their learning, this is the place to come.

Supporting research

Advantages and challenges associated with augmented reality for education: A systematic review of the literature, Educational Research Review
Volume 20, February 2017, Pages 1-11
https://www.eschoolnews.com/2018/09/04/how-wearables-ar-and-vr-help-students-to-develop-sel-skills-part-2/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/08/16/augmented-reality-benefits-us-all/
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2020/08/why-sel-is-more-important-than-ever-meeting-sel-needs-virtually/
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2020/04/15-ar-and-vr-immersive-learning-tools/
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2020/03/choosing-the-right-tools-for-remote-learning/
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2020/03/fostering-connectedness-during-remote-learning/

https://www.edtechupdate.com/edition/daily-gamification-differentiated-instruction-2019-08-08?open-article-id=11092817&article-title=top-10-reasons-to-take-immersive-learning-into-your-classroom&blog-domain=neolms.com&blog-title=neo-lms
https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2019/08/early-adopters-pioneer-virtual-reality-use-higher-education

https://programminginsider.com/5-real-uses-of-virtual-reality-in-education/
https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2019/08/arvr-k-12-schools-use-immersive-technology-assistive-learning-perfcon
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-07-19-can-ar-vr-improve-learning-integrating-extended-reality-into-academic-programs-dlnchat
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-04-04-unleash-the-power-of-storytelling-with-these-new-ar-and-vr-tools

https://centricdigital.com/blog/augmented-reality/5-reasons-education-needs-to-invest-in-augmented-reality/

http://www.gettingsmart.com/2018/02/virtual-reality-in-the-classroom-is-becoming-the-new-norm/
https://www.eschoolnews.com/2018/08/03/4-ways-ar-vr-can-transform-your-lesson-plan/
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-05-29-how-ar-and-vr-are-being-used-to-teach-sel
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-05-15-how-ar-and-vr-can-inspire-innovation-and-boost-college-and-career-readinesshttps://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-06-21-can-an-ar-and-vr-pilot-program-from-google-prepare-kids-for-future-careers
https://anchor.fm/the-virtual-reality-podcast/episodes/ISTE-in-5---Google--France-Lee-e1nbo5
https://t.co/pt4kz1Rifg

http://3dbear.io/blog/2018/6/28/how-3dbear-ar-helps-prepare-students-for-21st-century