Abstract
Conversational technologies such as email, chat rooms, and blogs have made the transition from novel communication technologies to powerful tools for learning. Currently virtual worlds are undergoing the same transition. We argue that the next wave of innovation is at the level of the computer interface, and that mixed-reality environments offer important advantages over prior technologies. Thus, mixed reality is positioned to have a broad impact on the future of K-12 collaborative learning. We propose three design imperatives that arise from our ongoing work in this area grounded in research from the learning sciences and human-computer interaction. By way of example, we present one such platform, the Situated Multimedia Arts Learning Lab [SMALLab]. SMALLab is a mixed-reality environment that affords face-to-face interaction by colocated participants within a mediated space. We present a recent design experiment that involved the development of a new SMALLab learning scenario and a collaborative student participation framework for a 3-day intervention for 72 high school earth science students. We analyzed student and teacher exchanges from classroom sessions both during the intervention and during regular classroom instruction and found significant increases in the number of student-driven exchanges within SMALLab. We also found that students made significant achievement gains. We conclude that mixed reality can have a positive impact on collaborative learning and that it is poised for broad dissemination into mainstream K-12 contexts.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arizona Department of Education. (2005). Arizona Academic Standards: Science Strand 6—Earth and Space Science, from http://www.ade.az.gov/standards/science/downloads/strand6.pdf.
Asllani, A., Ettkin, L., & Somasundar, A. (2008). Sharing knowledge with conversational technologies: Web logs versus discussion boards. International Journal of Information Technology and Management, 7(2), 217–230.
Birchfield, D., Ciufo, T., Minyard, G., Qian, G., Savenye, W., Sundaram, H., et al. (2006). SMALLab: A mediated platform for education. Paper presented at the ACM SIGGRAPH, Boston, MA.
Birchfield, D., Mechtley, B., Hatton, S., & Thornburg, H. (2008). Mixed-reality learning in the art museum context. Paper presented at the ACM SIG Multimedia, Vancouver, BC.
Blackboard Inc. (2008). Blackboard: Educate, innovate, everywhere. Retrieved 07/25/2008, from http://www.blackboard.com/us/index.bbb.
Brown, A. L. (1992). Design experiments: Theoretical and methodological challenges in creating complex interventions in classroom settings. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2(2), 141–178.
Brown, A., & Palinscar, A. (1989). Guided, cooperative learning and individual knowledge acquisition. In L. Resnick (Ed.), Knowing, learning, and instruction: Essays in honor of Robert Glaser (pp. 393–452). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Chen, D., & Stroup, W. (1993). General systems theory: Toward a conceptual framework for science and technology education for all. Journal for Science Education and Technology, 2(3), 447–459.
Cobb, P., diSessa, A., Lehrer, R., & Shauble, L. (2003). Design experiments in educational research. Educational Researcher, 32(1), 9–13.
Collins, A., Joseph, D., & Bielaczyc, K. (2004). Design research: Theoretical and methodological issues. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(1), 15–42.
Cuthbertson, A., Hatton, S., Minyard, G., Piver, H., Todd, C., & Birchfield, D. (2007). Mediated education in a creative arts context: Research and practice at Whittier Elementary School. Paper presented at the 6th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children.
Dede, C., & Ketelhut, D. J. (2003). Designing for motivation and usability in a museum-based multi-user virtual environment. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference, Chicago, IL.
Dede, C., Ketelhut, D. J., & Ruess, K. (2002). Motivation, usability and learning outcomes in a prototype museum-based multi-user virtual environment. Paper presented at the 5th International Conference of the Learning Sciences, Seattle, WA.
diSessa, A. (1991). Local sciences: Viewing the design of human-computer systems as cognitive science. In J. M. Carroll (Ed.), Designing interaction: Psychology at the human-computer interface (pp. 162–202). Cambridge University Press.
Dourish, P. (2001). Where the action is: The foundations of embodied interaction. Cambridge, MA; London: MIT Press.
DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., & Many, T. (2006). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning commuities at work. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
EU Community Report, I. S. T. I. P. (2004). A multisensory environment design for an interface between autistic and typical expressiveness.
Hake, R. R. (1998). Interactive-engagement vs traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses. American Journal of Physics, 66, 64–74.
Harasim, L., Hiltz, S. R., Teles, L., & Turoff, M. (1995). Learning networks: A field guide to teaching and learning on-line. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Hatton, S., Birchfield, D., & Megowan-Romanowicz, M. C. (2008). Learning metaphor through mixed-reality game design and game play. Paper presented at the AMC Sandbox.
Hestenes, D. (1992). Modeling games in the Newtonian world. American Journal of Physics, 60, 732–748.
Hestenes, D. (1996). Modeling methodology for physics teachers. Paper presented at the International Conference on Undergraduate Physics, College Park, MD.
Hord, S. (1997). Professional learning communities: Communities of continuous inquiry and improvement. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
Ishii, H., & Ullmer, B. (1997). Tangible bits: Towards seamless interfaces between people, bits and atoms. Paper presented at the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Atlanta, Georgia.
Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1984). Cooperative learning. New Brighton, MN: Interaction Book Co.
Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1989). Cooperation and competition: Theory and research. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.
Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, H. (1991). Learning together and alone: Cooperation, competition, and individualization. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Johnson, R. T., & Johnson, D. W. (1994). An overview of cooperative learning. In J. Thousand, A. Villa & A. Nevin (Eds.), Creativity and collaborative learning. Baltimore: Brookes Press.
Johnson, W., & Battiste, V. (2006). NASA Ames Flight Deck Display Research Laboratory: Boeing 777 Cockpit Simulator, 2008, from http://human-factors.arc.nasa.gov/ihh/cdti/777FlightSim.html.
Ketelhut, D. J. (2007). The impact of student self-efficacy on scientific inquiry skills: An exploratory investigation in River City, a multi-user virtual environment. The Journal of Science Education and Technology, 16(1), 99–111.
Leh, A. (2001). Computer-mediated communication and social presence in a distance learning environment. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 7(2), 109–128.
Leuf, B., & Cunningham, W. (2001). The wiki way: Quick collaboration on the Web. Boston: Addison-Wesley.
Lutgens, F., Tarbuck, E., & Tasa, D. (2004). Foundations of earth science (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Mesch, U., Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1988). Impact of positive interdependence and academic group contingencies on achievement. Journal of Social Psychology, 28, 845–852.
Moodle. (2008). Moodle—A free, open source course management system for online learning. Retrieved 07/25/2008, from http://moodle.org.
Nelson, B., Ketelhut, D. J., Clarke, J., Dieterle, E., Dede, C., & Erlandson, B. (2007). Robust design strategies for scaling educational innovations: The River City MUVE case study. The Educational Design and Use of Computer Simulation.
Nesson, C., Nesson, R., & Koo, G. (Producer). (2007). CyberOne: Law in the Court of Public Opinion. Podcast retrieved from http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/cyberone/.
Pares, N., Carreras, A., Durany, J., Ferrer, J., Freixa, P., Gomez, D., et al. (2004). MEDIATE: An interactive multisensory environment for children with severe autism and no verbal communication. 3rd International Workshop on Virtual Rehabilitation (IWVR’04).
Pares, N., Masri, P., vanWolferen, G., & Creed, C. (2005). Achieving dialogue with children with severe autism in an adaptive multisensory interaction: The MEDIATE project. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 11(6), 734–743.
Raitman, R., Augar, N., & Zhou, W. (2005). Employing wikis for online collaboration in the e-learning environment: Case study. Paper presented at the Third International Conference on Information Technology and Applications, Sydney, Australia.
Rick, J., Guzdial, M., Carroll, K., Holloway-Attaway, L., & Walker, B. (2002). Collaborative learning at low cost: CoWeb use in English composition. Paper presented at the Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Conference, Hillsdale, NJ.
Slavin, R. (1995). Cooperative learning: Theory research, and practice. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Slavin, R. (1996). Research on cooperative learning and achievement: What we know, what we need to know. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21, 43–69.
Sukthankar, R. (2005). Towards ambient projection for intelligent environments. Paper presented at the Computer Vision for Interactive and Intelligent Environment, Madonna di Campiglio, Italy.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wren, C. R., Basu, S., Sparacino, F., & Pentland, A. (1999). Combining audio and video in perceptive spaces. Paper presented at the Managing Interactions in Smart Environments, Dublin, Ireland.
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge that these materials document work supported by the MacArthur Foundation under the grant titled Gaming SMALLab: A game-like approach to embodied learning and by the National Science Foundation under CISE Infrastructure Grant No. 0403428 and IGERT Grant No. 0504647. We extend our gratitude to the students, teachers, and staff of Coronado High School.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Birchfield, D., Megowan-Romanowicz, C. Earth science learning in SMALLab: A design experiment for mixed reality. Computer Supported Learning 4, 403–421 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-009-9074-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-009-9074-8