playful blended digital storytelling in 3d immersive elearning environments for literacy motivation

Playful Blended Digital Storytelling in 3D Immersive eLearning Environ-

ments for Literacy Motivation

Stylianos Mystakidis &

Niki Lambropoulos

University of Patras

Habib M. Fardoun &

Daniyal M. Alghazzawi

King Abdulaziz University 3rd Workshop on Interaction Design in Educational Environments (Albacete, June 9th 2014)

Stylianos Mystakidis MSc, PMP, Phd cand.

• Learning Innovator @ Library & Information Services, University of Patras (Greece)

• Adjunct Faculty @ University of the West of England – UWE (Bristol, UK)

• Adjunct Faculty @ Open University of Catalonia – UOC (Barcelona, Spain)

• Teaching Mentor @ University of Washington – UW (Seattle, USA)

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Storytime!

• Scenery

• Theoretical Background

• Pedagogical Design

• Technical Development

• Preliminary Results

• Conclusion

Scenery

University of Patras (Upatras)

• World Ranking*: #327 • Greece Ranking*: #2 • 24,460 students | 754 Faculty members • 24 Departments in 5 Schools • Prominent Research Center on ICT & Engineering • St Andrew (Patras’ patron Saint)

*Webometrics, 2012

Library & Information Services

• National & European Research Projects

• Institution-wide Services (e.g. Repository)

• ISO 9001:2000

• Openness- & Innovation-oriented

“Schools go to University”

• Open days

• 2 weeks each Spring

• Primary & Secondary School class visits

• 2014: 14 Departments offering 36 educational programs & activities

Challenge

Prepare a short, engaging educational

program for K-12 classes visiting the

University of Patras’ Library

Theoretical Background

Storytelling

• Stories are extremely powerful tools for learning

• Better recall when in a narrative (Adval, 1998)

• “Stories allow us to learn from the experience of others without having to face another person’s personal consequences”

Gamification & The Power of Play

Flow Theory (Csikszentmihalyi)

Games vs Play vs Gamification vs Toys

3D Virtual Immersive Learning Environments Instructional Strategies

• Socio-constructivist instructional methods

• Situated and experiential learning (Dawley & Dede, 2013; Falconer, 2013)

• Simulated learning (Falconer & Frutos-Perez, 2009)

• Game-based learning experiences (Hill & Mystakidis, 2012)

Pedagogical Design Technical Development

From the Ancient to the Modern Tablets

Learning Objectives

• Motivate extracurricular reading and promote of early literacy;

• Establish cognitive links between writing, books and acquiring knowledge with technology;

• Possess introductory user skills with a tablet; and

• Practice team collaboration

Experience Design (Levels)

1. Playful Library Tour *30’+

2. Interactive Presentation & Game *45’+

3. Creative Group Reflection with Tablets *30’+

1. Playful Library Tour

Engagement through Play

• Team play

• Competition

• Challenge

• Quests

• Choices

• Curiosity

• Expression

2. Interactive Presentation & Game

• Classroom & video projector

• Instructor controls avatar in the 3d Virtual Environment

• Avatar appearance & movement

• 2 Teams

• Scoring points by answering questions

• Mini-game: Phoenician Alphabet Challenge

Interactive Presentation & Game (II)

Immersion (Second Life)

3d Virtual Immersive Environments :

• UW Museum of Virtual Media

• Museum Island

• Ancient Alexandria

• Alice Academy

• International Spaceflight Museum

3D Virtual Immersive Learning Environments

• Cave Paintings, Lascaux Cave, France 32000 BC

• Ancient Tablets, Mesopotamia, 3500 BC

• Ancient Greece, Linear Α & Β’, 1450 BC

• Alphabet, Phoenicia, 1200 BC

• Great Library of Alexandria, Egypt, 200 BC

• Manuscript copying, Byzantine Empire, 600 AD

• Movable Type, China 1040 AD

• The Future of Books & Knowledge

Lascaux Cave, UW Museum of Virtual Media

The Role of 3D Virtual Immersive Learning Environments

• Depict civilization’s architecture, natural environment and aesthetics,

• Show clothing and appearance of a representative of each milestone (through the avatar’s clothing and skin)

• Visualize objects and notions not available in the physical life, e.g. the arrangement of scrolls in the Great Library of Alexandria

• Demonstrate through programming how inventions worked (e.g. movable type)

• Include objects to be used as prompts during the game (e.g. the Phaistos disk)

3. Creative Group Reflection with Tablets

Results I

Results II

We love books!

Preliminary Results

Statistics

• “From the Ancient to the Modern Tablets”

• Program offered since 2012

• Participation: 1500 students from 20 schools (ages: 7-15)

Evaluation Findings

• Online Questionnaire (Likert scale)

• 28 teachers

• 81% children acquired new skills (agree & fully agree)

• 85% helped children assume a positive attitude towards books & reading

• 98% 3D VIEs useful for facts recall & history understanding

Teachers’ Quotes

“I have never seen my class so quiet and concentrated as when they attended this

program” (oral statement)

“You exceeded teachers’ & students’ expectations; you have captivated childrens’

interest and they enjoyed the program greatly. The whole visit to the Library was so alive.”

(email)

Conclusions

• Customization / adaptation for older classes

• Atmosphere creation

• Avatar appearance & gestures count!

• Encourage participation non-stop with micro-interactions!

• Surprise!

• Learning as Show

Acknowledgements

• University of Washington

• Randy Hinrichs, CEO 2b3d

• Anna Gadler-Pratt, SL Educator & Artist

• Tom Layton, Alice Academy

• Carlolello Zapatero, Museum Island

Contact us for more… Stylianos Mystakidis

smyst@upatras.gr

@stylianosm2

Niki Lambropoulos

nikilambropoulos@

gmail.com