Workshop on Augmented reality at the FLC
On the 24 and 25 of March, the 39th Science Projects Workshop for ARETE pilot teachers took place in the Future Classroom Lab in Brussels, Belgium. Organized by European Schoolnet in collaboration with the ARETE partners, the event tackled issues related to the use of Augmented and Extended Reality technologies in the classroom.
A total of 30 teachers, from 9 different countries across Europe, participated in the 2-day event during which teachers were given the opportunity to test the Mirage XR toolkit developed by the ARETE partners. In addition, participants got the chance to hear comments and suggestions on the use of Augmented Reality in education from some of their peers who had previously used the Mirage XR toolkit, within the framework of ARETE Pilot 4.
On day one, Professor Fridolin Wild from the Open University presented the opportunities offered by Augmented Reality for teaching and learning and introduced participants to the Mirage XR toolkit. Then, a hands-on session followed, so that participants could try the Augmented Reality application presented with the support of some more experienced educators.
On day two, participants were invited to create an educational activity with Mirage XR, based on their interest, usual classroom practice and the subject taught. The creation session aimed to replicate classroom implementation of the Mirage XR toolkit, observe teachers’ behavior while they used Augmented Reality and collect feedback on the use of the Augmented Reality educational tool tested. Observation and data collection took place under the supervision of Professor Effie Lai-Chong Law from the University of Durham.
FCL, SPW39 2023 (25 March 2023 European Schoolnet, Belgium) Copyright: Public Domain
During the discussion, which followed the creation of educational activities, teachers expressed their satisfaction with the Mirage XR toolkit tested and showed interest in future use of such a solution, currently free of charge. They mentioned that it opens the door to many classroom activities e.g., one teacher could feature Archimedes in her Augmented Reality educational activities to teach mathematics in a more engaging way to primary school students. Another educator included a ghost in his Augmented Reality educational activity to explain what an Arduino board is to students; while in a third example a teacher created a character to explain how the polarization of light works.
Having attended all the scheduled sessions and having actively taken part in the hands-on activities, all participating teachers received certificates. Certificates of participation were distributed during a closing ceremony which ended the 2-day event.
FCL, SPW39 2023 (25 March 2023 European Schoolnet, Belgium) Copyright: Public Domain
