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Multimedia and Virtual Reality Application for Teaching-Learning Human Senses and Therapy of Lateral and Space Location

Carolina Yolanda Castañeda Roldán. M. en C. Instituto Tecnológico de Puebla

ycastane@hotmail.com

José Rafael Espinosa y Victoria Ph. D. Universidad de las Américas Puebla

jose.espinosa@udlap.mx

Abstract

A computer-tool was created based on non-immersive virtual environments that can run online or with out an internet connection. This software pretends to be an assistant tool in the teaching-learning process of Human senses and the therapy of Lateral Disorder and Space Location. The experiments lasted more than a week for group. The first sample was integrated by 20 children between 6 to 8 years old who have Learning Problems. They are receiving Euclidian Space therapy and studying Human Senses. The second group was integrated by 20 children without learning disabilities. This research suggests that Virtual Reality, Multimedia and Piaget’s method helps the teaching-learning process and Therapy of Lateral and Space Location of their body.

1. Introduction

In the past years Virtual Reality (VR) has been used in medicine and entertainment. Some patients at Harborview Burn Center in Seattle, U. S. participated in a VR program to relieve the pain of their deep wounds [1]. Wearing a headset and manipulating a joystick, the patient entered through the program called Snow World, which was specifically designed to decrease the pain of burns’ victims. This study showed that VR programs are more effective than ordinary video games in distracting patients from the often excruciating pain of deep wounds [1]. VR can diminish physical and psychological pains, [1]. At Medical School of Washington University, Burn has worked with other Scientifics to determine whether severely burned patients, who often face unbearable pain, can relieve their discomfort by engaging in a VR program during wound treatment [1].

Although, researchers must conduct more studies to gauge the effectiveness of these applications, it seems clear that virtual therapy offers some very real benefits. One method of therapy is the Therapy of Exposition. Therapy of Exposition consists of exposing a person to situations of anxiety, stimulating at the same time a feeling while anxiety decreases. These stimulations are generated through a variety of imaginary and real methods so the person can experiment situations with real cases [2]. VR is applied in different kinds of environments, from games to psychological treatments. The latter has taken a particular interest in VR by the fact that allows exposing Children with Lateral and Space Location Problems (CLSLP) into an artificially-generated environment (virtual) where they can interact with simulated situations manifesting patterns of behaviors. The goodness of teaching and using VR’s psychological treatment resides on the fact of having full control of these artificial environments. The patient knows in a natural way that he/she can leave the session at any time. An example of this is an acrophobia patient who prefers to be in a computer-generated room rather than in a real locked room. On the other hand, the fact of being exposed to a Virtual World (VW) makes CLSLP feel a bit harmless compared with being exposure to a real situation [3]. VW has the particular characteristic of being built with images, sound, music and other elements. This would make the CLSLP feel that they are in a real environment rather than in the virtual environment. We created a computer-tool and applied it to children. Our goals are: a) to extend the methodology used to treat phobias to CLSLP. b) To teach Lateral and Space Location concepts to CLSLP. c) To teach Human Anatomy concepts using teaching-learning methodologies as Piaget’s Theory. Specifically, for this study, we worked with virtual human senses.

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In the next section we describe some Lateral and Space Location concepts. In Section 3 we suggest a methodology to work CLSLP. Section 4 explains our experiments and shows some results. We present some conclusions and further recommendations in Section 5. 2. Main Problem Piaget studies the way children learn about the world. He addresses questions as: How does a child learn to perceive the world around him? For example, how does he learn to coordinate his muscles? How does he learn to speak? How does he learn to hold notions of correct and wrong? How does he learn to hold notions of right and left? [4]. Piaget presents spatial concepts in three stages [4]: Topological Space (from birth to three years old), Euclidian Space (between three and seven years old) and Projective or Rational Space (from seven years old and up). When a child is not detected to have learning problems on time and is not treated right, these problems could cause, during his/her life, problems with certain basic notions, motor abilities, math and others. For those reasons, the main goals of this research is to detect and to quantify if these methodologies (VR, Multimedia and Piaget) are capable of improving the disorder, to teach the meaning of Lateral and Space Location to CLSLP from 6 to 8 years old, and to involve them with Anatomy concepts using the senses in order to follow the teaching-learning process and qualify it. All this occurred during a school week of working with CLSLP. 3. Methodology 3.1 Piaget methodology Piaget Methodology also named as Constructivism says that there is nothing as practical as good theory. It also says that there is nothing as theoretically interesting as good practice. This is particularly true to relate constructivism as a theory of learning to the practice of instruction [3], [4]. Constructivism is a philosophical view on how the human being understands or knows. Richard Rorty (1991) and VonGlaserfeld (1989) agree with Piaget that the humans learned through their experiences and their environment. For details see Rorty (1991) and VonGlaserfeld (1989) [4]. The philosophical view concept is founded in terms of three primary propositions. a) The interaction between the human being and his/her environment. This is the core concept of

constructivism. We can not split between what is learned from how it was learned. Variety of experiences can lead to the same understanding. What it is understood is a function of the content, the context, the activity of the learner, and, perhaps most important, the goals of the learner. b) Cognitive conflict or puzzlement is the stimulus for learning and determines the organization and nature of what is learned. When human being is in a learning environment, there is some stimulus or goal for learning. That goal is not only the incentive for learning, but it is a primary factor in determining what the learner attends to, what prior experience the learner brings to bear in constructing an understanding, and, basically, what understanding is eventually constructed. c) Knowledge evolves through social negotiation and through the evaluation of the viability of individual understandings. The social environment is critical to the development of human being individual understanding as well as the development of the body propositions which are called knowledge. It is difficult to measure individual understanding. In contrast, in collaborative groups their understanding can be tested. Guitart says that the problem of the Lateral and Space Location can be solved by a laterality psychometric therapy, and not with time or age, as it is thought [3], [5]. Once the problem is solved, no relapses are presented. Therefore the selected exercises are based on the development of the Lateral and Space Location ability. When these notions are taught, the disorder therapy also occurs, and vice versa. 3.2 Virtual Reality and therapy Virtually Better is a clinic that develops and applies VR Solutions for Health Care, training, and corporate clients. It is known world wide as an innovator in the creation of VR environments for use in the treatment of anxiety disorders such as fear of flying, heights, and public speaking as well as post-traumatic stress disorder [6]. Mexico has not a clinic that works with this technology neither some software made for treatment of VR exposure therapy. So, this study is an opportunity to help CLSLP. CLSLP has to learn the human body, the organs location and the spatiality of human body. In this study, CLSLP studied the virtual human body using third dimension (3D) and finally learn the space body using as example the virtual human senses [7]. So, a VW that comprises several human organs or systems was built. CLSLP can navigate without fear of getting lost, knowing that he/she can be out or inside the human organs, for instance navigate in the human senses. At the beginning, the human senses are seen far. But as the

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CLSLP gets closer, the sense gets bigger and he/she can travel around it. Inside the human organs, there are some other organs, indicating the children to make a specific exercise. When clicking the mouse on the selected organ, a new VW would be found so the children can learn, play and reduce the disorder by doing the exercise. It is important for the children to learn how to move inside the human organs and to turn around in order to get back to a specific place to select an exercise. In each VW, there is a help function for the CLSLP to use it. One great advantage of the VW is that the user can visit it as many times as he/she wants without repeating scenes. Figure 1 shows the main page of the Human Anatomy. In the left are the human senses; at the right are the human body and a menu for other organic systems. When a CLSLP travel a virtual system, he/she learn at the same time Human Anatomy. Human Anatomy contains some organic systems like the human body, skeletal system, digestive system, respiratory system and the human senses with the human ear, human eye, human taste and human touch or haptic perception. Proximally it will be computed the olfactory sense. It was used Multimedia in order to motivate the CLSLP, animation, music, and so for. Figure 2 and 3 illustrate the ear providing the name of organ’s part. Figure 4 and 5 show the human eye. Figure 4 is presented by front side. Figure 5 was rotated in order to distinguish more details. Figure 6 shows the taste sense. An arrow appears when the children point with the mouse. Figure 7 and 8 present an example of the Human Taste. When the user points an organ, it is colored and it shows its name. Figure 9 presents an example of the human touch. 3.3 Virtual Reality and therapy Visual perception of the objects in space is helped by acoustic world. It requires the simultaneous processing of the acoustic patterns associated with sound objects and their location in space [2]. A three months study was run at the Department of Computer Science in Zurich. It used multimedia therapy for children with dyslexia and reading disabilities and obtained excellent results [8]. Dyslexic people have difficulties in conveying spoken language to written language and vice versa. These troubles are caused by cerebral malfunctioning regarding auditory and visual processing. CLSLP as well as dyslexia children need to learn hearing, watching, coloring, touching. This is why this study tries to approach the children in question with stimuli they are more receptive to, such as color, music and 3D. For this reason, the developed software required multimedia. Figure 10 is showed the lesson of the eye that shows an example of using

multimedia, text, music, and sound. The explications are written and spoken. By this way a CLSLP can read or heard a lesson.

Figure 1. Main Page of Human Anatomy

Figure 2. Human Ear

Figure 3. Ear Parts

The concept of the multimedia learning game was developed with 3D technology. It was needed a VR Language that could work multimedia joined to VR. Subsequently, the software was developed using Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), version 2.0 to model the virtual environment [9], Java to give behaviors, and Internet for the interface [10], [11]. The Exposition Therapy was based on non-immersive virtual environments because VRML does not permit this. VRML was used to create the VW which integrates a variety of games that are used therapeutically to treat the Lateral and Space Location disorder. Any game in which the CLSLP has to differentiate right from left, up from down, to classify

Conducto Auditivo

Canales Semicirculares

Nervio Coclear

Nervio Auditivo

Tímpano

Martillo Yunque

Coclea

Estribo Trompa de Eustaquio

Conducto Auditivo

Canales Semicirculares

Nervio Coclear

Nervio Auditivo

Tímpano

Martillo Yunque

Coclea

Estribo Trompa de Eustaquio

Pabellón de la Oreja

Tímpano

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Nervio Coclear

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Coclea

ConductoAuditivo

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Nervio Coclear

Nervio Auditivo

Coclea

ConductoAuditivo

Estribo Trompa deEustaquio

Ir aSistemaDigestivo

SistemaÓseo

SistemaRespiratorio

Cuerpo Humano Pierna

Abdomen

Cabeza

Pie

Tronco

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Mano

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objects by their colors or shapes, to color a draw by a guideline, to identify incongruities and to complete sequences, could be used as a proper activity to treat the specific disorder [2].

Figure 4. Human eye

Figure 5. Human eye rotated

Figure 6. Human taste

This technology allows CLSLP use the Euclidian Space therapy and are in the Rational or Projective Space stage. Besides to this, CLSLP can learn the concepts of Human Anatomy. CLSLP between 6 to 8 years old have to learn the human senses because they are in kinder garden or in elementary school. VRML is compatible with JAVA, which helped to add complex behaviors [9], [10], [11]. For instance in the game of Eye puzzle there are translations and escalations in order to simulate that an organ is far away or closed. See Figure 6. The connectivity specification between Java and VRML is available trough the world consortium W3C [12]. One way to connect VRML with JAVA is by means of compartment scripts. Where an object and a content inside a VRML scene, are linked to a *.class file (byte code) generated by compiling a *.java file inside the

JAVA platform. The connection is carried out by the script node of the VRML, by specifying an URL which is added to the URL field of the script node.

Figure 7. Acid taste papillae

Figure 8. Sour taste papillae

Figure 9. Human touch

The steps required to make a connection between VRML and a Java script, are the followings: 1) Declare the script interface inside VRML 2) Import the necessary software packages to the JAVA class 3) Create the Java class 4) Direct the object or VRML to the script interface As an example, a JAVA script modifies the position of a specific object when the user selects the object by means of a contact sensor is considered. Consequently, the individual would star to differentiate the Lateral and Space Location. The script interface is declared inside the VRML file.

Músculo OcularCoroidesRetina

Humor VitreoCristalino Esclerótica

Pupila Casos Sanguíneos

Músculo OcularCoroidesRetina

Humor VitreoCristalino Esclerótica

Pupila Casos Sanguíneos

PapilasSabor Amargo

PapilasSabor Amargo

PapilasÁcidasPapilasÁcidas

Lengua

PapilasÁcidas

PapilasSaborAmargo

PapilasDulces

PapilasSaladas

NervioVago

NervioGlosofaríngeo

NervioMandibular

Nervio Facial

Lengua

PapilasÁcidas

PapilasSaborAmargo

PapilasDulces

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NervioGlosofaríngeo

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Epidermis

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TejidoCelular Subcutáneo

Epidermis

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4. Tests and experiments with CLSLP Three tests were made to practice Space Location exercises and to study human senses. The tests were taken by 40 second grade elementary school students, from 6 to 8 years old. These children belong to public school and USAER school. USAER belongs to the Secretaría de Educación Pública. This Mexican institution takes care of CLSLP. The public schools detect CLSLP and canalize them to USAER. The therapies divided the children into group A and B by their scholar expedient. The first test (Group A with 20 children), are Children with No Lateral and Space Location Problems (N-CLSLP) and the rest are CLSLP. The first two tests took a week each one to get results.

Figure 10. Resumed explication of the eye The first test consisted of different traditional exercises, about Space location, to learn the human senses (Eye, Ear, Taste and Touch). In addition to this, they practice some concepts of Lateral and Space Location. Finally, they had an exam. The second test was taken by group B (CLSLP), using the computer tool. They studied the same subject (Human Senses). This point is very important because we found that children learn more easily Human Sense using the tool than learning with a book. These exercises were monitored by three pedagogues, who explained to the children each Human Sense and the use of the tool. For the third test, was with group B wrote a questioner. It consisted of answering some general questions to see how much they know about human senses. The purpose of this test was to collect data about the subjects’ knowledge about human senses and Space Location. These exercises were conducted by taking a sense as reference and the performance of movements such as left, right, up and down. For instance we can mention the Taste Sense exercise: -Point with the mouse where the sour taste papillae are. Children went up to the top of the three-dimensional object pointing to it with the mouse.

-Which taste papillae are located to the left of the salad taste papules? In this case, children should detect the salad taste papules and then locate the area to the left and find the name for that area. Other exercises applied consisted in knowledge of concepts, which were graded to see how advanced the subjects were in the human senses subject. One exercise consisted to explain the tongue, its functions the kind of papillae in tongue, and so on. Latter CLSLP play with: -Describe the skin covering the tongue. -Which are the lingual papillae covered with keratinized epithelium? -Tell me, how is the musculature of the tongue? -If you watch from left to right, from up to down, transverse and longitudinally sectioned skeletal muscle fibers are intricately interwoven. Is it right? -What is the function of this pattern? -Is it true that this interwoven pattern allows the tongue complex movements? -Identify the various types of lingual papillae after consulting your virtual tongue. -Point with the mouse their distribution on the tongue and told me their names. Look for filiform, fungiform and circumvallated papillae on this virtual tongue. -Which taste papillae communicates with the surface? These exercises facilitate teaching process. They reinforce two and three-dimensional concepts which are necessary for the Space location. This way, children would be able to answer questions like: - What shape does the tongue have if you turned it to the top? -Where is the salad taste papule located? After the tests, children had some free time to play around and explore the different virtual environments of the system. Then, the time used to resolve each exercise and the total time dedicated to the software were taken. The average times obtained by these exercises were analyzed and compared to the ones obtained by the first group. The results of the virtual exercises were significantly better. Table 1 shows the average time the children spent on test 1 and 2 each day of the week. We can observed that in Table 2 that both groups had the same score for human anatomy concepts, which indicates that CLSLP increased their cognitive ability with the virtual system. Generally, in normal conditions, CLSLP would have lower scores than N-CLSLP. In this case, it was surprising how CLSLP were two points more advanced than N-CLSLP, and had better results in Space location concepts. Pedagogues believe that to teach Lateral and Space Location concepts to CLSLP with VR was a success.

Los dos ojos están situados en el rostro, a cada lado del plano vertical de simetría. Pueden distinguirse los órganos anexos y el globo ocular. Ver Figura No. 1 y Figura No. 2.

Los dos ojos están situados en el rostro, a cada lado del plano vertical de simetría. Pueden distinguirse los órganos anexos y el globo ocular. Ver Figura No. 1 y Figura No. 2.

Los dos ojos están situados en el rostro, a cada lado del plano vertical de simetría. Pueden distinguirse los órganos anexos y el globo ocular. Ver Figura No. 1 y Figura No. 2.

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Table 1: Average time (minutes) Activity Group A Group B Time spent learning to use the tool

0 15

Solving exercises of human anatomy concepts

30 30

Solving exercises of Space location concepts

30 30

Table 2: Average scores

Knowledge Group A Group B Human Anatomy Concepts 86 86 Space Location Concepts 78 80

5. Conclusions The study was based in a small group of 40 children. Despite the group size, we suggest that the results are reliable because they are consistent with the years of experience of the pedagogues and teachers working at the USAER. In future research we will increase the sample size. The proposed treatment methodology presents considerable advantages over the traditional teaching and therapy methods: 1) The CLSLP enjoyed their learning and therapy of Lateral and Space Location Problems of the Euclidian Space and the Projective Space because the teaching methodology was different from the traditional ones. We can conclude that children learn more easily Human Senses using the tool than learning with a book. 2) The Exposition Therapy based on non-immersive virtual environments suggested positive results. Children in Group B (CLSLP) historically had less favorable scores than children in group A. After the exposition therapy both groups obtained in averages the same scores. The results suggested that the learning is improved. 3) Even though, it was a small group of 40 children. The study empirically shows that this type of methodology (VR and Piaget) can help CLSLP to decrease their Lateral and Space Location Problems Visual perception of the objects in space is helped by acoustic world. References [1] H. G. Hoffman, “Virtual-Reality Therapy”, Scientific America Com, Magazine. Medical Treatments. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000CDC34-D80E-10FA-89FB83414B7F0000, Access, 05-07-07. [2] A. Echeverría, M. L. Erice, M. C. Paternáin, M. J. Sanz, Alumnado con grave discapacidad psíquica en Educación Infantil y Primaria, Orientaciones para la respuesta educativa, Gobierno de Navarra Departamento de Educación

y Cultura, España, 2001. http://www.pnte.cfnavarra.es/publicaciones/pdf/grave_dis.pdf, Access, 05-07-07. [3] J. Guitart. Centro de terapia psicomotriz de lateralidad y de relajación, Barcelona, España, http://www.lateralidad.com/, Access, 05-07-07. [4] J. Piaget, The Child and Reality: Problems of Genetic Psychology, Grossman Publishers, New York, U.S.A., 2006. [5] Echeverría, A., La enseñanza en niños con trastornos de aprendizaje, Colección Educación Especial. 7ª. Reimpresión de la 1ª ed., Editorial Médica Panamericana, México, 2001. [6] Virtually Better. Virtual Reality Overview, Atlanta Psychology Clinic http://www.virtuallybetter.com/vroverview.html, Access, 05-07-07. [7] J. C. Fernández, F. Mercado, M. D. Sánchez, “Teoría y práctica psicomotora de la orientación y localización espacial”, Universidad de Málaga, España, http://www.efdeportes.com/efd59/espac.htm, Access, 05-07-07. [8] Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH). Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich. Department of Computer Science. Zürich. http://www.inf.ethz.ch/news/spotlight/studie_legasthenie/index, Access 05-07-07. [9] A. L. Ames, D. R. Nadeau, J. L. M. Ames. Virtual Reality Modeling Language VRML 2.0 Sourcebook, Wiley Computer Publishing, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 1997. [10] J. Hartmanl, Wrnecke, The VRML 2.0 Handbook, Building Moving Worlds on the Web, USA, 1ª. ed. Addison Wesley Developers Press, 1996. [11]R. Carey, G. Bell, The Annotated VRML 2.0 Reference Manual, Addison-Wesley, Pearson Education. 2006. [12] W3C. World Wide Web Consortium. http://www.w3.org/ Access, 22-05-07.

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