Augmented Reality: Voices from Theory and Students

Research question:

Exploratory Study: How can you use Location-Based Augmented Reality Mobile Applications for Transfer of Learning in a History Field Trip for a Secondary School in Singapore?

Justifications Findings and Recommendations

Justifications

Engage 2013, SXSWedu, Chris Dede, How Immersion in Virtual Worlds Helps Students in the Real World

IHT Field Trips and AAR Conducted

Area/ Field Venue Main Participants Duration in the field

Field Observations and AARs

Fort Canning, 20 Feb 2013

280 Sec 2E and 2N students, facilitators, accompanying teachers

3 hours

Field Observations, AARs and teacher reflexive

Fort Canning, Feb 2014

280 Sec 2E and 2N students, facilitators, accompanying teachers

3 hours

Student Interviews

St Gabriel’s Sec School, 10/3/2013

5 Students

1 hour

Findings and Recommendations

Logistics• Get the groupings

sorted out weeks ahead

• Meet the vendors to communicate what exactly the pre and post activity. Also learning points

• Food, water and physical ability

We get to ‘pontang’ School

The food is not nice. Should find a better place to eat. We sat on the floor to eat.

When we did the Singapore River, we were more relaxed because it was the first activity. Then, when we went to Fort Canning, we were like more tired and quite restless. Should be a two half day trip. Don’t put it so close to the camp because we already very tired and then have to go to the camp and then even more tired. Some of my friends fell sick the next day.

Pre-Activity• Have an enduring understanding

that is specific and concrete

• Assign roles (E.g. Researcher of specific places, map leader, worksheet leader, photo taker

• Create an real and virtual spaces for students to discuss, collaborate, report and work

• Give them time to collaborate

Have you thought about how to do the project? How to collaborate? <silence>; <muttering>

If we just do the phone, I think we won’t remember the whole thing. If we like made the report, we would use our own words and rephrase it, I think we would remember the whole trip better.

One person did the phone and the other one did the worksheet. Some of us also like half phone and half worksheet. Share the load together.

I think they should create an online portal to view our own ‘found’ resources. Like taking photographs and posting on our portal. Then we can check it on the computer to see what we have posted and refer to them.

Activity: Situated Learning Brown, Colins, and Duguid 1989

All learning takes place within a specific context and the quality of the learning is a result of interactions among the places, people, objects, processes, and culture within and relative to the given context

Situated learning as it normally occurs is embedded within activity, context and culture. It is also usually unintentional learning rather than deliberate.

Social interaction and collaboration are essential components of situated learning.

Situated learning through immersive interfaces is important in part because of the issue of transfer (Dede, 2008,2009). This is the application of knowledge learnt in one situation to another situation and is demonstrated if instruction on a learning task leads to improved performance on a transfer task, ideally a skilled performance in a real-world setting (Meestre, 2002)

Activity• Give them time to explore,

appreciate the place and to ask questions about the site.

• Visit really mysterious and interesting places.

• It’s not just about finishing the activity. It’s also about curiosity and things you learn incidentally through observation and questions.

We were given time to look around the place. It’s like on the spot we are doing the activity, so we will stand at one place, do the activity finish. Then while we are walking to the next station, we can enjoy the surroundings.

https://www.nparks.gov.sg/~/media/nparks-real-content/gardens-parks-and-nature/diy-walk/diy-walk-pdf-files/sculpture-trail-at-fcp.ashx

Activity• Give them time to explore,

appreciate the place and to ask questions about the site.

• Visit really mysterious and interesting places.

• Take lots of photos individually for memory and for later analysis

• Task novelty is important. Focus on learning value and how this pieces into their later of their individual learning

Do some challenges on the spot that will make it more fun. Like they can make some treasure hunt like hide some treasure in the Fort Canning. Find the code and make up your own activity. Let us go around Fort Canning instead of on the trail. Travel on our own in different groups instead of following a trail or guide. Maybe they can give us a map and then let us find our own way. So, we can learn more things about that place. Like, okay, you have two hours. Meet back here but you must do this and that, this and that. If there’s anything, call the guide or teacher or anything in case of anything happening.

Take lots of photos individually for memory and for later analysis as group or individuals

Have an activity that wraps it up or consolidates the learning (E.g. Start or end with the museum visit)

The report helps us summarize everything that we learn. The whole learning journey.

I say we need the report because it evaluates what students have learnt from the trip.

Ya. The museum. They like don’t let us go in. 5 minutes in there only. But no chance to explore. We just gave back the phone, that’s all. We go there, do the survey and then just go already. We would have liked to spend more time at the museum

I prefer the one with the handphone because you actually gain more knowledge.

The guide keeps talking, you forget some stuff. If the guide keeps talking to us.

It’s very boring to hear him talk. Then some of us, we don’t even bother to hear.

Because our generation, the kids are used to using mobile devices. Then you can process more information through it. Because the guide.

Whatever he says, we might forget it. We can go back to the phone and then like refer to the information

Expect mistakes. Historical thinking is an un-natural cognitive activity but they’ll get

there

Continuity

.

Deeper historical thinking through talk and collaboration

Change and Continuity through physical buildings. Concept of Modernization. The old is not so useful anymore: From his bungalow on top of Fort Canning, Raffles could see some of the buildings from his house itself. It was supposed to be that purpose. But then if you see now, all the buildings are now blocking the sea port. So, the light house becomes useless. But just a showcase. So, Singapore has turned into a modern city.

The legacy of British and western forms of governance in Sg history: I heard that it was British colonial building that causes government. Governance of the British. British. Everything about British. Sir Stamford Raffles, the Fullerton Hotel, the cannons then dunno what everything British. Then the Cavenagh Bridge is also British name. Anderson Bridge is also a British name. That’s something I realized after the field trip. Something I never realized. Everything is named after the British. I never thought about this.

The Starting Point: 14th century Singapore at Empress PlaceA: Asian Civilization Museum Site. It was the start point.

B: They put quiz on the phone two times. Fort Canning and Singapore River. The place was renamed many times lah. I can’t remember the names but , so, I can infer the building was used for many purposes from the past till British times.

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/major-archaeological-dig-underway-empress-place-20150213

Where do teachers come in: Teachers/ guides vs. handphones?

Abrantes et al, Pedagogical affect, student interest and learning performance

There needs to be transfer or the application of knowledge learnt in one situation to another situation, ideally a skilled performance in a real-world setting

References• http://www.slideshare.net/LloydYeo/augmented-reality-a-case-study-on-an-interactive-heritage-trail

• Abrantes et al, Pedagogical affect, student interest and learning performance. Journal of Business Research, 60,0. Sept 2007.

• Chris Dede, Keynote speech at iED 2012, Boston. How Immersion in Virtual Worlds Helps Students in the Real World

• Chris Dede, Immersive Interfaces for Engagement and Learning. Science, 323, 5910. Jan 2009

• J Mestre, Ed. Transfer of Learning from a Modern Multidisciplinary Perspective (Information Age, Greenwich, CT, 2005)

• NParks Website: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/~/media/nparks-real-content/gardens-parks-and-nature/diy-walk/diy-walk-pdf-files/sculpture-trail-at-fcp.ashx

• Straits Times: Empress Place Archaeological Excavation: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/major-archaeological-dig-underway-empress-place-20150213