VIRTUAL TOUCH FLYSTICK AND

PRIMBOX: TWO CASE STUDIES OF MIXED

REALITY FOR TEACHING GEOMETRY

Andrés Ayala, Graciela Guerrero, Juan Mateu, Laura Casades and Xavier Alamán

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid UAM (Madrid, Spain)

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Outline■Introduction■Virtual Touch Architecture■PrimBox and FlyStick■Case study in a high School■Evaluation■Conclusions and future work

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MIXED REALITYVirtual Worlds

Constructivist Learning Platform

Tangible InterfacesPhysical activity

“Hands-on” approach is

more intuitive and natural

Role-playing activities

Collaborative activities

Interaction in real time

Learning by playing

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Teaching Geometry■Many students have difficulties with

spacial imagination and lack spatial abilities.

■Mixed reality can be useful in training spatial abilities in a 3D environment.

■Students can manipulate real and virtual objects in order to do geometry activities.

■Students can interact with the teacher and other students in real time.

■Mixed reality can offer a collaborative environment to solve problems

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Virtual Touch Architecture User types

Basic user

Intermediate user

Advanced user

Tangibles

Middleware

OpenSim Server

OpenSim Viewer

connect

configure

connect

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PrimBox

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FlyStickFlyStick is a mixed reality tool for education that allows to control of a virtual object in 6 DoF from isometric and isotonic interactions.

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Case study■Virtual Touch Flystick and Primbox have

been tested at a high school: Florida Secundaria situated in Catarroja (Valencia).

■This experience has involved 60 students of second and third year of secondary education.

■This experience they have included students with special educational needs, attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity (ADHD), dyslexia and learning difficulties with some curricular adaptations.

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Case studyIntroductory SessionsLearning with mixed reality

Post Evaluation

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Educational activities Tangib

leActivity description Main

goalActivit

y 1VT

PrimBox

One student is interacting with the virtual world constructing a geometrical figure following the oral instructions provided by a second student that is seeing a real world model

Use of geometry language

Activity 2

None Building a three-dimensional geometric figure from the different views (front, top,bottom and side views)

Develop the

perception of space

Activity 3

VT FlyStick

Students interacting with the tangible, generate various conical curves (circle, parabola, ellipse and hyperbola).

Undestand conical

sections

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Activities using PrimBox

Activity 1

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Activities using FlyStick

Activity 3

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Evaluation■Control group:oStudents using Virtual Touch (30

students)oStudents with traditional approach

(30 students)

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Evaluation

PrimBox FlyStick

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Evaluation■In order to evaluate the experience we

have done:■An introductory questionnaire about

virtual worlds■A usability test about PrimBox and

FlyStick■A semi-structured interview with the

Math teacher■Exercicises and tests on the subject, to

check the learning effectiveness

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EvaluationConical Activity

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EvaluationConical Activity two weeks later

Meaningful learning

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Conclusions and future workStrong points

Meaningful learning

Active learning

Improve the motivation

Effective with pupils with special educational needsPromotes collaborative activitiesImprove spatial vision in a 3D dimensional environmentAppropiate for inclusive educacion (low fine motor skills…)

Weak pointsDistraction in some students

Need to have a good equipment (high band width, good graphic cards…)

Need to create and adapt all activitiesNeed to perform training for teachersDifficulty controlling the behaviour of avatars

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Thanks for your attention■Virtual Touch Flystick and

PrimBox: two case studies of mixed reality for teaching geometry

■Andrés Ayala, Graciela Guerrero, Juan Mateu, Laura Casades and Xavier Alamán