Online 3D educational tool for experiential learning

An online 3D educational tool has been developed in partnership with online education company 3P Learning and the CSRIO. The classroom has come a long way from chalkboards and textbooks and to equip students to successfully navigate and increasingly digital 3D world, the Australian Government funds this exciting educational initiative.

The online 3D education partnership will bring computer scientists from the CSIRO with science education experts from 3P Learning to develop learning environments that give students the opportunity to immerse themselves and experience learning which will mirror real-life places.

The IntoScience platform will take advantage of high speed broadband, allowing students to enter a 3D interactive online environment from their home or classroom, helping to enhance their educational experience. The online 3D educational tool will allow students across Australia to explore these locations from their home or classroom while improving their science skills along the way.

As CSIRO Research Leader Professor Jay Guo explained on the CSIRO website, “Imagine walking beneath the dense canopy of the Daintree rainforest, understanding the forces holding up the Sydney Harbour Bridge or exploring the life found amongst the elaborate underground structures of the Jenolan Caves.”

There are many educational and interesting places in Australia that a lot of students would never get the chance to experience. By creating them digitally children can experience immersive real-life learning environments where their science skills can be extended.

One way to provide students with individualised learning is through educational games, but the 3D environments in modern games are artificially created and lack the “real environment” association that provide students with a link between learning and the real world. This new technology allows students across Australia to explore these locations from their home or classroom whilst improving their science skills along the way.

As students progress through quests, they’ll explore the surrounding environment and complete inquiry based learning tasks that test their core science skills and gain rewards.  A unique feature of the new learning environments will be the ability for students to transition smoothly between exploration of the virtual world and viewing HD panoramic video from the exact same location in the real world.

It is hoped to have school students in grades five to eight trialling the new real-life landscapes by mid 2014.

PHOTO (Image: IntoScience)