Workshop: IEEE VR KELVAR Workshop: K-12+ Embodied Learning through Virtual and Augmented Reality (8th Annual Workshop)

Abstract

K-12+ (K-12 and higher ed) education is currently undergoing a technological revolution creating opportunities for Virtual-, Augmented-, and Mixed-Reality based learning (hereafter referred to as XR [extended reality]) technologies. Technology integration will continue to increase as mobile devices penetrate all socioeconomic strata, and as XR technologies become affordable to schools, vocational education providers, universities, and informal educational settings. These technologies have the potential to facilitate effective learning by: developing the ability to engage students of all ages with interactive 3D simulations of real-life and artificial phenomena; presenting information that is spatially – and temporally – integrated with real objects; leveraging whole-body motions to depict and reinforce learning content. However, there are many questions about the integration of such experiences into the classroom, such as: What curriculum topics might be addressed through XR technologies?; What socio-cultural, psychological and physiological mechanisms underlie embodied cognition?; How can we design experiences that are appropriate for the different stages of human development?; How will pedagogical approaches be influenced by such technologies?; and, What are the ethical and legal implications of using XR technology for education? In this workshop we aim to bring together educators, developers and researchers who are interested in creating and deploying XR technologies for the educational contexts of the future. The workshop will enable participants to discuss and engage with different approaches for designing and integrating XR technologies with a specific focus on the challenges and potentialfor embodied learning in the classroom for K-12, vocational and higher education.