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- Praktische tips voor VR in het onderwijs;
- Output van ons onderzoek;
- Uitleg om eigen VR content te maken &
- Updates over het VR Learning Lab.
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Augmented Reality Honours Class – Leiden University
Every year Robin teaches an Honours Class at Leiden University. The past years this course was Learning through Virtual Reality
In the fall of 2019 I will (almost certainly) start a new course ‘Augmented Reality & Human-Computer Collaboration‘, which has its focus on how AR will affect our society and influence the future of work.
In principle the course is only open to students from Leiden University. However, we’re also looking for organizations for the final projects for the students! Please contact us if you’re interested.
Course description
With the rise of Augmented and Virtual Reality our relation with digital technology is becoming more and more intimate. In this process, the borders between our bodies and brains and the tools we use become more and more blurred. This raises interesting philosophical questions on what it means to be smart and how Augmented Reality could change our society and our very experience of reality.
But it also brings forward more applied questions on the demands of the workforce of tomorrow.
Although precise predictions vary, sometime in the next decades we’ll have access to Augmented Reality glasses that we could potentially wear all day. This technology is expected to make 3D computer interfaces mainstream and a major way of interacting with the digital world.
It’s hard to underestimate the effects this development will have on our society. In this course we’ll focus on how AR will allow us to solve problems and learn in whole new ways:
- Engineers can get on-the-job support from experts on the other side of the world;
- AR glasses could instantly translate texts in other languages, or caption conversations;
- Medical staff can be presented the right medical information needed to make a decision;
In this course you will be challenged to think how AR and VR technology could change how people solve all sorts of problems in collaboration with computers.. You will learn the skills needed to translate these ideas into future scenarios and Virtual and Augmented Reality prototypes.
For your final project you will work together with an organization and apply the knowledge you’ve gained for a real-world challenge.
Research project: Augmented Reality & Human-Computer Collaboration
This blog post is part of our research program Augmented Reality & Human-Computer Collaboration. Here we focus on how emerging computer interfaces like Augmented Reality will help people solve problems more effectively and change the future of work. This project consists of:
- A new Honours Class at Leiden University;
- An event in PLNT Leiden connecting Honours Class students with organizations for their real-world final projects;
- A research internship on creating thought-provoking Augmented Reality prototypes
- A series of brief and extensive blog posts following our Open Science approach
Do you want to stay up-to-date about this research program, the event and its outcomes?
Virtual Reality profielwerkstuk en stage
We krijgen de laatste tijd steeds vaker mailtjes van middelbare scholieren die zich in hun profielwerkstuk buigen over Virtual Reality in het onderwijs. Of scholieren die op zoek zijn naar een stage van een paar dagen, zoals Tobias die je hierboven ziet.
Google: from finding answers to getting thing done
This summary of Google’s I/O 2019 event shows some of the impressive products Google is working on: new Augmented Reality functionalities, a smarter Google Assistant and cheaper Google Pixel phones.
What is really interesting about this event is the shift in the mission of the company:
“We’re moving from a company that helps you find answers to a company that helps you get things done”
This statement by CEO Sundar Pichai illustrates the developments in digital technology and the role digital products will have in our daily lives. The focus in articles on Artificial Intelligence is often on completely autonomous computer systems. The focus in this event however, is mostly on how smarter algorithms allow for more sophisticated computer interfaces for users.
[Read more…] about Google: from finding answers to getting thing done
Virtual Reality Learning HUB – what do you want to learn?
We are working hard on the Virtual Reality Learning HUB: an online environment centered around the use of Augmented & Virtual Reality for education and training. We are bundling all the knowledge we’ve gained in 5 years of fundamental research, building prototypes and teaching students and professionals.
Our framework is standing, with interactive courses, databases with the most interesting apps and tools and a social environment to connect with educators from around the world. However, we’re still working on the content, we plan to release the first version this summer.
To know what content we should focus our attention on, we’d love to know what you want to learn about VR & AR for education. If you’re interested in the VR Learning HUB, please consider filling in our questionnaire!
Most famous GIFs in CoSpaces Edu
A while ago we made a virtual museum of a few of the most famous GIFs in CoSpaces Edu. Although this was mainly a fun afternoon project, we often show it to illustrate the possibilities for students to make virtual exhibitions for their school projects. Definitely more exciting than another Powerpoint 🙂
Why Nintendo’s new VR set shows Virtual Reality is mature
Recently, and after much speculation, Nintendo announced their VR set for the very successful Switch. An important moment in the history of VR, I would say.
Why? Not per se because of how many of these VR add-on sets are going to be sold. Definitely not because of the hardware specifications. Nor because of the games. Sure, Nintendo has the ability to create great games with limited processing resources. And we’re probably going to see some very creative uses of this whole set of cardboard extensions of your Switch. But that’s not what makes this device of importance.
Why this move deserves to be part of VR history, is because it shows Nintendo has moved passed the trauma that was the Nintendo Virtual Boy, the device that became the symbol for the end of the Virtual Reality hype of the ’90s. All the media attention, the predictions that in 5 years we’d all be living in cyberspace, everything came to a stop. Companies went bankrupt, media attention faded, people were disappointed.
And now, after about 25 years, Nintendo is moving into Virtual Reality again. Less radical, only with a creative add-on for a device that already does very well. But still, an important sign I’d say. They might start to feel the heat of the Oculus Quest, which will –according to John Carmack– compete with the Switch.
Our VR buying guide for schools
Are you looking for VR headsets for your school? Check out our post on which hardware you should get!
Research in learning how to program @ PERL Kickoff 2019
Today Marleen & Robin (that’s me) visited the kick-off of the PERL group at Leiden University. An interesting afternoon! As probably everybody who attended this event, we think it’s important for students to learn the digital skills they need to create new things. That’s why we organize courses for teachers and students in Processing and CoSpaces Edu an co-organize the CoSpaces Competition!
The day consisted of several talks focusing on research that helps to teach programming skills a little better. In this post I’ll share some insights.
[Read more…] about Research in learning how to program @ PERL Kickoff 2019
Even voorstellen: Chris, Kevin, Nadine, Nino & Simone
Begin dit jaar zaten we opeens met zijn tienen rond de vergadertafel! Tijd voor een update over het team, met onze nieuwe werkstudenten en stagiair.
Chris Slewe
Chris studeert psychologie aan de Universiteit Leiden. Voor VRLL benaderde hij scholen in de regio over onze diensten. Bijna net zo spannend: Chris gaat nu een aantal maanden studeren in Australië.
Kevin S.
Kevin studeert Mediatechnologie aan de Hogeschool Leiden. Tijdens zijn afstudeerstage bij het VR Learning Lab werkt aan de ontwikkeling van onze eigen app, die inmiddels te verkrijgen is in de Play Store.
Nadine Roos
Nadine studeert Media Technology aan de Universiteit Leiden en schrijft mee aan onze blog posts en online courses. Ook is ze betrokken bij de organisatie van de CoSpaces Competition.
Nino Brouwers
Nino studeert Communicatie en Multimedia Design aan de Avans Hogeschool in Den Bosch. Tijdens zijn stage werkte Nino aan het opzetten van de CoSpaces Competition en het ontwikkelen van het bijbehorende lesmateriaal. Inmiddels werkt hij als werkstudent enthousiast verder!
Simone Lammertink
Simone is student Film- en Literatuurwetenschap aan de Universiteit Leiden. Zij helpt bij VR Learning Lab met organisatie en workshops en zorgt ervoor dat de communicatie op rolletjes loopt.
Which VR headsets for your school?
Which VR headsets should we buy with our school? That’s a question people often email us about. We understand the question very well, as you need hardware to experience VR, right? However, we do think that the question often comes too early in the process. To make a good decision about which headset to go for, you first need to find out what you want to use it for.
A little less than a year ago we wrote about the Oculus Go, and how we usually don’t recommend as the sole device for schools. A controversial statement, as it’s quite an amazing device. Affordable, very comfortable, and the remote offers quite a lot of interactive functionalities. Why wouldn’t we recommend it then? Because it’s quite a closed-off system. When choosing a VR headset, you also choose the app store where you can find applications, it’s an entire ecosystem.
Sometimes that’s no problem, because you’re going to create your own 360 videos. Or you’re going to use apps that are available on Oculus Home. But as a school you often want to have more flexibility.
Quite unexpectedly, this post turned into one of our most viewed posts of the year. Apparently, this is a problem many people are struggling with. That’s why we decided to create a VR Buying Guide for Schools to help schools and teachers.
The Dutch Side of the Moon – CoSpaces Edu
Wat als Nederlanders de eerste maanbasis bouwen? Die zou er weleens zo uit kunnen zien.
We maakten deze wereld tijdens een van onze CoSpaces Edu Bootcamps. Scroll naar beneden om zelf te spelen. Wil je ook leren hoe je dit kunt maken? Kijk dan eens bij onze online cursussen!
[Read more…] about The Dutch Side of the Moon – CoSpaces Edu