Digital Game-Based Learning and Augmented Reality for Schools
Davorka Medvedović
Dates: May 16, 2022 - May 21, 2022.
Place: Europass Teacher Academy – European Academy of Creativity, Barcelona, Spain
Day 1
16.5.2022.
Introductory part • Presentation of the lecturer and participants and their schools • Introduction to the concepts of game-based learning and augmented reality • Researching the possibilities that the teacher has for applying these methods in class • Discussion of difficulties and advantages We hold lectures at the Europass Teacher Academy - European Academy of Creativity, located in the very center of Barcelona. The lecturer is an American from Florida (certified Google trainer and educator, teacher with great love for technology and its application in teaching). The participants of my group came from Hungary, Germany, Poland, Italy, Greece, Serbia and Cyprus. Everyone prepared a short presentation about themselves and their school. After the presentation, we had group activities where we got to know each other even better. The lecturer also introduced us to the education plan and presented the tools we will use, after which we discussed ideas on how to apply these tools in class and which advantages and difficulties we encounter.
Day 2
17.5.2022.
• Ways of using games as an educational tool • Building a meaningful, educational, virtual environment and discovering the numerous advantages of such a way of learning • Improving the skills needed to choose the best game for your students We have studied various ways in which games can be used in classes and applied for independent, group work of students, as well as pair work. We explored digital tools that can be used, such as Thinglink, Quizlet, Blooket, etc.
Day 3
18.5.2022.
• Getting to know the concept of augmented reality, understanding the endless potential of this method • Improving the skills of using augmented reality by implementing fun activities for the classroom that will easily involve both students and teachers in the learning and teaching process Before the lecture, a guided excursion to Gracio was organized. Gràcia was an independent town until the late 19th century, and even now the community is small and tight-knit. People are extremely proud of their roots, and they don't say they come from Barcelona, but from Gràcia. It is completely self-sufficient. This means you can stay in Gràcia and never have to leave, it has everything you need for a comfortable Mediterranean lifestyle. After returning, we learned about the Oculus VR system at the lectures and further explored the possibilities of augmented reality using it. During the lecture, a trip to the famous Casa Batlla, a masterpiece of the great Gaudí, was organized, with the use of augmented reality devices. They gave us a new look into the past and the way of life at that time, but also a look at Gaudí's view of the world around him.
Day 4
19.5.2022.
• Understanding the concept of virtual reality and its application in teaching • Concrete examples of 360° video with VR system implementation • Exploring VR videos We researched videos and tools for applying VR in teaching (CoSpaces, Street Wiew, etc.) and jointly created simpler VR environments.
Day 5
20.5.2022.
• Writing and creating the ideal role-playing game for your classroom, paying attention to several details of the game, such as setting and characters, but also incorporating learning objectives related to the curriculum into the game • Creation of original games • Introducing game elements into learning • Presentation By applying the learned tools, we as a team devised several ways to apply the game in the classroom with the use of AR/VR systems and applications. Each group presented its content to the others. We used Thinglink, Free 360 Images: Pixabay, Animal 4D+ Augmented Reality Cards, Merge Cube, Quizlet, Blooket, Goosechase, Google Experiments: Fun interactive Song Maker, Paint with Music, Just a Line, Puzzle Party, Thing Translator, Access Mars, SlidesMania - PPT and Google Slides templates, game templates. Flippety, My Maps (Google Maps).
Day 6
21.5.2022.
• Course evaluation: rounding up of acquired competences, feedback and discussion • Awarding of the Certificate of Attendance of Education • Discussion of acquired knowledge and acquired skills • Cultural activities We exchanged contacts, and I talked with the director of the school in Italy about potential future cooperation in the KA2 project we are planning. We were all very satisfied with the education and its organization, which was at the professional level as expected.
Overview of the week
Every day, the lecturer designed additional games that allowed us to get to know each other better, and some of them are: • writing common characteristics on pieces of paper and making a tower from those pieces of paper, • reading the year from a coin and finding a person who has such a coin, and then telling a personal event from that year • Goosechase team task. Included in the cultural activities were tickets to the famous sights of Barcelona, from which we chose the most interesting ones and used them for the visit. So by riding the tourist bus I managed to visit the Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, the Wax Museum, Barceloneta beach while riding the Golondrinas (tourist catamarans). Of course, in my free time I also visited the Magic Fountains, and I also attended a flamenco performance.