In Italy schools are closed to prevent the spread of Coronavirus: some Institutes have started e-learning programs with real “lessons” in Augmented Reality.
The spread of the Coronavirus has prompted the Italian government to issue an extraordinary decree to order the closure of universities and schools of all levels. The institutes will reopen (probably) on March 16 and, until then, school activities are suspended. At least those in attendance: many Italian Institutes, in fact, have started e-learning programs to allow students to follow the lessons “at a distance”. The novelty is that some schools have decided to make teaching more inclusive and stimulating by using Augmented Reality. Among the most interesting and innovative experiments is the Holodeck project developed by the International Schools of Treviso, Vicenza, Rosà and Monza with the support of the H-Farm business accelerator. The name is a tribute to Star Trek. In the American science fiction series, Holodcek is the holographic technology that allows to recreate very realistic scenes with the help of a combination of force fields, projection systems and sound reproduction techniques.
Holodeck: lessons in Augmented Reality are now underway
In reality, Holodeck is a virtual laboratory that can be used by teachers for any discipline. The system uses Oculus Quest visors without cables and connected to each other through a tablet. Wearing a visor, students can follow lessons in a virtual classroom and interact both with each other and with the teacher. “It lacks the physicality that can be exploited when you are all in the same room – explains professor Marco Savini, one of the coordinators of the project – but Holodeck can also be used remotely. In the same way, a professor who is at a great distance can still hold the lesson within the virtual classroom. With Holodeck there is the possibility to have all the laboratories you want in virtual reality and thus carry out chemistry or physics experiments and also to study Ancient Rome directly inside the Colosseum. Holodeck allows teachers to have more effective tools for their work and students to learn complex concepts much faster and easier”.
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