24th Annual TCC | Online Conference | April 16-18, 2019

Sustainable Learning, Accessible Technologies, & Diverse Contexts

OpenSim

Using OpenSim as an Education Tool to Teach the Solar System

Session Description
Why should students learn about the solar system and understand how it is relevant to them? Learning about the solar system is important because it helps us value the Earth and preserve it for future generations. The primary goal of the project was to design an instructional module for middle school learners that would provide general information and facts about the solar system and explain the benefits of space exploration to mankind. The proposed instructional unit aimed to create an immersive and exploratory environment of the solar system in OpenSim (OS) that would engage and stimulate middle school learners in science class. Gagne’s nine events of instruction was utilized as the overarching design format in order to give students an opportunity to engage in every step of the learning process. In the simulation, the solar system utilized the following learning strategies: game-based, diagnostic, demonstrative, and experiential. The simulation could be used repeatedly to teach different solar system topics. A pilot study was conducted with three participants. Verbal feedback during and after the study indicated that participants found the module clear or somewhat clear, and easy to follow. The session will discuss methods, design strategies, and how virtual world instructional tools and techniques were incorporated in the module.
Presenter(s)
Amberlee Kūʻiʻolani Cotchay
Amberlee Kūʻiʻolani Cotchay, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
Elle Nakamura
Elle Nakamura, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
Routhie Ann B. Senoren
Routhie Ann B. Senoren, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
Routhie Ann Senoren is a graduate student of the Learning Design & Technology master’s program at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa College of Education. She has over 10 years of training experience working multiple technical consulting roles (such as Technical Trainer, Online Help Lead, Software Testing Lead, and Instructional Systems Designer) through government contracts. Ms. Senoren is taking a break from the training industry to take care of her 15 months old twin girl and boy. Her new role as a mother was the inspiration behind her master’s project, the HI Mommy website.
Session Type
20-Minute LTEC Student Session
Audience
All Audiences

A recording of this presentation is available.
Click the button to the right to access the session archive.

Campfires in Cyberspace: A STEAM Simulation in OpenSim

Session Description
The “leaky STEM pipeline” is a well-documented phenomenon that depicts a 96% loss of students from the beginning of high school to actual completion of a college degree in a STEM major. Nearly thirty years since the National Science Foundation helped guide U.S. educators’ classrooms with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) standards and guidelines, educators continue struggling with classroom implementation.

A clear goal for implementation is an instructional design challenge that can be solved by a pedagogically-sound instructional unit mediated by technology and targeted toward the teachers who have a direct hand in implementing STEM and inspiring students to stay in the STEM pipeline. The inclusion of art (STEAM) is a key ingredient in bridging the gap between theoretical science and technology and the practical, real-world applications needed for economic success. In addition, technology and art together are key to engaging and retaining students who would normally fall out of the pipeline because of the rigors of science, math, and engineering.

Role-playing, experiential, and collaborative experience that included constructive, demonstration, and skill-building opportunities (Richter, Anderson-Inman, and Frisbee, 2007) were utilized in a simulated world based on Thornburg’s concepts of learning spaces called Campfires in Cyberspace. The objective was to strengthen teacher knowledge and confidence in developing and implementing STEAM curriculum in the classroom through a collaborative, immersive virtual reality environment.

This session will discuss the Campfires in Cyberspace simulation’s instructional design, features, strategies, virtual world tools utilized within the virtual environment Open Simulator.

Presenter(s)
Sarah Espinosa
Sarah Espinosa, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan
Sarah Espinosa is a Navy Veteran and performed professionally as a hornist in United States Navy bands for 11 years throughout North America, Europe and Africa. She has a Bachelor of Music degree in horn performance and a Master of Arts in Music and Worship Studies from Liberty University. She and her family currently reside in Yokosuka, Japan. Sarah continues to perform as a civilian alongside musicians from the Yokosuka Fireman Band, SEVENTH Fleet Navy Band, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Band Yokosuka, as well as teach private horn lessons from her home. She is in her final semester of the LTEC Master’s program at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Nancy Ooki
Nancy Ooki, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Kahului, HI, USA
Bio
Edmond Lee
Edmond Lee, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Oahu, HI, USA
Session Type
20-Minute LTEC Student Session
Audience
All Audiences

A recording of this presentation is available.
Click the button to the right to access the session archive.