The case of literacy motivation : Playful 3D immersive learning environments and problem-focused education for blended digital storytelling

Abstract

The University of Patras' Library Services designed and offered to primary and secondary schools the pilot educational program “From the Ancient to the Modern Tablets”, featuring immersive multimedia learning experiences about the book history. The pilot program consisted of three stages: a playful library tour, followed by an interactive game-based digital storytelling activity with game elements, and a collaborative creative reflective hands-on activity. Utilizing the avatar psychology power, the visualization and simulation affordances of 3D immersive learning environments and the appeal of storytelling and game-based learning, the “gamified” blended narrative on the book evolution enabled learning as problem-focused, embedded and context-generated. An additional research study was conducted to investigate teachers opinions regarding the effectiveness of the 3D Virtual Immersive Environment(s); this focused on students' learning and thinking skills in the socio-cognitive, psychomotor and affective domain. This work exposes the pedagogical design, presents the socio-technical development and reflects on the initial research findings.