This document discusses two case studies using mixed reality tools called Virtual Touch Flystick and PrimBox to teach geometry to high school students. The tools were tested with 60 students in Spain. Evaluations found that the mixed reality approach improved student motivation and facilitated meaningful learning, especially for students with special needs. While distraction and technical requirements were challenges, the mixed reality environment promoted active, collaborative learning and better 3D spatial understanding compared to traditional methods.

1. VIRTUAL TOUCH FLYSTICK AND
PRIMBOX: TWO CASE STUDIES
OF MIXED REALITY FOR
TEACHING GEOMETRY
Andrés Ayala, Graciela Guerrero, Juan Mateu, Laura Casades and Xavier Alamán
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid UAM (Madrid, Spain)

2. Outline
■Introduction
■Virtual Touch Architecture
■PrimBox and FlyStick
■Case study in a high School
■Evaluation
■Conclusions and future work
2

3. MIXED REALITY
3
Virtual Worlds
Constructivist Learning
Platform
Tangible Interfaces
Physical activity
“Hands-on”
approach is more
intuitive and
natural
Role-playing activities
Collaborative activities
Interaction in real time
Learning by playing

4. Teaching Geometry
■ Many students have difficulties with spacial
imagination and lack spatial abilities.
■ Mixed reality can be useful in training spatial
abilities in a 3D environment.
■ Students can manipulate real and virtual objects in
order to do geometry activities.
■ Students can interact with the teacher and other
students in real time.
■ Mixed reality can offer a collaborative environment
to solve problems 4

5. Virtual Touch Architecture
5
User types
Basic user
Intermediate user
Advanced user
Tangibles
Middleware
OpenSim Server
OpenSim
Viewer
connect
configure
connect

6. PrimBox
6

7. FlyStick
FlyStick is a mixed reality tool for education that
allows to control of a virtual object in 6 DoF from
isometric and isotonic interactions.
7

8. Case study
8
■ Virtual Touch Flystick and Primbox have been
tested at a high school: Florida Secundaria
situated in Catarroja (Valencia).
■ This experience has involved 60 students of
second and third year of secondary education.
■ This experience they have included students
with special educational needs, attention deficit
disorder and hyperactivity (ADHD), dyslexia and
learning difficulties with some curricular
adaptations.

9. Case study
Introductory Sessions
Learning with mixed reality
Post Evaluation
9

10. Educational activities
10
Tangible Activity description Main goal
Activity 1 VT
PrimBox
One student is interacting with the virtual
world constructing a geometrical figure
following the oral instructions provided by a
second student that is seeing a real world
model
Use of
geometry
language
Activity 2 None Building a three-dimensional geometric
figure from the different views (front,
top,bottom and side views)
Develop the
perception of
space
Activity 3 VT FlyStick Students interacting with the tangible,
generate various conical curves (circle,
parabola, ellipse and hyperbola).
Undestand
conical
sections

11. Activities using PrimBox
11
Activity 1

12. Activities using FlyStick
12Activity 3

13. Evaluation
■Control group:
o Students using Virtual Touch (30 students)
o Students with traditional approach (30 students)
13

14. Evaluation
14
PrimBox FlyStick

15. Evaluation
■In order to evaluate the experience we have
done:
■An introductory questionnaire about virtual
worlds
■A usability test about PrimBox and FlyStick
■A semi-structured interview with the Math
teacher
■Exercicises and tests on the subject, to check
the learning effectiveness 15

16. Evaluation
16
Conical Activity

17. Evaluation
17
Conical Activity two weeks later
Meaningful learning

18. Conclusions and future work
18
Strong points
Meaningful learning
Active learning
Improve the motivation
Effective with pupils with special
educational needs
Promotes collaborative activities
Improve spatial vision in a 3D
dimensional environment
Appropiate for inclusive educacion (low
fine motor skills…)
Weak points
Distraction in some students
Need to have a good equipment (high
band width, good graphic cards…)
Need to create and adapt all activities
Need to perform training for teachers
Difficulty controlling the behaviour of
avatars

19. Thanks for your attention
■ Virtual Touch Flystick and
PrimBox: two case studies of
mixed reality for teaching
geometry
■ Andrés Ayala, Graciela Guerrero,
Juan Mateu, Laura Casades and
Xavier Alamán
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