Collaborative Virtual Environments Used for K12 Distance Learning
Collaborative Virtual Environments Used for K-12 Distance Learning Project Ronald D. Kriz University Visualization and Animation Group Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics U V A G Session: Nuts & Bolts of Distance Learning and Electronic Field Trips Virginia Association of Museums Annual Conference. March 25 -28, 2006 Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center Roanoke, Virginia http: //www. jwave. vt. edu/~rkriz/Presentations/VAM/
K-12 Project Summary • Central Virginia Governors School “DIGSTATS” , Tom Morgan and Ron Kriz “Extending the Use of Collaborative Environments for Instruction to K-12 Schools”, Tom Morgan, Steve Howard, Fernando das-Neves, John Kelso, Todd Ogle, Ron Kriz Sponsors: 1) Institute for Connecting Science and Research to the Classroom 2) National Science Foundation PACI 3) Silicon Graphics Company • Teach the Teachers: VRML and CAVE Collaborative Console 1) Central Virginia Governors School 2) Central Shenandoah Valley Regional Governor’s School 3) Maryland Virtual High School • Roanoke County Schools Externship Program “Visualization of Auto. CAD Model Cell Structures in CAVE Immersive Environments”, A. Chavali, CAVE Spring H. S. , Mentor Ron Kriz • CAVE Collaborative Console - DIVERSE: the future Institute for the Advancement of Emerging Technology in Education at AEL Inc.
K-12 Project Summary Web Links • DIGStats: http: //www. cvgs. k 12. va. us/Digstats • Extending the Use of Collaborative Environments For Instruction to K-12 Schools: http: //www. sv. vt. edu/future/vt-cave/VT/#off-campus • Teach the Teachers: VRML and CCC http: //www. sv. vt. edu/classes/vrml/ U V A G • CAVE Collaborative Console: http: //www. sv. vt. edu/future/cave/software/ccc/ • DIVERSE: Open. GL: Windows, Mac. OS, Linux, Irix http: //thor. sv. vt. edu/diverse/
DIG Stats: CVGS U V A G
What is a CAVE? U V A G
Viewer immersed In 3 D-structure. Gives viewer unique perspective to study 3 D structure / property relationships. U V A G
Visualization of Auto. CAD Model Cell Structures in CAVE Immersive Environments A. Chavali, CAVE Spring H. S.
Desktop Computer: Dell P 3 Laptop running Linux (OS-X, Windows) CAVE: IRIX U V A G
Past CVEs CAVERNsoft - Limbo: CAVE Collaborative Console (CCC) http: //www. sv. vt. edu/future/cave/software/ccc/ NCSA-PACI Project 1997 U V A G
World-Wide Collaboration Jason Leigh & Andrew Johnson Electronic Visualization Lab, UIC Remote Participants: • Argonne National Lab • IHPC, Singapore • CRCACS, Australian NU • IML, Tokyo Univ. • CCPO, Old Dominion Unv. • NCSA, UIUC • UVAG, Virginia Tech • Northwestern Univ. U V A G
Mr. Phuwanai Wanamakok, M. S. (1999) Construction Engineering and Management Department of Civil Engineering College of Engineering ESM 4714 Class Project: Use of the CAVE(tm) as a Visualization Tool in Architecture-Engineering-Construction Industry http: //www. sv. vt. edu/classes/ESM 4714/Student_Proj/class 99/wanamakok Created the first working prototype of the CAVE Collaborative Console (CCC) CCC Demonstrated on The Immersa-Desk and CAVE simulator Running on an SGI Octane workstation. U V A G
I hear you. You hear me. But where are you and what are you looking at? Collaborative Awareness Tools Kevin Curry Class Project, 1998: Rosson: Computer- Supported Cooperative Work M. S. Thesis, 1999: “Supporting Collaborative Awareness in Tele-Immersion” U V A G
CAVE Collaborative Console (CCC) U V A G Awareness Participants Fernado das Neves, Ron Kriz, John Kelso Recorder
Project objects 1) 2) 2) 3) 3) 4) 4) 5) 6) 7) U V A G Connect K-12 students to two remote locations via the Internet to the Virginia Tech CAVE, Provide K-12 students the opportunity to learn about and experience virtual environments, Allow K-12 students to actively collaborate with professors who are using the CAVE for their research, Create and deliver content specific lessons to K-12 students using a virtual environment that allows the students at remote sites to actively collaborate with each other as they investigate the subject matter.
Lessons Learned The project succeeded in connecting students at two remote locations in Virginia and researchers at the Virginia Tech CAVE via a collaborative virtual environment. The path to success was certainly more challenging than expected! However, information gleaned from the endeavor will be useful in extending collaborative virtual environments in the future to the K-12 education community. An summary of obstacles encountered and progress made, is organized below by project objectives. The team was successful in developing the lessons. However, it was apparent that to develop a more complex CAVE program requires full-time programmers. It was also evident that to utilize the CCC at a remote site, a staff member must have a basic knowledge of Unix administration. U V A G
http: //diverse. sourceforge. net U V A G D evice I ndependent V irtual E nvironment: R econfigurable, S calable, E xtensible
DIVERSE: current and future features LLC: Open Technologies Current SGI-Performer API: DIVERSE interface to Performer (DPF) • Works out of the box in SGI-Irix and Linux • Elegant Interface • Designed for rapid application development, Examples: 1. Loading a model and navigating (“fly-thru”) takes only 11 lines of code 2. A computer science student with no experience in VR development was able to build a prototype visualization tools for nanostructures in 4 days • Dynamic Shared Objects (DSOs) load or unload during execution • Generic IO support (wands, mice, keyboards, trackers, etc. ) • Write once -- run everywhere with no changes Future release: • Powerful shared memory architecture • Backward compatible • Robust augmentation to performer • Push or Pull IO interface • Generic collaborative tools • XML based configuration • OS 10 support (via X 11) • Native MS-Windows support U • Cross platform architecture V • Windowing API independent A • Display independent Open. GL Support • Open Scene Graph augmentation G
U D_Collab_tools V A D_Atomview G Andrew Ray running on a desktop computer
Future Opportunities The New Art Museum of Southwest Virginia: Press release “…. All exhibition and education spaces will be wired to provide real-time, interactive distance learning experiences via high-speed network to classrooms across the region and the Commonwealth. A threedimensional, computer animated, immersive virtual environment will provide the public with the rare opportunity to experience this technology. ” Susanah Koerber Curator of the Art Museum of Western Virginia U V A G
Thesis Statement: • Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR), e. g. CAVEs, IWBs, and HMDs, provides users insight by viewing their data as 3 D objects. • Insight will be enhanced by creation of tools that allow multiple users (“avatars”) to be networked together where they can manipulate 3 D objects in a common “shared” IVR. • Making same networked tools available on desktop computers will allow many new users access to IVR technology. • Collaboration will be enhanced, if these collaborative desktop tools become as ubiquitous as the Web browser. U V A G • Open-source licensing, e. g. GPL/MPL, fosters distribution, collaboration, innovation and domain specific customizations: – managing large construction site projects (e-commerce), – analysis and interpretation of HPC nanostructures (e-research), – 2007 Jamestown project (e-education “distance learning”)
We propose to implement a suite of open-source collaborative tools, and applications based on those tools, which will: • allow multiple users to share the same IVRs, that works across a wide range of IVR systems, from desktop computers to Head. Mounted Displays (HMD) to fullyimmersive systems e. g. CAVEs. • create awareness tools, that allow users to glean information about other users (“avatars”) or 3 D objects in a common IVR -some tools may be domain specific. • create interaction tools, where users modify IVR and its content • create collaborative navigational tools, that allow users to share views, be tethered to other users, jump next to another user, etc. U V A G • Use HCI methods to create tools that are intuitive and useful • Explore the utility of nontraditional IVR data, such as sound, voice recognition, and real-time video
Observations & Conclusions: • Virtual and collaborative design environments have been at best working prototypes that are too difficult to use as a day-to-day application. • Better API’s are needed so that scientists, engineers, and educators can build their own applications based on the content within their discipline. As easy as Microsoft’s Word, Powerpoint, and Excel. U V A G • The best designed collaborative environments will work only within existing collaborative groups.
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