Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 2. Views of the school environment, a) The virtual playground, b) The school building, c) Pupils
represented by video avatars
or ideas and who are remotely present through the
internet (Singhal & Zyda, 1999). The virtual learn-
ing environment developed in design phase III is a
virtual community in which pupils that are absent
from school due to health-related problems are still
'telepresent' in their regular classroom. Children
of elementary school age are assumed to prefer
non-abstract environments with a limited amount
of textual cues (Chen et al., 2004). Therefore, a
3D visualization of the child's classroom was
chosen (Figure 2). It creates a more explorative,
pleasant atmosphere.
To initiate intuitive and natural interactions,
it is assumed that a learning environment has to
support communication, authentication, person-
alization and presence (Quax et al., 2004). In the
prototype these four components are integrated
as follows:
When starting the application, the users (sick
children as well as their classroom teachers)
automatically end up in the 3D virtual environ-
ment. Navigating in this virtual world happens
by means of a graphical personification of the
user, which is called an avatar. By navigating
through the virtual world, pupils can enter the
virtual classroom. Unlike the rest of the world,
the classroom is represented by a fixed and static
3D view containing the most important elements
of a real classroom, such as a blackboard, a desk
and a bookshelf. The virtual classroom, which is
depicted in Figure 3(a), is the only place in the
virtual world where the child with a chronic or
long-term illness can join classroom teaching
synchronously and asynchronously. The 3D-
environment outside the virtual classroom is
intended to offer a space for social contacts with
classmates, which is discussed later on.
To follow classroom instruction synchro-
nously, the sick child on the one hand and its
classmates and teacher on the other communicate
through video-chat, similar to using a teleconfer-
encing system. Consequently, the sick child is
equipped with a webcam and a headset. The
classroom-end of the tool is equipped with a
microphone and one or more controllable webcams
which are permanently mounted. The pupil can
watch the general instruction offered by its own
teacher as shown in Figure 4. Furthermore, a
printer and a scanner are available at both ends
•
Communication through instant mes-
saging, file transfer and audio/video
communication
•
Authentication through identification by a
login-name and password, rights manage-
ment and a secure environment which as-
sures privacy
•
Personalization through a virtual profile
and a visual representation
•
Presence through contact buddies and on-
line status
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