Revista Romana de Interactiune Om-Calculator

197-215

Authors: Maria-Iuliana Dascălu, Sergean Bagis, Melania Nițu, Oana-Maria Ferche, Alin Dragoș Bogdan Moldoveanu

As (Experiential Learning Lectures) points out, there are several downsides to classical lectures that can be extended to a lot of areas of education: the fact that students tend to lose their attention as soon as lectures start (Improving Listening Skills) or that they do not take notes rigorously (Taking Notes). Both the concentration on the taught subject as well as the need for taking notes can be improved by using experiential learning techniques. According to (Experiential Learning, Illinois), these techniques require the student to use his critical, reflective and analytical abilities during the learning process, requiring them to take initiative and to learn through experiments, asking questions, while being curious and creative. The role of the teacher is therefore shifted in experiential learning compared to classical lectures, as the teacher must mainly raise attention over various problems, support students and maintain an adequate environment for the learning process. The advancements of technology lead to new opportunities for systems increasing the interactivity during classes (Ubiquitous Learning). One such system is proposed by the current paper, which presents a Virtual Reality system designed to support experiential learning for computer architecture classes by creating an environment in which the user is immersed where he receives information and indications through textual cues while he assembles virtual components of a virtual computer.

231-249

Authors: eodor Stefanut, Andreea Camelia Tripon

Teaching kindergarten children is a challenging task that requires patience, imagination and very well designed didactic materials that can capture the attention of children and convey knowledge at the same time. Appropriate to the age of pupils, specific games have been developed and integrated into teaching methodologies, in order to help children in understanding and exercising different simple or more complex notions and skills. Complementing traditional teaching methods, technology is currently more present than ever in the everyday activities of children, enabling the implementation of complex learning scenarios, adaptive didactic materials, customized learning paths and optimized integration of gaming with the need of exercising different skills. Some of the challenges met in creating such tools are discussed in this article, showing as a case study that new learning methods and resources can be developed by bridging the virtual world of the mobile-based games with the real one, through the use of Augmented Reality techniques and Sphero SPRK+ robot.