VirtualTouch: A Tool for Developing Mixed Reality Educational Applications and an Example of Use for Inclusive Education

Abstract

This article describes VirtualTouch, a tool for developing mixed reality educational applications. VirtualTouch proposes the use of virtual worlds and tangible user interfaces to offer a “mixed reality” experience. Using VirtualTouch a teacher may easily design learning modules, which are immediately implemented and used in the classroom. A first experience of such use, focused in the area of inclusive education, is also presented. The results of this experience are encouraging, showing that mixed reality applications have a high potential for use in this area.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Juan Mateu

Juan Mateu is a technical engineer in computer management from the Polytechnic University of Valencia where he later obtained a master’s degree in Software Engineering. Currently, he combines his professional activity as a teacher of computer science in secondary education. He is a Ph.D. student at the Autonomous University of Madrid under the supervision of Xavier Alaman, focusing in an educational applications using virtual worlds and tangible interfaces.

María José Lasala

María José Lasala graduated in history from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (1990). She has worked as an educator in especial education centers and currently has a tenured position as a teacher at the Ernest Lluch High School, Cunit, Spain. She is the coordinator of the Espurnik initiative, a project involving virtual worlds in secondary education.

Xavier Alamán

Xavier Alamán holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science (UCM- 1993), an M.Sc. in Artificial Intelligence (UCLA, 1990), an M.Sc. in Computer Science (UPM, 1987), and an M.Sc. in Physics (UCM, 1985). His research interests include ambient intelligence and virtual worlds. He has been main researcher in several research and development projects in these areas and has contributed more than 50 publications.