Original Post by Derrick Cheung on November 23, 2019
Hi all,
For my A3 project, I looked into a potential near-future use of AR/VR tech to teach learners physical skills, such as playing instruments. Currently, there is an abundance of apps in the market that focus on teaching facts and knowledge about things and knowledge about how things are done but there is a gap because the learner is left on their own to figure out how that translates into physical motions. I experimented with podcasts to discuss the potential implementations of this idea.
Within the podcast, I mentioned a few different external links. They are:
– The talk by Fernando Trujano showing how AR can be used to support music learning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24OV1v0ZXkI
– The Synthesia app: https://synthesiagame.com/
References
AR in ACTION. (2018, February 9). AR Piano – using AR for efficient music learning | Fernando Trujano | ARIA [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24OV1v0ZXkI
Krakauer, J. W., & Shadmehr, R. (2006). Consolidation of motor memory. Trends in Neurosciences, 29(1), 58-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2005.10.003
Willingham, D. B., Nissen, M. J., & Bullemer, P. (1989). On the development of procedural knowledge. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 15(6), 1047-1060. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.15.6.1047
The podcast starts by discussion the contrast between gaining knowledge and applying it to physically performance of tasks that require that knowledge. This jumping off point is what I find appealing when thinking about moving forward with mobile technology. Currently, most knowledge acquisition using mobile technology can provide information and build knowledge but it does not guarantee that the learner will correctly apply it physically. For example, Derrick uses the idea of learning how to play an instrument like the guitar. You may learn how to place the piece in tempo and how to position your fingers and hands, but it is not certain the the learner will correctly hold their hands and place their fingers in the correct manner. This may lead to learning bad habits, which are hard to unlearn (2.08-3.23). He goes on to discuss how to use AR to learn the physical application of performing a task and later VR training. Personally, I feel that AR would be a better way to address this issue than VR. For example, using AR to learn how to play the guitar would allow the user to see in reality where they are placing and in the AR rendition where to place their fingers (like an overlay), where as VR would not show the real-world portion of the learners hand placement.