The Application of VLE with 3D Google Earth and Interactive
Technology
Wei-Kai Liou
1
and Chun-Yen Chung
1,2
1
Science Education Center, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC)
2
Graduate Institute of Science Education and Department of Earth Sciences, National Taiwan Normal
University, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC)
Keywords: VIRTUAL Learning Environments (VLE), Laser Driven Interactive System (LaDIS), KMC (Kinect Motion
Capture), WCT (Wireless Control Technology), VR(virtual reality).
Abstract: The purpose of this research is to provide a viable, efficient and economical Virtual Learning Environments
(VLE) educational system, which is easy to show VLE interactive system in any classroom. And most students
and teachers are highly satisfied with, the system and willing to use. The effect of the proposed interactive
system that incorporates 3D Google Earth into VLE may be summarized as the follows: 1) With a projector,
screen, PC, LaDIS, KMC, WCT, 3D Google Earth and B&R 3D eyeglasses it is easy to show VLE interactive
system in any classroom. 2) The proposed VLE system provides a viable, efficient and economical VLE
educational system. 3) Most students and teachers are highly satisfied with, the system and willing to use,
this form of VLE interactive system because of its naturally superior interactive performance in classes.
1 INTRODUCTION
VLE technology is currently developed for
professional training in highly technical fields such
as medical education, astronaut training and military
training (Merril 1993; Merril 1995; Eckhouse 1993).
The main problems of VLE educational systems
include: high monetary costs, the complexity of
software as well as the instillations of said software.
Due to these stated limitations, VLE cannot be
effectively implemented into every classroom
worldwide. Most previous studies focus on how to
the use of Google Earth /Google Map in teaching
different subjects such as geography, earth science,
history and eco-awareness (Mitchell, 2010; Demirci,
2009; Hwang, 2009; Patterson, 2007); however,
there is a lack of investigational research into VLE
application utilizing 3D Google Earth and
interactive technology. It is hope of this research that
the VLE tool, developed in this study, may enable
teachers to use and apply VLE into any classroom.
Student Satisfaction Index (SSI) are also utilized to
explore the satisfaction ratings by our VLE
interactive system.
2 INTEGRATED INTERACTIVE
TECHNOLOGY AND 3D
GOOGLE EARTH INTO VLE
The ultimate goals of VLE are to foster learners'
problem-solving skills and to help students to
become independent thinkers and learners (CTGV
1990). This research develops an innovative
teaching tool which incorporates 3D Google Earth
and interactive technology into VLE. Utilizing this
system, teachers and students can better explore
VLE problem-solving environments.
3D Google Earth: Google Earth is a virtual globe,
map and geographical information program. It maps
the Earth by superimposing images obtained from
satellite imagery, aerial photography and
GIS(Geographic Information System) 3D globe.
Google Earth 5 includes a separate globe of the
planet Mars that can be viewed and analyzed for
research purposes. The maps of Google Earth 5 are
of a much higher resolution than those on the
browser version of Google Mars, and they also
include 3D renderings of the Martian terrain. There
are some extremely high-resolution images from the
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera that
are of a similar resolution to those of the cities on
Earth (Google, 2012).
69
Liou W. and Chung C..
The Application of VLE with 3D Google Earth and Interactive Technology.
DOI: 10.5220/0004591000690073
In Proceedings of the 8th International Joint Conference on Software Technologies (ICSOFT-EA-2013), pages 69-73
ISBN: 978-989-8565-68-6
Copyright
c
2013 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)
Laser Driven Interactive System (LaDIS): In
order to combine laser driven and wireless control
multi-technology, an innovation design was proposed.
LaDIS provides a complete presentation function by
utilizing a laser point (which comes from a laser diode
pointer and emits a red spot on a screen). LaDIS
cooperates with an optic camera and a laser point
image tracing software. Utilizing image processes
and software program operations, the movement of
the laser point images can be transformed into a
command signal to control the mouse’s cursor on the
screen. (Liou and Lee, 2011)
Kinect Motion Capture: FAAST(Flexible
Action and Articulated Skeleton Toolkit) is
middleware to facilitate the integration of full-body
controls with games and Virtual Reality(VR)
applications; to accomplish this, FASST utilized
either OpenNI or the Microsoft Kinect for Windows
skeleton tracking software. FAAST includes a
custom VRPN (Virtual-Reality Peripheral Network)
server to stream up to four user skeletons over a
network, allowing VR applications to read the
skeletal joints as trackers using any VRPN client.
Additionally, the toolkit can also emulate keyboard
input triggered by body posture and specific gestures
(Evan et al., 2011).
Figure 1, illustrates users exploring the Earth and
Figure 1: Travel around the world and Mars explorer
activities using a projector, screen, PC, LaDIS, KMC, WCT
and B&R 3D eyeglasses. These are incorporated with 3D
Google Earth software to show how this VLE interactive
system may be applied in classrooms.
Mars. These two learner-centered activities, in a
living science course, combine situated instruction
and interactive system, using integrated LaDIS
(Laser Driven Interactive System), KMC (Kinect
Motion Capture), WCT (Wireless Control
Technology) and 3D VR(virtual reality)
environments, then incorporates 3D Google Earth
into our work. Figure 2, shows an example of an
interactive system that incorporates Google Earth
into situated instruction.
Figure 2: The student can control directions in 3D VR
environments on the screen, via a handhold LaDIS device,
to click information icons in Google Earth.
The students can control directions and click
information icons in Google Earth on the screen.
This is accomplished utilizing a handheld LaDIS
device. In this way students may view different
country scenarios in 3D VR environments. The VLE
interactive system in this study provides a student
with a way to: 1) induce movement forward
commands via body gestures 2) surf in 3D VR
environments as shown in Figure 3. Figure 4 shows
how the VLE interactive system can immerse a
student into 3D VR environments by wearing B&R
(Blue & Red) 3D eyeglasses. Based on the theory of
VLE, we designed an efficient and economic
teaching tool, which incorporated 3D Google Earth
and interactive technology into a “living science and
technology” course.
ICSOFT2013-8thInternationalJointConferenceonSoftwareTechnologies
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Figure 3: Student can surf Tokyo Tower and Red Square
via body gestures.
We utilize laser curser with real-time control
directions to click information icon on the screen as
well as to mark time; forward pedals are used to
induce forward commands, and to allow users to surf
different countries in 3D VR environments. Student
can use a handheld LaDIS device to navigate via
body gestures or a forward pedal to control on
screen movements; B&R 3D eyeglasses are utilized
to immerse the user in 3D VR environments. Thus,
students may feel free to walk around in different
country scenarios, even on Mars by means of 3D VR
environments.
Figure 5 shows that student also can drive the
Mars exploration Curiosityvehicle while surfing
different scenarios in Mars by LaDIS DSC
(Direction Control Stick) and WCT (Wireless
Control Technology) forward pedal. Student can
control directions, on the screen, as well as interact
with any information icon on the screen via the
LaDIS DSC. In addition, users can also drive
forward by way of the WCT forward pedal to
immerse themselves into the Mars environment.
This VLE interactive system integrates LaDIS,
Figure 4: Students can walk around in Big Ben, Red
Square, Piazza el Duomo and Tokyo Tower with 3D VR
environments by utilizing B&R 3D eyeglasses.
KMC, WCT, 3D Google Earth and 3D VR. The
framework of this innovative teaching tool can
enable teachers to use and apply VLE into any
classroom as shown in Figure 6.
3 STUDENT 'S SSI
As shown in Figure 7, Evaluation results for the
Student Satisfaction Index (SSI), we use four
dimensions including: satisfaction, willingness to
use, interaction and learning to explore the
relationship between student and satisfaction ratings
on our VLE interactive system. Between each two
dimensions are also included two sub-items such as
between satisfaction and learning is “motive and
effect”, between satisfaction and willingness to use
is “better than traditional and usability”, between
willingness to use and interaction is “perceptive and
participation”, between learning and interaction is
“interaction with teacher or student and interaction
between student and student or interaction with
TheApplicationofVLEwith3DGoogleEarthandInteractiveTechnology
71
Figure 5: Student can drive the Mars Exploration
“Curiosity” surfing Victoria Crater, Valles Mariners,
Olympus Mons and Hellas Basin in Mars.
classmates”. The results show each dimension such
as satisfaction, willingness to use, interaction,
learning and sub-items such as motive, effect,
interaction with student and teacher, perceptive,
participation, usability, better than tradition all
obtain over 90% ratings satisfaction index. The
results demonstrate that there was better interaction
between student and teacher in the classroom due to
the use of this form of VLE interactive system.
Figure 7: Evaluation results for the Student Satisfaction
Index (SSI).
Figure 6: The framework of this innovative teaching tool can enable teachers to use and apply VLE into any classroom.
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4 CONCLUSIONS
The effect of the proposed interactive system that
incorporates 3D Google Earth into VLE may be
summarized as the follows: 1) With a projector, screen,
PC, LaDIS, KMC, WCT, 3D Google Earth and B&R
3D eyeglasses it is easy to show VLE interactive
system in any classroom. 2) The proposed VLE
system provides a viable, efficient and economical
VLE educational system. 3) Most students are
highly satisfied with, the system and willing to use,
this form of VLE interactive system because of its
naturally superior interactive performance in classes.
Further studies must be conducted to verify the
advantage or disadvantage of
innovative VLE
interactive system
in different perspectives. Moreover,
research to explore what subjects are suitable to adopt
the innovation of VLE interactive system is
recommended.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to thank the Aim for the Top
University (ATU) project of the National Taiwan
Normal University (NTNU) for financing this study.
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