The Application of VLE with 3D Google Earth and Interactive

Technology

Wei-Kai Liou

and Chun-Yen Chung

1,2

Science Education Center, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC)

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).

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

 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

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 “Curiosity” vehicle 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

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.

ICSOFT2013-8thInternationalJointConferenceonSoftwareTechnologies

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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TheApplicationofVLEwith3DGoogleEarthandInteractiveTechnology