Final Project Step 1: Immersive Learning Spaces

Final Project Step 1: Immersive Learning Spaces

The Libraries and Museum Technology Working Group (LAM.TWG) charter of the Immersive Education Libraries has many functions. The LAM.TWG charter defines, implements, helps evolve, and maintains many different applications and standards closely related to the big theme of Immersive Education. Specifically, their specialty lies within the ability to provide library and museum services linked with the Immersive Education. The groups is open to all Immersive Education Initiative members with experiences with real world libraries and/or museums, experiences with digital libraries, and thorough experience in developing/using virtual realities.

The objectives of the LAM.TWG can be generally summarized into one big objective: leading the development of technologies and standards that allow the provision of library and museum services to reinforce the quality of Immersive Education experiences. The members of the group focus on the following criteria: developing library and museum framework, client and server side support, developing and implementing resources that are to be reserved in the library and/or museum, promoting research in all levels to enhance the knowledge and comprehension of virtual libraries and museums in immersive environments, and many more. The LAM.TWG focuses on initiating researches for the group members, preparing and documenting the best available practices for designing virtual libraries and museums, and establishing an active community of researchers, practitioners, and virtual world participants through the utilization of face-to-face and virtual meetings.

There are two usage cases described in the LAM.TWG charter webpage.

The first case deals with Immersive Education Study Rooms, focusing on the provision of collaborative learning environment that promotes communication, collaboration and cooperation in learning experiences. The second case deals with the Immersive Real/Virtual Watershed Experiences, focusing on the provision of "bilingual educational virtual products along with real-world learning experiences to inspire and motivate, show career and life options, develop 21st century skills, and explore Latino Identity. In the first case, there are different classes of participants, which include students, educators, NPCs (artificial interactive participants) and content providers. The inputs of the students are reserved in the Immersive Education study room, thus leaving ample room for collaborative simulations, accessing documents.

The second case engages students, educators, museum professionals, scientists and authentic Watershed experiment (simulation), through the usage of the "Smithsonian LVM Virtual Watershed Ecosystem Model."

This is an assignment from the Immersive Education course that I am taking at Boston College. The course is called Collaborative Computing. For details, visit the immersive BC portal at http://ImmersiveEducation.org/@/bc