St Swithun’s School Winchester has been participating in a study exploring 3D digital resources as learning tools in history and art. Alumna and PhD researcher Jane Mycock (D2001) visited the school in 2014 to involve Year 9 volunteers in a classroom activity involving exploring one of three “3D digital libraries”.
In a 3D digital library, users can virtually navigate around an environment and explore resources in situ, from the comfort of the computer laboratory. Volunteers from the year group explored an interactive version of the ancient Egyptian Giza complex in 3D, an interactive dress exhibition by the designer Valentino Garavani, and the Virtual Museum of Iraq, which brings artefacts from the so-called cradle of civilisation to a global audience.
A group of Year 9 volunteers then took part in focus groups. Jane said “The Year 9s were keen to explore the resources in class, but in the focus groups I found out just how engaging they found the content and how the resources had stimulated their curiosity.”
The final stage of the research, in January 2015, involved a follow-up study with volunteer pupils, now in Year 10, to explore the impact of the resources over a longer period of time. This was complemented by demonstrations of the technology to support learning in the art and history classroom.