LeadMe Empowers School to Explore Sustainable Cities

Teachers gain more confidence using immersive technology

Teachers at Kidman Park Primary School are using immersive technology with ease thanks to LeadMe.

Working with a Lumination Learning Designer saw teachers confidence rise 38% when using LeadMe for their class.

LeadMe makes using immersive technology in the form of a Lumination Learning Lab easier than ever and gives confidence to teachers when using immersive technology.

“Using LeadMe allows us (the teacher) to control all the different elements of the (virtual reality) room, it’s a great way for us to have all the help we need at the push of a button.” said Patrick Carroll, Kidman Park Primary School teacher.

Explore the details of the case study below.

The Focus of Sustainable Cities

With more than half of the world’s population living in cities today and expected to increase to 70 per cent by 2050 (UN Sustainable Development Goals) our students will play an important role in making their cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

In a Virtual Reality (VR) project with the Kidman Park Primary School (KPPS), students used immersive technologies to think about what future they wanted for their city. They learnt how they could contribute to a better environment in the future by understanding how a well-planned, well managed city or town can be built to be sustainable and resilient.

‘Sustainable Futures’ is one of the many innovative incursion programs, which are linked directly to the Australian Curriculum, that Lumination has on offer. Using the school’s Lumination Learning Lab and powered by the LeadMe software, the program brings virtual reality to the classroom creating an environment where the students can bring sustainable cities to life and look at the future possibilities.

The students at KPPS were given an opportunity to plan a virtual sustainable city using augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology, and then collaborated to innovate and co-create their own real-world scenarios for cities of the future.

Kidman Park Use Case Images Overall Website

LeadMe Software Powering the Lumination Learning Lab.

Lumination Learning Labs are automated, multi-purpose and immersive smart classrooms that encompasses virtual and augmented reality technology. The Labs are being used in education and industry to make immersive learning accessible and easy to use, creating a dynamic learning environment with real-world scenarios that help improve learning outcomes.

Designed with teachers in mind, LeadMe makes it easier to learn using immersive technology inside the classroom.

At the touch of a button LeadMe can connect to immersive technology devices, control the smart classroom environment for optimal immersive learning and access virtual reality (VR) experiences with ease.

LeadMe is making it easier for teachers to use immersive technology (virtual reality and augmented reality) in the classroom.

How it Works

Teachers launch VR and AR experiences directly from the LeadMe software application using a LeadMe tablet. They access automated control settings and profile templates developed with Lumination and can also create automated pre-sets for lighting, AV equipment, blinds, and other aspects of the school’s classroom, enabling a quick shift into the VR learning environment.

Students can work through the same experiences simultaneously or the teacher can control multiple experiences at once. Teachers can also enable the application to differentiate the lesson for individual learners.

“Virtual reality is a way to engage students of all different learning styles and cater to all learning needs, because it is so immersive and engaging.”

Naomi Guglielmo, Lumination Learning Designer and Registered Teacher

Lumination worked closely with the school to select the Education program most relevant to them and to guide the teachers in operating the Lumination Learning Lab. Support from Lumination is ongoing for 12 months and provides support to teachers to gain confidence in using the Learning Lab and the LeadMe software.

“Using LeadMe allows us (the teacher) to control all the different elements of the (virtual reality) room, it’s a great way for us to have all the help we need at the push of a button.”

Patrick Carroll, KPPS Year 5/6 Teacher

The Results are in

Lumination survey results from before and after the program show that both teachers and students readily adapted to the technology and confidence in using the LeadMe software.

In one training session and lesson with our Lumination Learning Designer supporting teachers confidence increased; excitingly, the teachers indicated a 35% increase in confidence when using LeadMe to set up their Lumination Learning Lab for their class.

Their confidence in using the software to launch a VR app was elevated by 40%, and a 45% increase in confidence was displayed in shutting their Lumination Learning Lab down safely after use.

Overall, the confidence levels of the teachers in using LeadMe increased by 38%.

The Lessons

The Sustainable Futures incursion was developed by Lumination and linked with studies the students were doing. The lessons were delivered over two half-days with the aim of getting the students to think about their desired futures.

The program started with a Sustainable Development Goals quiz to identify the goals students identify with the most, to provide them with a focus to create their own sustainable city.

After the quiz and watching sustainable cities videos, the students worked in small groups to contribute to co-designing a city using hand-held virtual reality.

With an understanding of what makes a smart city (e.g. technologies, clean energy, and waste management), students used an app called ‘Skytropolis’, loaded by the teacher through the use of LeadMe to work on creating their own sustainable city in IMVR.

Kidman Park Use Case Images Teacher Vox2

With content from the student using IMVRV, and hand controls projected onto the screen, the group can see the progress as they contribute and collaborate together.

The students soon realised that they might have to build up rather than out. There was also a focus on clean energy aspects reflecting the unit on renewable energy they had just completed in science.

“We had massive engagement from the kids. As soon as we talk about VR and AR, they are already hooked in. It’s so much easier to get them across maths, science and subjects that can sometimes be hard to get them to engage in.”

Sean Yates-Bock, KPPS Year 5/6 Teacher

Students Owen, Ellie and Ekampreet were all excited to use the Lumination Lab and LeadMe:

“It was fun to build spaces for houses” (Owen)

“You get new learning experiences and can help other students have lots of fun” (Ellie)

“It’s a whole new lab, a whole new experience and I am really excited to be doing it” (Ekampreet)

The Support Continues

Support from educators is key to success and Lumination provides the school with 12 months of support from experienced teachers who understand the demands and expectations of teaching and can help with lesson planning.

The school and teachers also have access to a 24/7 online portal to access training, learning resources and lesson plans.

Planning is already underway at KPPS for the next term’s lessons in Earth and Space Sciences.

Learn more

Contact the team at Lumination to see how a Lumination Learning Lab can work for your students. Book a demonstration to see the benefits.

You can also stay up to date with the latest in immersive technology by subscribing to our newsletter. Interested in exploring immersive learning at your school? Learn more about Lumination Learning Labs and book a tour of a Lab near you.