A Proposal for Creating Mixed Reality, Embodied Learning Interventions Integrating Robotics, Scratch, and Makey-Makey

Abstract

In current research we observe a clear trend that calls for novel teaching practices that involve multidisciplinary approaches that integrate information and communication technologies (ICT) into “traditional” workflows, employing embodied affordances in multimodal learning interventions. The educational process can therefore be augmented and transformed making use of available tools like educational robotics, tinkering with electronics (such as Makey Makey), and programming environments like Scratch to produce gamified versions of teaching sequences in a mixed reality context that “physicalizes” abstract concepts and improves both “21st century skills” and knowledge of traditional classroom material. Under the embodied cognition framework, the authors make use of robots as tangible agents in a gamified mixed reality setting. In this chapter, they provide a proposal for creating educationally effective, immersive, and engaging learning environments, as well as primary results from experimental application in various multi- and transdisciplinary teaching interventions.