A system for supporting collaborative learning with networked sensing boards

The authors have used sensing boards based on RFID technology to construct a face-to-face group learning support system integrating the physical world and the virtual world. The system is shown to be useful through performance in that a learner without sufficient skill in using a computer can easily participate in learning, and knowledge acquired through textbooks and the like can be tested in the physical world. On the other hand, some problems have been pointed out: the utterances depend more strongly on the leader, and learning support with a higher degree of realism is desired. Consequently, in the system proposed in this paper, multiple sensing boards are placed at different sites so that the learner groups can communicate face-to-face. The sensing boards are connected through a network so that the operations on the board can influence each other. The learners in the group gather around the board and try to solve the problem face-to-face. They also interact with the learners in another group through a chat system. The learners in a primary school classroom used the system to study city design and environmental problems, and the effectiveness of the proposed system was demonstrated. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 35(9): 39–50, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (). DOI 10.1002sscj.10502