Abstract
To know where they are in the environment, humans rely on their senses for information. If the environment is artificially generated then it raises the question as to what information is needed to allow humans to know their location in the environment. This paper looks at the role of desktop Virtual Environments as conceptual learning tools in science and the notion of ‘Presence’ within these types of environments, plus how Activity Theory can help in understanding how students learn in Virtual Learning Environments. Our research looked at how students’ understanding of science in Virtual Learning Environments could be enhanced and could potentially increase the pedagogic value of the learning experience. Our findings indicate that Activity Theory and the role of artefacts impact on human interaction, which in turn leads to cognitive change.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Grove, J. & Williams, N. (1998) IT for Learning Enhancement. M. Monteith, Swets & Zeitlinger, Lisse: 176–183.
Jelfs, A. & Whitelock, D. (2000) The notion of presence in virtual learning environments: what makes the environment ‘real”. British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 31(2) 145–152
Kalawsky, R. (1993) The Science of Virtual Reality and Virtual Environments. Addison-Wesley.
Kaptelinin, V. (1997) Computer-Mediated Activity: Functional Organs in Social and Developmental Contexts, pp 45–68 in Context & Consciousness. Activity Theory and Human-Computer Interaction, ed. Nardi, (2nd Ed) MIT Press.
Kraegar, M. (1982) Artificial Reality. New York, Addison Wesley.
Lombard, M. & Ditton, T. (1997) At the Heart of It All: Tech Concept of Presence Journal of Computer Mediated Communication 3(2) September.
Lee, J.D. (1998) ‘Which Kids can “Become” Scientists? Effects of Gender, Self-Concepts, and Perceptions of Scientists’, Social Psychology Quarterly Vol. 61 No. 3, pp. 199–219.
Leont’ev, A.N. (1978) Activity, Consciousness & Personality. Translated by M.T. Hall. Prentice-Hall.
Marton, F. (1988) Phenomenography: A research approach to investigating different understandings of reality. Qualitative Research in Education. Focus and Methods. R. Sherman and R. Webb. London, The Falmer Press: 141–161.
Nardi, B. ed (1997) Context & Consciousness. Activity Theory and Human-Computer Interaction. (2nd Edition) MIT Press.
Rheingold, H. (1991) Virtual Reality. London, Simon & Schuster.
Richardson, J.T.E. (1999) Imagery. Hove, East Sussex, UK, Psychology Press.
Schank, R. and Cleary, C. (1995) Engines for Education. Hove, UK, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Sheridan, T.B. (1992) ‘Musings on Telepresence and Virtual Presence’ Presence. Teleoperators and Virtual Environments Vol. 1 No. 2 MIT Press.
Steuer, J. (1992). Defining Virtual Reality: Dimensions Determining Telepresence. Journal of Communication 42(4): 73–93.
Subrahmanyam, K. & Greenfield, P.M. (1996) Gender and Computer Games, in From Barbie to Mortal Kombat, J. Cassell & H. Jenkins, eds. Cambridge, Mass. MIT Press pp. 46–71.
Vygotsky, L. (1962) Thought and Language. Translated from the Russian and edited by E. Hamsman and G. Vankan, Cambridge, Mass. MIT Press.
Whitelock D. & Scanlon E. (1996) Motivation, Media and Motion: Reviewing a Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Experience. Artificial Intelligence in Education Conference, Lisbon, October, 1996, pp. 276–283.
Whitelock, D. & Jelfs, A. (1999a) Understanding the Role of Presence in Virtual Learning Environments. 2 nd International Workshop on Presence, Exeter, England, 6–7th April.
Whitelock, D. & Jelfs, A. (1999b) Examining the Role of Presence in Virtual Learning Environments. European Conference for Research on Learning and Instruction 99, Goteborg, Sweden, 25th–27th August.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Jelfs, A., Whitelock, D. (2001). Presence and the Role of Activity Theory in Understanding: How Students Learn in Virtual Learning Environments. In: Beynon, M., Nehaniv, C.L., Dautenhahn, K. (eds) Cognitive Technology: Instruments of Mind. CT 2001. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 2117. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-44617-6_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-44617-6_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-42406-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-44617-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive