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| Nicole LaDue and student Justin Moore |
How many years ago did you last play in a sandbox? 20 years ago? 40 years?
For NIU Geology Professor Dr. Nicole LaDue, it was about a year ago.
However, LaDue’s recent experiences with sand are likely different than yours from your childhood.
For one thing, her sandbox is called an augmented reality (AR) sandbox. In this high-tech sandbox, an Xbox Kinect is placed over the sand facing down.
The Xbox Kinect sensor detects different elevations of the sand and sends that information to a computer which processes the data. A program then computes a 3D representation of the sand underneath and then computes a 2D representation from that information.
“It essentially computes a dynamic topographic map of the sand as a person manipulates the sand with their hands” explains LaDue. “A projector sends that information back onto the sand.”
A topographic map is a 2D representation of a 3D world. It uses lines to represent boundaries of the terrain which have the same elevation.
How do topographic maps represent elevation?
Imagine slicing off the top meter of a large pyramid by making a horizontal cut perpendicular to the Earth. Now image tracing the outline of that object on a huge piece of paper when placed in the center. You would get a square, right?
Now imagine taking another slice a meter down from the top of our (mutilated) pyramid and again trace it on the paper. And then repeat this process until you reach the ground.
What you would see on the paper?
You would see a series of concentric squares.
The number of and distance between the lines would tell you about the pyramid’s height and steepness. For example, if the distances between squares become larger towards the outer perimeter then that would suggest that the pyramid becomes flatter towards the base, similar to the Eiffel Tower. If some squares are more ragged than others then that would indicate damage or corrosion.
Topographic maps usually contain wavy lines and circles that represent mountain ranges, valleys, glacial deposits, and many other landscapes. People use this type of map to navigate while they are hiking and to develop plans for building roads and buildings.
“Learning how to read topographic maps is very difficult. We call it the ‘spatial hurdle’” said LaDue. “It is a symbolic system which requires a specific type of literacy to understand them.”
Here enters the wonderful world of AR sandboxes.
According to LaDue, there are over 600 of the AR Sandboxes across the country, located in museums, academic centers and other places of learning. They are relatively cheap to make since all you need is 300 pounds of sand, an old Xbox Kinect sensor, a computer and a projector. UC Davis provides the design plans and the computer code for free online.
“The prevailing belief is that projecting the lines onto the sand as the student manipulates the sand helps the student learn how to read topological maps. However, several previous research studies failed to demonstrate any learning gains in the classroom. We were the first ones to find a strategy for engaging students that helps them learn with the AR Sandbox.” mused LaDue.
LaDue, her M.S. student Justin Moore, Tom Pingel (now at VaTech) and colleague Tim Shipley (Temple University) tested whether it was important to project the lines onto the sand or whether projecting them onto a regular computer monitor beside the sandbox would suffice. The project was funded in part by a CISLL PoP grant awarded to LaDue, and a NIU Student Engagement Fund Project awarded to Pingel.
In their experiment, participants were first measured on their topographic map reading skills by taking a modified version of the Topographic Map Assessment (TMA). Then they manipulated the sand, with or without the presence of the AR lines serving as feedback. In addition, one-half of the participants saw the lines projected onto the sand versus a monitor. Then all participants once again took the TMA.
“Most groups saw improvement on the TMA. Surprisingly, however, having the lines projected on to the monitor produced larger learning gains than when they were projected onto the sand. This was exciting to learn because in all instances of AR sandboxes that I know of, the lines are projected onto the sand” marveled LaDue.
Why would projecting the lines onto a monitor be better than projecting them onto the sand?
“Essentially, the monitor helps because it is closer to a real topographic map than having lines projected onto the sand. They are both 2D representations” said LaDue.
Their results suggest that to help students learn topographic maps, the 600 or so AR sandboxes should display the lines onto a monitor in addition to the sand. “Students are excited to play with the sand and see the lines move in real time. But learning happens when they see how the mountains they build in the sand become a topographic map on the computer screen”, said LaDue.
In essence, cool toys can get people engaged with science, but keeping the game close to the learning outcome is what will make the toys educational.
LaDue hopes to replicate the study in a classroom and with a larger sample size.
“I credit being part of an interdisciplinary team for this project” said LaDue.
So next time you are playing in a sandbox, imagine those lines. Who knows, perhaps you will learn how to read a topographic map.
For NIU Geology Professor Dr. Nicole LaDue, it was about a year ago.
However, LaDue’s recent experiences with sand are likely different than yours from your childhood.
For one thing, her sandbox is called an augmented reality (AR) sandbox. In this high-tech sandbox, an Xbox Kinect is placed over the sand facing down.
The Xbox Kinect sensor detects different elevations of the sand and sends that information to a computer which processes the data. A program then computes a 3D representation of the sand underneath and then computes a 2D representation from that information.
“It essentially computes a dynamic topographic map of the sand as a person manipulates the sand with their hands” explains LaDue. “A projector sends that information back onto the sand.”
A topographic map is a 2D representation of a 3D world. It uses lines to represent boundaries of the terrain which have the same elevation.
How do topographic maps represent elevation?
Imagine slicing off the top meter of a large pyramid by making a horizontal cut perpendicular to the Earth. Now image tracing the outline of that object on a huge piece of paper when placed in the center. You would get a square, right?
Now imagine taking another slice a meter down from the top of our (mutilated) pyramid and again trace it on the paper. And then repeat this process until you reach the ground.
What you would see on the paper?
You would see a series of concentric squares.
The number of and distance between the lines would tell you about the pyramid’s height and steepness. For example, if the distances between squares become larger towards the outer perimeter then that would suggest that the pyramid becomes flatter towards the base, similar to the Eiffel Tower. If some squares are more ragged than others then that would indicate damage or corrosion.
Topographic maps usually contain wavy lines and circles that represent mountain ranges, valleys, glacial deposits, and many other landscapes. People use this type of map to navigate while they are hiking and to develop plans for building roads and buildings.
“Learning how to read topographic maps is very difficult. We call it the ‘spatial hurdle’” said LaDue. “It is a symbolic system which requires a specific type of literacy to understand them.”
Here enters the wonderful world of AR sandboxes.
According to LaDue, there are over 600 of the AR Sandboxes across the country, located in museums, academic centers and other places of learning. They are relatively cheap to make since all you need is 300 pounds of sand, an old Xbox Kinect sensor, a computer and a projector. UC Davis provides the design plans and the computer code for free online.
“The prevailing belief is that projecting the lines onto the sand as the student manipulates the sand helps the student learn how to read topological maps. However, several previous research studies failed to demonstrate any learning gains in the classroom. We were the first ones to find a strategy for engaging students that helps them learn with the AR Sandbox.” mused LaDue.
LaDue, her M.S. student Justin Moore, Tom Pingel (now at VaTech) and colleague Tim Shipley (Temple University) tested whether it was important to project the lines onto the sand or whether projecting them onto a regular computer monitor beside the sandbox would suffice. The project was funded in part by a CISLL PoP grant awarded to LaDue, and a NIU Student Engagement Fund Project awarded to Pingel.
In their experiment, participants were first measured on their topographic map reading skills by taking a modified version of the Topographic Map Assessment (TMA). Then they manipulated the sand, with or without the presence of the AR lines serving as feedback. In addition, one-half of the participants saw the lines projected onto the sand versus a monitor. Then all participants once again took the TMA.
“Most groups saw improvement on the TMA. Surprisingly, however, having the lines projected on to the monitor produced larger learning gains than when they were projected onto the sand. This was exciting to learn because in all instances of AR sandboxes that I know of, the lines are projected onto the sand” marveled LaDue.
Why would projecting the lines onto a monitor be better than projecting them onto the sand?
“Essentially, the monitor helps because it is closer to a real topographic map than having lines projected onto the sand. They are both 2D representations” said LaDue.
Their results suggest that to help students learn topographic maps, the 600 or so AR sandboxes should display the lines onto a monitor in addition to the sand. “Students are excited to play with the sand and see the lines move in real time. But learning happens when they see how the mountains they build in the sand become a topographic map on the computer screen”, said LaDue.
In essence, cool toys can get people engaged with science, but keeping the game close to the learning outcome is what will make the toys educational.
LaDue hopes to replicate the study in a classroom and with a larger sample size.
“I credit being part of an interdisciplinary team for this project” said LaDue.
So next time you are playing in a sandbox, imagine those lines. Who knows, perhaps you will learn how to read a topographic map.
