Mobile and Open Learning Potential
How can mobile application of 3D hologram technology improve education?
Mobile learning can offer learning opportunities that are personal, portable, informal, spontaneous and contextual (Kukulska-Hulme et al., 2011). Mobile environments makes learning activities more motivating, as it may pique students' curiosity (Agca & Ozdemir, 2013).
Magic Games
Games are ideal mechanism in learning design, especially for children. Games are motivating, fun to play, and it can help students achieve their learning goals while lowering anxiety in learning. Out of the many game genres, magic game been successful when used in education. Children and adults alike are facinated by magic and illusions. Since 3D holographic technology operates as an illusion of 3D imagery, it offers potential to be integrated into mobile games to enhance students' learning, increasing their motivation and reach more learners (Cerezo et al., 2019).
Augmented Reality (AR)
Imagine as a class of engineering students, you can all project your phones onto a specific surface of the classroom to form a 3D structure you are trying to visualize and learn. Or in a medical class, you are able to visualize human anatomy in 3D. Mobile augmented reality and holographic technology can address challenges around student's practical knowledge and help them become industry-ready (Arulanand et al., 2020).
Benefits of Incorporating Mobile Devices in Education
Flexibility & Personalization
Mobile devices offer unparalleled convenience to education. It greatly improved personalization in learning environments. The flexibility allows students to better integrate learning into their daily lives, creating anytime, anywhere learning at their own pace (NMC Horizon Report, 2017).
Accessibility
Mobile devices have educational accessibility functionalities that record videos, process voice commands, speech to text, and much more (Kohls et al., 2018). Apps that allow interactivity such as quizzes and votes in classes not only provide better feedback and engagement with instructors, but also support different learning styles. Mobile phones are also relatively affordable to incorporate into education as it is commonly used world-wide (NMC Horizon Report, 2017).
Interactivity & Collaboration
Students can better create content, communicate and collaborate on mobile devices. It also helps increasing student-instructor interactions. Apps that allow interactivity in courses, such as quizzes and votes allow better feedback to instructors (NMC Horizon Report, 2017). .
How can 3D hologram technology be used to improve open learning?
The introduction of open learning changed the paradigm of teaching. It is cost-effective, Open Education Resources (OER) provided learning materials that are accessible anywhere, any time. The introduction of MOOC's allowed students to access online courses from prestigious institutions that were difficult to be admitted to, or costly to attend (Dutta, 2016). However, as open learning expands rapidly, challenges around quality of curriculum and learning arise. In this learning environment, there is a lack of personalized attention and support. There are also challenges around low completion rates, and a lack of adaptation to diverse learning styles (Maxwell et al. 2018). Holographic technology may be able to mitigate some of these challenges.
Remote Teaching Assistance
To provide better support to learners in an open learning environment, holographic technology can connect learners with teaching assistants or instructors in real-time. Students can receive assistance and guidance from their instructors through holographic communication, breaking down geographical barriers in open learning scenarios, and provide more interactions between learners and instructors.
Virtual Collaborative Projects
One key component of successful learning is socialization and collaboration (Garrison et al., 1999). This is often difficult in open learning environments. Holographic technology can facilitate virtual study groups and collaborative projects between learners in real-time. Students from around the world can gather in a holographic space to work on assignments, discuss topics, and collaborate on course projects.
Language Learning
Language learning should be available to everyone. Instead of accessing OER alone, we should also utilize each other to help us learn languages around the world. learners can practice speaking with holographic conversational partners. This provides a more immersive and realistic language learning experience, allowing learners to interact with virtual native speakers. Beyond spoken languages, this would also provide an easier, more interactive and visual way to learn American Sign Language.