Taking Pupils On An Impossible and Unforgettable Field Trip

We're delighted to announce that Computeam has been shortlisted for the highly prestigious Bett Award in the Primary Content category for 2018. This is the 4thyear in a row that Computeam have made waves at bett, Shortlisted for innovator of the year in 2015, winning in 2016 and winning best in Show for VR in 2017.

Our Viking themed resource uses state of the art augmented and virtual reality to tell the tale of Sigurd and the Dragon, a classic story that underpins the basis of many other myths and legends.

A classic Viking saga of greed and dragons was carved into the stone of a standing cross in Halton a thousand years ago. The cross mixes Christian and Viking symbols and the tale is ambiguous in how it can be viewed on the cross. As well as telling the tale of Sigurd slaying the dragon Fafnir, this incredible relic also sheds light on the story of our cultural transformation and Britain’s Viking heritage. Computeam and London Grid for Learning have partnered with Roger Lang FRSA, Creative Director at Higher Order Learning. Roger is an expert on this period of history and the Halton Cross itself. Together we have brought the saga and history of the period to life through captivating and atmospheric augmented and virtual reality. Using Roger’s beautiful 3D photogrammetric scans of the cross we have brought this incredible object to life in amazing detail which allow pupils access to its history and beauty.

The resource uses augmented reality ActiveWorksheets based on Computeam's ActiveLens technology to introduce the historical context of the Vikings in Britain. From here Pupils are taken back in time to 990AD via virtual reality. Starting at the Halton cross, pupils can enter a Viking longhouse where stone carvings identical to those on the Halton Cross are positioned. A storyteller begins to tell the story of Sigurd, a Viking hero and his slaying of the dragon, Fafnir. This atmospheric, immersive and beautiful experience is the precursor to the children’s own telling of the tale and positioning it within the Viking / Anglo Saxon period.

All of this is delivered via Android or iOS devices and accessible VR through Google Cardboard or similar headsets.

London Grid for Learning has championed the use of Augmented and Virtual reality in the classroom and together we have produced a wide range of innovative resources that really advance the case for immersive technology in education. Read LGfL's reaction to the shortlisting here.