Teaching Human Health and Water Stewardship using Extended Reality

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PROJECT ABSTRACT It has been reported by the U.S. Environmental Agency that 55% percent of the streams and rivers in the nation are in “poor” condition, posing health risks to fish, other wildlife and humans. As we become more aware of the damage done to our waterways via pollution, overuse and other harmful methods from the industrial revolution (Venter et al., 2016), teaching young students about the importance of water stewardship early is key to informing the way society interacts with and takes care of our water resources. Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) lessons and activities excite young learners and build their confidence and self-efficacy (DeJarnette 2018). This SBIR FastTrack award will enable Killer Snails, LLC to develop an immersive learning experience, WaterWays, which leverages the latest in Extended Reality (XR) technology, paired with authentic assessments, to address the effects of water contaminants on human health, communicate the potential human health risks from exposure to water contaminants, improve environmental health literacy of fresh and saltwater sources, and support citizen science endeavors for children in grades 3-5. The WaterWays experience will align to the Next Generation Science Standards and include qualitative and quantitative assessment mechanisms that provide evidence of learning and teacher feedback. Killer Snails will collaborate with Mount Sinai's Transdisciplinary Center for Early Environmental Exposures, The Wildlife Conservation Society, and New York City's Hudson River Park to create WaterWays featuring the following three integrated components: 1) Augmented reality (AR) games that include manipulatable environmental water pollutants, ways to measure for damage to the salt/freshwater biome, the impact on human health, and potential treatments. 2) A digital science journal that extends learning by reflecting student AR interactions, provides interactive tools to manipulate, model and construct water biomes and potential pollutants, and features citizen science challenges applicable to local environments. 3) An educator support dashboard that enables teachers to monitor in real-time AR student manipulations, responses in student digital science journals, and access scaffolding questions. Upon completion, WaterWays will be marketed as a grade 3-5 curriculum supplement to elementary schools, informal learning centers such as museums, and to families, particularly the home school market. The technical innovations involved in this project include: 1) The creation of animated graphics depicting environmental pollutants and ways damage to fresh and marine biomes impact human health. 2) Our patent-pending educator assessment dashboard that integrates AR activity with a WaterWays content-specific interactive digital media website, enabling teachers to monitor and assess real-time student engagement as students engage with WaterWays.