7.3.1 The Project Rare Earths & Co
Digital electronic devices are ubiquitous, but knowledge of their structure and ingredients is often only available to experts. In the education sector, it is mainly tablets that have spread almost exponentially in recent years.
the reasons are their chance of mobile and simple use as well as the broad spectrum of potential applications. Another factor for the development was certainly the CoVID-19 pandemic and the associated need to quickly make devices (and software) available for distance learning, leading to an even faster growth in the purchase of digital equipment with its associated poten- tial effects—a challenge foreseen, however, even before the pandemic.23
the tablet itself not only offers the opportunity to learn through it, but it can also be considered a relevant topic for chemistry education. learning about the use as well as the consumption of digital devices has individual, societal and vocational relevance both in the students’ present and future, as outlined in the dimensions of relevant science education by Stuckey and colleagues.12 tablets contain almost 40 different metals and their com- pounds, various plastics, dyes, adhesives, and glass. the project Rare Earths
& Co develops educational offers on the recovery of important raw materials
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from old tablets as well as a focus on their use and substitution potential,11 which was recently also suggested for mobile phones.24 the project pursues two complementary development goals: first, the development of learning environments for secondary chemistry students that can be carried out in non-formal educational laboratory environments and, second, the develop- ment of digital learning content that can be used independently of a well- equipped laboratory (e.g., in distance learning or in less equipped schools).
the focus on non-formal learning and digital environments as an inclusive approach to education was chosen for two reasons. the first reason is the greater freedom for curriculum development outside the formal school sec- tor along with the chance of immediate implementation. the other reason is to allow students different learning experiences outside the regular class- room practice. non-formal learning environments offer chances for more in depth learning experiences in terms of inquiry-based learning and pro- vide room for better supporting both gifted students and those with differ- ing interests or educational disadvantages.25 the combination with an ICt learning support also allows learning for students who do not have access to a corresponding non-formal laboratory, be it for physical, practical, or geo- graphical reasons.
7.3.2 The Digital Learning Environment
the digital learning environment combines presentation of information on the practical level with augmented reality (AR; Figure 7.1) and virtual reality (VR; Figure 7.2) applications. With regard to distance learning, both lines of
Figure 7.1 learning by augmented reality about electrolysis for copper recycling.
the real-world tablet is augmented by an animation about the electro- lytic process of refining copper.
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development offer the chance that at least virtual practical and experimen- tal experience is offered which might otherwise not be possible for practical issues or reasons of cost and risk.
the access to the chemistry content starts with the dismantling of an ipad in the digital learning environment based on AR (Figure 7.3). AR was cho- sen since it allows to enrich natural reality (objects, places, etc.) with digi- tal (static or dynamic) information. In our case, a proper (physical) ipad is overlaid with a digital learning environment using image tracking. to design the learning environment, all components of an ipad were recreated to scale with a 3D CAD program and then added using ZapWorks Studio (https://zap.
works/studio/).
the learning environment has a modular structure so that it can be expanded and updated. the components can be provided with functions and other learning content, such as animations. the hardware requirement for the digital learning environment is an ipad and a second mobile device (student’s own mobile phones or a second tablet). to start the learning envi- ronment, the ipad is placed on a trigger image and scanned with the sec- ond device using the free ZappAR app (https://www.zappar.com/) so that the interactive AR learning environment is activated.
Figure 7.2 Virtual laboratory on the recycling of neodymium. A virtual space is provided where students can virtually conduct the experiment for recy- cling of neodymium from waste magnets.
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From this point, the different features of the learning environment can be worked on in a self-regulated way. the different features can also lead to sev- eral further activities in the classroom or in the non-formal laboratory. table 7.1 provides an overview on the foci of the digital learning environment and associated potential practical work, e.g., concerning recycling of copper, the function of olEDs, or the specific type of glass used for the tablet screen.
In using augmented and virtual reality applications the student can enrich the physical experience of touching the ipad (or doing observations along experiments in class) by finding further pictures or animations. the move within the virtual and augmented reality is scaffolded by explanations, both for the macro- and submicroscopic levels. With respect to the students and learning goals, students can be allowed to move freely in the digital environ- ment or can be guided by questions and tasks. thus, there can be learning in a combination, e.g., on copper recycling, by finding out where and for what purpose copper is used in the ipad, doing the copper electrolysis in class, and finding an animation of copper electrolysis on the particle level with corre- sponding explanations in the augmented reality application. In doing so, the project aims both to provide a basis for the learning of what underlies these chemical concepts, e.g., copper recycling, but also to raise awareness among students for the importance of responsible consumption of electronic prod- ucts and the need for proper waste collection and recycling. In the end there is hope that students also start sustainable action by releasing their elec- tronic waste to the corresponding recycling collection points.
Figure 7.3 Disassembling an ipad in an augmented reality environment.
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