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Virtual environments systems based on immersive projection technologies (IPTs) offer users the possibility of collaborating intuitively in a 3D environment. While considerable work has been done to examine interaction in desktop-based collaborative virtual environments (CVEs), there are currently no studies for collaborative interaction using IPTs.The aim of this paper is to examine how immersive technologies support interaction and to compare this to the experience with desktop systems. A study of collaboration is presented where two partners worked together using networked IPT environments. The data collected included observations, analysis of video and audio recordings, questionnaires and debriefing interviews from both IPT sites. This paper focuses on the successes and failures in collaboration through detailed examination of particular incidents during the interaction. We compare these successes and failures with the findings of a study by Hindmarsh, Fraser, Heath, & Benford (Computer Supported Collaborative Work, CSCW'98, 1998, pp. 217-226) that examined object-focused interaction on a desktop-based CVE system.Our findings identify situations where interaction is better supported with the IPT system than the desktop system, and situations where interaction is not as well supported. We also present examples of how social interaction is critical to seamless collaboration.

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Purpose The goal to stimulate perspective taking and inference making on social phenomena, such as gender roles in society, has proven to be difficult to achieve in general and in particular for primary school students. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to develop creative models and concepts for learning that provide guidance addressing these challenges. Design/methodology/approach A case study methodology, including classroom observations, teacher interviews and analysis of videos created by students, was applied within a large-scale action research project related to cross-border collaboration for educational purposes supported by information and communication technologies among Danish, Norwegian and Swedish schools. Findings This study reports on how teachers organized group work for their sixth grades students to reimagine and videoing fairy tales endings of Cinderella in order to explore and learn about gender roles in society in a cross-border setting. The personal, emotional and social negotiations of working with peers and giving feedback to students in other schools from other countries enhanced their learning. Results suggest that adding the framework of boundary object-driven design helps to improve the process by its focus on a shared understanding, common practice and sense-making. Originality/value The study incorporates the framework on boundary objects as a “mental design device” into a story-driven digital production project, suggesting that creativity in combination with a specific yet open task for student group work enhances learning in social science.

This study examines pairs of subjects who used networked immersive projection technology systems to collaborate on five tasks over an extended period of time (210+ minutes). The aim was to compare zero history and mutual history partners, to examine how their experience changed over time, and compare their experience of different tasks. Analysis yields a number of interesting findings for these comparisons. Overall, the study shows that users could collaborate effectively over an extended period of time, but that understanding the intentions and activities of the other person remained a hindrance.

Under which conditions has collaboration added value over individual work? How does performance change when using different technologies? These are important questions for industry and for research. This paper addresses them for pairs versus individuals using physical objects and virtual representations for object-focused task-solving. Based upon previous research on pair's performance and experiences for collaboration in a real setting and four different distributed virtual environments (VEs), single-user experimental studies were carried out.The results show that in relation to performance, pairs working in networked CAVE™ technologies are superior compared to individuals, or pairs working in other distributed settings. In general, social interaction works as a facilitator for this type of task solving in networked VEs. Though, best performance was found in the real setting, with no major difference when comparing individuals versus pairs, working in VEs often were appreciated higher than working with physical objects.

Gränsöverskridande Nordisk Undervisning/Utdanelse (GNU, meaning Cross-Border Nordic Education), the larger Nordic project, under which this case study was carried out, aims at developing innovative, cross-border teaching models in different subject domains in elementary school, including mathematics, language, science, social studies and history. This paper provides an in-depth description and analysis of how four social science and history elementary school teachers and their 70 students (5th-7th grades) worked together between November 2011 and December 2012.Previous research regarding the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in history education in elementary schools is limited, thus calling for contemporary investigations in this particular subject domain.The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model, enhancing the combination of teachers' pedagogical, content and technical competence, was used as the analytical framework, together with nation-specific curricula and the European Union's recommendations regarding students' skills for lifelong learning. A range of empirical materials was analyzed, such as classroom observations, students' video productions, texts and photos distributed and shared on a mutual blog, real-time interaction and teachers' communication. The teachers tried out two ICT didactic models.In the asynchronous model, the major focus was on the form and content of the video productions being shared, whereas work with the synchronous model concentrated on the content and quality of the communication. Notwithstanding obstacles, cross-border collaboration provided added value.The nation-specific differences triggered curiosity and motivation to produce digital presentations of history content to be understood by the students in the three nations, facilitating goal fulfillment in communication skills and digital competence. However, achieving subject-specific goals in history remained challenging.