Kō Rimurimu (To be Covered in Seaweed)

For my masters project, I created an immersive, participatory kelp forest experience for primary students at the Goat Island Marine Discovery Centre.

I investigated how ‘sensory knowing’ can be used to design learning experiences to help teach primary school children about marine ecology. Meaningfulness within this context was explored through the creation of the immersive, participatory, and physical kelp forest experience. A case study class of students from a local Rodney district school experienced the forest as a part of their school trip to Goat Island.

My work was part of a wider technology and education research project (entitled 'Pipi's World'), which looked to promote and enhance 'ecological literacy' for primary school age students through Mixed Reality. My work sat at the physical end of the reality spectrum, while other activities in the discovery centre were purely virtual (VR) and augmented (AR). This meant that the case study class experienced learning through digital, analogue and combinations of both. All of the experiences across the reality spectrum coexisted and related to one another to enhance the learning through a multi channel, trans media approach.