Walled Cities of Veneto Region: Promoting Cultural Heritage in Education Using Augmented Reality Tools

Thanks to the quick advance of mobile technologies, the development of applications and tools for augmented reality (AR) has found new life. Flexibility, availability and affordability are three elements that allow this technology to be adopted in educational settings. In particular we see a lot of potential in the synergy between augmented reality, as a branch of mobile learning, gamification and cultural heritage education. For these reasons we are starting a pilot project in collaboration with Italia Nostra (Association for the protection of the historical, artistic and natural heritage of Italy) involving students of the 5th class of primary schools (10-11 y.o.) with the aim to make them aware of the importance of the cultural heritage of the Walled Cities of Veneto and the landscape to which they belong. During the project they will be able to discover the transformations the territory has undergone over time using ancient, past and present maps. The learning process will be on site, situated and enhanced by AR tools and devices equipped with apps we are developing specifically for this project. The applications will show maps, data, AR 3D artifacts and other multimedia elements merged in a kind of treasure hunt, with riddles and puzzles to apply, enhance and evaluate their knowledge. We will utilise a wide range of research tools, including interviews, questionnaires and focus groups on both technologies and methodologies used to obtain immediate feedback on the real impact of such educational projects. On the pedagogical side, the focus will be on a constructivistic approach in teaching and learning stimulating the students to become active citizens, well aware of their historical identity: as informed and responsible persons, they will be able to better preserve their heritage.