IMMERSIVE COLORADO will address the personal, cultural and educational impact of immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), 360° VR video, spherical panoramic photography, 3D printing, telepresence, virtual worlds, simulations, game-based learning and training systems, immersive teaching and immersive learning systems, and fully immersive environments such as caves, domes and planetariums.
Speakers at previous Immersive Education Initiative events have included United Nations, NASA, Harvard University, Smithsonian Institution, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Walt Disney Animation Studios, Google, Microsoft, Intel, United States Department of the Interior (DOI) National Park Service, Stanford University, USC, UCLA, and many other world-class organizations and academic institutions.
IMMERSIVE COLORADO features a unique format that spans two locations in Colorado: Denver and La Junta.
The event, which is open to the public, includes a series of hands-on Virtual Reality (VR) workshops during which attendees will create their very own VR experiences to "capture and preserve the moments" as we tour stunning Colorado landmarks such as Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak mountain, historic Bent's Old Fort, the famous Koshare Indian Dancers and local farmer's markets while we travel together as a group from Denver to La Junta and back.
Mobile VR: Learn how to use your mobile phone to capture 360° VR scenes of the world around you, and then use these skills in your classroom or company when you get home. Mobile VR is convenient, inexpensive and ideal for engaging students and employees in a fun & cost effective manner.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science will host the Denver conference sessions on the evenings of August 23rd and August 24th. The conference begins with an opening reception and series of welcoming talks in the museum's planetarium on the evening of August 23rd, with conference activities and sessions occurring in downtown Denver and at the museum the following day.
On August 25th the USA National Park Service will host a special conference social event that features hands-on workshops in the evening at historic Bent's Old Fort in La Junta, while Otero Jr. College will host conference sessions in La Junta during the day on August 25th and August 26th.
Transportation from Denver to La Junta on August 25th, the return trip on August 27th, and the Virtual Reality workshops that are conducted at Colorado landmarks along the way are included with the conference registration fee.
Bring it home! A personal Immersive Education (iED) Google Cardboard VR headset is provided to all attendees. Your iED VR headset is yours to keep and bring home after the conference so that you can relive the Colorado memories that you capture in VR, and also so that you can enjoy thousands of new and emerging VR experiences free of charge once you get home.
During the conference speakers, presenters and attendees are invited to "cut the virtual ribbon" on Immersive Bent's Fort, officially opening the Minecraft rendition of the historic fort to teachers, students and the general public. Participants will receive hands-on Minecraft training in advance of the ribbon cutting ceremony (see "Virtual Ribbon Cutting Ceremony" below for details).
As an IMMERSIVE COLORADO attendee you are cordially invited to "cut the virtual ribbon" on Immersive Bent's Fort, officially opening the Minecraft rendition of the historic fort to teachers, students and the general public. You will receive hands-on Minecraft training in advance of the ribbon cutting ceremony, after which we'll visit the historic fort itself for a special social event, hands-on Virtual Reality (VR) workshops, and a sunset dessert treat prepared for us by the Santa Fe Trail Dutch Oven Cookers (see "IMMERSIVE MEAL" Social and Networking Event below for details).
You will also be given early and exclusive access to brand-new 360° VR video renditions of the fort, and be taught how to create your own 360° degree VR videos, still-image 360° panoramas, and gigapixel spherical photographs in HDR (high dynamic range) at the fort itself that same evening (see "IMMERSIVE MEAL" Social and Networking Event below).
Known as the "Castle of the Plains," Bent's Old Fort was a 1830s — 1840s adobe fur trading post on the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail where traders, trappers, travelers, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes came together in peaceful terms for trade. A unique center of cultural exchange at the time no less than seven different languages were spoken at the fort including English, Spanish, French, and numerous American Indian languages. Today, living historians recreate the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of the past with guided tours, demonstrations and special events.
Bent's Old Fort served as an instrument of Manifest Destiny and a catalyst for change in the United States. The fort's influence with the Plains Indians and its political and social connections in Santa Fe helped pave the way for the U.S. occupation of the West and the annexation of Mexico's northern province during the U.S.-Mexican War. Along with El Camino Real, the Santa Fe Trail was part of a trade network linking Europe, New York, and St. Louis with Santa Fe and Mexico City. Opened in 1821, the Santa Fe Trail followed old trade routes established by American Indians that were later used by Spanish, Mexican and American troops, traders and other travelers.
On November 19, 2014, the Immersive Education Initiative announced that Bent's Old Fort would be reconstructed virtually in the video game Minecraft and also as a fully immersive 3D Virtual Reality (VR) environment.
One of several new activities under the Initiative'sImmersive Arts and Culture program, Immersive Bent's Old Fort is being developed in collaboration with the United States Department of the Interior National Park Service (DOI NPS), the City of La Junta Colorado, Otero Junior College, and Colorado's East Otero School District.
Bring Bent's Old Fort to life using Immersive Education technologies to deeply engage K-12 students as they learn about American History in school.
Give high school and college students in Colorado a unique opportunity to learn how to develop immersive learning experiences using contemporary technology while simultaneously providing them with intimate first-hand knowledge about the fort.
Give Bent's Old Fort visitors a way to "return" to the fort virtually at any time and in an interactive and dynamic way that isn't possible with photographs or video.
The project began with the formation of two new Immersive Education (iED) student clubs in La Junta; one at Otero Junior College (OJC), and the other at La Junta High School. Students in both clubs meet weekly at OJC, where they work together to virtually reconstruct Bent's Old Fort.
Minecraft: The first virtual rendition of the fort was created using the video game Minecraft. With over 100 million registered players, Minecraft is one of the most popular video games in history and is especially popular with elementary school students (making it ideal for engaging the very students who are the target audience of this project).
As they concluded construction of the Minecraft rendition of the fort the La Junta iED Club students engaged in an international Immersive Cultural Exchange with iED Club students in Melbourne, Australia. Now that the Minecraft version of the fort is complete the La Junta iED Clubs will begin to develop a fully immersive Virtual Reality rendition using professional 3D video, animation, modeling and simulation tools.
Immersive Bent's Old Fort, along with corresponding history curricula and teaching materials, will be available free of charge to the general public and to schools around the world.
Online virtual tours of the immersive fort will be available to schools as a complement to the in-person tours currently conducted on-site at the fort by National Park Service rangers. For details visit http://ImmersiveEducation.org/fort
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science will host the Denver conference sessions on the evenings of August 23rd and August 24th. The conference begins with an opening reception and series of welcoming talks in the museum's planetarium ("dome") on the evening of August 23rd, with conference activities and sessions occurring in downtown Denver the following day and at the museum that evening.
All sessions at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science take place in the Gates Planetarium. A planetarium, or dome, is a special-format theater designed for presenting educational content. Although most people think of planetariums only in the context of astronomy and laser-light shows, they provide a unique and powerful environment for a wide range Immersive Education experiences.
Mobile Domes: Schools and companies can rent "mobile domes" that can be delivered and used anywhere in the world. Mobile domes are typically constructed of inflatable fabric, and can be installed in gymnasiums, lunch rooms, parking lots, or even playgrounds.
The following IMMERSIVE COLORADO sessions will be presented in the Gates Planetarium (dome) at the museum on the evenings of August 23rd and August 24th:
Immersive Bent's Old Fort: Immersive History and Culture
NeuroDome: A Hitchhikers Guide to the Brain
Digital Earth: Colorado Ecology in the Anthropocene
Dome Games: Engaging Students in Immersive Learning
Dome Video Jockey (VJ): Real-time Video Mixing in the Dome
Immersive Storytelling in the Dome
Drama Under the Dome: Boulder Ensemble Theater Company
360° Storytelling: Teaching students panoramic photography to tell stories in immersive formats
Virtual Museum: Students creating & curating a museum that can be used in VR or domes
Rio Verde Archaeology: Virtual Field Experience (Oaxaca, Mexico)
Capture and preserve your Koshare memories in Virtual Reality (VR), one of the "VR in Colorful Colorado" workshops, while you enjoy a special Koshare Indian Dancers performance, tour the Koshare Indian Museum exhibits, shop in the trading post, and drink in the atmosphere of the unique and authentic Koshare Kiva.
The Koshare Indian Dancers are members of Boy Scout Troop 232 and Venturing Crew 2230 of the Rocky Mountain Council, Boy Scouts of America. The Koshare Indian Dancers began in 1933 as a small group of Boy Scouts interested in Indian Lore, led by J.F. "Buck" Burshears (1909 — 1987). A visionary Scoutmaster, Burshears is considered one of the best Scoutmasters in Boy Scout history. Buck would end up serving his La Junta troop for fifty-five years.
The Koshares perform between 50 and 60 shows a year. Their dances and shows are recognized by Native American dancers as authentic representations of Native American dance; both historically and culturally accurate. In addition to their Summer and Winter Ceremonials and other shows at home, the Koshare Indian Dancers give special performances around the world.
The Koshares have traveled from coast to coast, to Madison Square Garden in New York to a U.S. air craft carrier a hundred miles at sea off San Diego. They also take numerous trips throughout the year to Native American Pow-Wows and Feast Days at New Mexico Pueblos. The Koshares have been recognized and accepted by the Native American community — the highest honor bestowed on a non-Indian group.
The Koshare Indian Museum is a registered site of the Colorado Historical Society in La Junta, Colorado. The building, located on the Otero Junior College campus, is a tri-level museum with an attached kiva that is built with the largest self-supporting log roof in the world. The building was built in 1949.
The museum features works of Pueblo and Plains tribal members. The museum also facilitates Boy Scouts traveling to Philmont Ranch by providing museum discounts, as well as hostel stays for visiting Boy Scout troops.
Koshare Indian Dancers are members of Boy Scout Troop 232 in the Rocky Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America, located in La Junta, Colorado. They have been performing their interpretations of Native American dance since 1933.
Bring your mobile phone and a keen sense of adventure! Join the experts, meet new colleagues, and make new friends from around the world as you explore the city around you during this unique social event and hands-on workshop conducted in downtown Denver and La Junta.
A prelude to the IMMERSIVE COLORADO evening sessions that take place in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science planetarium on August 24th, the location-based scavenger hunt in downtown Denver that same afternoon involves real-time problem solving, exploration and orientation activities, and friendly team-based competition that leads to a golden treasure.
The Denver scavenger hunt social event and "user interface" workshop is complimented by an in-depth hands-on workshop in La Junta on August 26th during which you will learn how to create your very own location-based scavenger hunts for a wide variety of purposes (such as school and campus orientation programs, team-building exercises, student and employee engagement, interactive history and social studies, "gamified" education experiences, and more).
Pokémon Go!
The location-based scavenger hunt social event and corresponding workshops optionally include Pokémon Go, the world's most popular Augmented Reality (AR) app.
For details on how the Pokémon Go workshop will address Pokémon Go as an educational and business tool see the Pokémon Go Workshops module below.
Pokémon Go is the world's first truly mass-market mainstream application of Augmented Reality (AR), and one of the most successful games in history. It is, in fact, one of the most wildly popular apps ever created and is played daily by millions of people around the globe.
At IMMERSIVE COLORADO you'll be one of the first in the world to learn first-hand how the Pokémon Go phenomenon can be harnessed for education and business.
Bring it home! As an IMMERSIVE COLORADO attendee you will have exclusive early access to the preliminary edition of the Immersive Education Initiative's guidelines and best practices for Pokémon Go, which you can use immediately at your own school or business following the conference.
During the Location-based Scavenger Hunt in Denver (see "Location-based Scavenger Hunts" above) you will have the option of playing Pokémon Go (or simply watching others play, if you'd prefer not to play it yourself). You'll also be taught the fundamentals of playing Pokémon Go via the location-based mobile app that we'll use during the scavenger hunt.
As we travel together from Denver to La Junta we'll play Pokémon Go, with a sharp focus on using the game for education and business, at the very same Colorado landmarks that we capture in Virtual Reality (such as Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak mountain, and historic Bent's Old Fort).
During a corresponding workshop in La Junta we'll discuss specific features and mechanics of the game with our fellow educators and business professionals as we draft in real time the Immersive Education Initiative's preliminary guidelines and best practices for Pokémon Go.
The Pokémon Go workshops address the following topics, and conclude with a drafting of the preliminary edition of the Immersive Education Initiative's guidelines and best practices for Pokémon Go that you can use immediately at your own school or school or business following the conference:
Pokémon Go for Teachers and Education
Pokémon Go for Business and Marketing
Child-safety: Criminal Elements & Physical Safety
Legal issues with Pokémon Go and other forms of Augmented Reality (AR)
Pokémon Go for Student and Employee Engagement
Pokémon Go for Team Building and Relationship Building
Pokémon Go for Exercise and Socialization
Pokémon Go for Geography, Spatial Awareness and Map-reading
Pokémon Go as a Resource Management Simulator
Pokémon Go for Teaching Math, Estimation and Conversions
Incorporating Pokémon Go into Curricula and Lesson Plans
Rapid 3D Scanning, 3D Maps of Interior Spaces, and Augmented Reality
This hands-on workshop in La Junta will introduce you to Structure Sensor, an affordable hardware device that transforms your iPad into a powerful mobile 3D scanner and Augmented Reality tool.
Capture detailed 3D models: When used as a 3D scanner, Structure Sensor allows you to capture dense geometry in real-time. This enables you to simulate real world physics and create high-fidelity 3D models with high-resolution textures in seconds.
Capture entire rooms all at once: The magic of 3D depth sensing begins with the ability to capture fast, accurate, dimensions of objects and environments. Structure Sensor doesn't merely capture one dimension; it captures everything in view, all at once.
Create new AR experiences: Bridge Engine makes it simple to author and deploy Augmented Reality experiences to the mobile device you already own. Coupled with Structure Sensor's ability to capture dense 3D meshes of scenes, you can create virtual experiences that are difficult to distinguish from reality.
This activity occurs at Bent's Old Fort the evening of August 25
Join the experts, meet new colleagues and make new friends from around the world during this unique social and networking event at historic Bent's Old Fort.
As we enjoy a sunset dessert treat prepared specially for us by the Santa Fe Trail Dutch Oven Cookers you'll have the opportunity to use different cameras and equipment to shoot your very own 360° Virtual Reality (VR) videos, still-image 360° VR panoramas and partial-scene VR panoramas, and gigapixel spherical photographs (extremely large high-resolution interactive panoramic photos) in high dynamic range (HDR).
Capture and preserve your memories of our time together at the fort while gaining valuable hands-on "shooting" experiences that are complimented by corresponding hands-on "stitching" and content preparation workshops the following day (August 26th). On the 26th you might also have the opportunity to experiment with a new generation of mobile structural sensor scanners that are capable of creating virtual 3D objects by scanning the real world around us.
Bring-your-own! You are encouraged to bring your own immersive technologies to share with others during the evening social event. Please note, however, that due to the historic nature and remote location of the fort that neither WiFi nor mobile phone service are available at the fort. As such, any technologies that you bring to the fort to share with your fellow conference attendees should not require network access.
Known as the "Castle of the Plains," Bent's Old Fort was a 1830s — 1840s adobe fur trading post on the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail where traders, trappers, travelers, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes came together in peaceful terms for trade. A unique center of cultural exchange at the time no less than seven different languages were spoken at the fort including English, Spanish, French, and numerous American Indian languages. Today, living historians recreate the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of the past with guided tours, demonstrations and special events.
Bent's Old Fort served as an instrument of Manifest Destiny and a catalyst for change in the United States. The fort's influence with the Plains Indians and its political and social connections in Santa Fe helped pave the way for the U.S. occupation of the West and the annexation of Mexico's northern province during the U.S.-Mexican War. Along with El Camino Real, the Santa Fe Trail was part of a trade network linking Europe, New York, and St. Louis with Santa Fe and Mexico City. Opened in 1821, the Santa Fe Trail followed old trade routes established by American Indians that were later used by Spanish, Mexican and American troops, traders and other travelers.
The Immersive Education Initiative is a non-profit international collaboration of educational institutions, research institutes, museums, consortia and companies. The Initiative was established in 2005 with the mission to define and develop standards, best practices, technology platforms, training and education programs, and communities of support for virtual worlds, Virtual Reality, augmented and mixed reality, simulations, game-based learning and training systems, immersive teaching and immersive learning systems, and fully immersive environments such as caves and domes.
Thousands of faculty, researchers, staff and administrators are members of the Immersive Education Initiative, who together service millions of academic and corporate learners worldwide.
Chapters support the rapid and continued growth of Immersive Education throughout the world, and constitute the geographically distributed structure of the organization through which regional and local members are supported and enriched. Chapters organize officially sanctioned Summits, Days, workshops, collaborations, seminars, lectures, forums, meetings, public service events and activities, technical groups, technical work items, research, and related activities.
About Immersive Education Summits
Immersive Education (iED) Summits are official Immersive Education Initiative conferences organized for educators, researchers, administrators, business leaders and the general public. iED Summits consist of presentations, panel discussions, break-out sessions, demos and workshops that provide attendees with an in-depth overview of immersion and the technologies that enable immersion. iED Summits feature new and emerging virtual worlds, game-based learning and training systems, simulations, mixed/augmented reality, fully immersive environments, immersive learning and training platforms, cutting-edge research from around the world, and related tools, techniques, technologies, standards and best practices.
Speakers at iED Summits have included faculty, researchers, staff, administrators and professionals from Boston College, Harvard University (Harvard Graduate School of Education, Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, and Harvard Kennedy School of Government), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), MIT Media Lab, The Smithsonian Institution, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Federation of American Scientists (FAS), United States Department of Education, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States Department of the Interior (DOI) National Park Service, Temple University, Rice University, Stanford University, Internet 2, Cornell University, Loyola Marymount University, Southeast Kansas Education Service Center, Kauffman Foundation, Amherst College, Boston Library Consortium, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Stratasys Ltd., Duke University, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Turner Broadcasting, Open Wonderland Foundation, Gates Planetarium, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, University of Maryland College Park, UCLA, USC, Google, Microsoft, Intel, Halliburton Company, Oracle, Computerworld, The MOFET Institute (Israel), Technion Israel Institute of Technology (Israel), Keio University (Japan), Chukyo TV Broadcasting Company (Japan), Nikko Telecommunications Company (Japan), National University of Singapore (NUS), Open University (UK), University of Glasgow (UK), Coventry University (UK), University of St Andrews (UK), Giunti Labs (Italy) and European Learning Industry Group, University of Barcelona (Spain), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain), University of Oulu (Finland), Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (EnsAD; France), Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (Israel), Graz University of Technology (Austria), University of West of Scotland (UK), University of Essex (UK), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain), University of Vienna (Austria), Government of New South Wales (Australia), Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem (Hungary), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS; Brazil), Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (India), and many more world-class organizations.
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Capture your Colorado memories in VR!
Capture the Koshare Indian Dancers in VR!
Location-based Scavenger Hunt and Workshop
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