Immersive Fantasy Writing using Role Playing and Augmented Reality Apps

Abstract

Collaborative writing has been shown to improve students’ writing enjoyment, and to improve writing outcomes for some students. Building on past experiences with collaborative writing workshops, the teacher-librarians from four schools decided to change the focus of the workshop this year to a fantasy writing workshop. To simulate the challenges of a hero’s quest, immersive role-playing activities, team-building and problem-solving games and the use of virtual and augmented reality apps were introduced. This paper investigates experiential learning as a means by which teacher-librarians can add value to their school’s curriculum and learning outcomes. It looks at ideas from other educators, which were incorporated into the workshop, the challenges and successes of the workshop, and feedback given by the students.