On the 8th of March 2024, educators, technical experts, and students convened at the CloudClass Conference at the Open University of The Netherlands (OU) to delve into the sphere of virtual technology and its applications in education. The event, which marked the culmination of the CloudClass project, aimed to explore how virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technologies could revolutionize teaching and learning experiences.

After the warm welcome to the attendees by Prof. Renate de Groot (OU), the morning session commenced with an insightful presentation by Francisco Ibáñez from Brainstorm Multimedia, who shed light on the journey of adapting virtual solutions from television and cinema to the educational sphere. Ibáñez underscored the strategic shift in redefining products to cater not only to the creative industry but also to education.

Following this, Roi Mendez and Rocío del Pilar Sosa from the University of Santiago de Compostela presented the findings encapsulated in the white book of teaching through virtual TV sets, a culmination of experiences from the CloudClass project. This manual of good practices serves as a guide for educators in creating engaging educational content using virtual TV sets, exemplified through the CloudClass software.

Prof. de Groot followed by delving into the applied research designs aimed at verifying and validating CloudClass. Through scientific studies, Renate elucidated the needs of teachers, educational developers, and managers in implementing CloudClass in various educational settings, along with showcasing different use cases to investigate its effectiveness on student motivation and engagement.

Jim Playfoot from White Loop wrapped up the morning session by exploring the journey of transitioning CloudClass from a project to a product. Playfoot elaborated on the challenges and opportunities inherent in launching an educational product like CloudClass, sharing insights garnered through the project’s endeavors.

In the afternoon, attendees had the opportunity to participate in parallel workshops catering to different interests. These workshops, chaired by Prof. Elena Llorca from the University of Alicante, Katheryna Holubinka (OU) and Roland Klmeke (OU), ranged from panel discussions with teachers sharing their CloudClass experiences to hands-on lab tours showcasing new immersive technologies available at Open Universiteit.

The closing session featured a lively Q&A session moderated by Renate de Groot, wherein experts delved into technical, feasibility, pedagogical, and developmental aspects of immersive technologies in education, drawing from experiences gained through the CloudClass project.

With insightful discussions, practical demonstrations, and collaborative workshops, the CloudClass Conference provided a platform for educators to explore the potential of immersive technologies in revolutionizing teaching and learning experiences. As the event concluded, it left attendees with a deeper understanding and renewed enthusiasm for integrating innovative technologies into educational practices, paving the way for a more engaging and effective learning journey.

CloudClass was presented at #BettShow UK, 24-26 January 2024. BETT is considered as the biggest education technology exhibition in the world., bringing together educators from across the entire education landscape and 500+ innovative EdTech and resource solution providers showcasing cutting-edge and impactful products and services. This year, more than 30.000 of the global education community were present, including education changemakers, innvoative EdTech providers, game- changing governments and charities. as well as over 2.000 children and 300 world-class speakers.

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“The University of Alicante has taken a step forward in digital transformation with the inauguration of their own CloudClass Classroom. With the goal of becoming a reference as a Laboratory for the production of virtual reality learning materials, available to both professors and students, the space offers a dynamic virtual environment for the creation and management of high-quality educational content.

With the CloudClass Classroom, professors have at their disposal a versatile tool to enrich their classes with multimedia resources, interactive presentations, and personalized activities. This platform not only facilitates the delivery of recorded or online classes but also encourages collaboration and active student participation.”

For more information please visit https://ice.ua.es/es/recursos-tic/cloudclass/cloudclass.html

We are glad to announce the upcoming symposium on Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies. Aimed at education professionals, developers, technical experts, and students, this event promises to unravel the potential of these technologies in creating immersive and motivational learning experiences.
Hosted by the Cloudclass team, the symposium will take place on March 8th, 2024, at the OU Study Centre in Heerlen. Drawing insights from the Cloudclass project, the event will shed light on the practical applications of VR and AR in the educational landscape.
We will delve into discussions about the needs of educators, student experiences, effectiveness, and suitable educational models. Also, we’ll explore how innovative technology can revolutionize traditional approaches to online learning by increasing levels of immersion, engagement, and motivation.
Moreover, the symposium will address the fundamental differences between traditional “live” classrooms and remote learning environments, emphasizing the importance of “presence” in fostering direct interaction with learning content, collaboration, and feedback.
For further information and to stay updated, visit the Event Registration Page.

Join us as we pave the way for a new era in educational technology with CloudClass!

As the university semester draws to a close, we reflect on the diverse applications of CloudClass technology in various social science courses such as sociology, criminology or law. Whether online or semi-presential, and with varying class sizes, CloudClass has been extensively used in virtual class production.

Students across these courses have received surveys to evaluate the shared materials. Their feedback, together with the lecturer’s experiences, will be documented as case studies for the first quarter of 2024, in order to further refine the technological system and the pedagogical approach. This unique experience, conducted at university settings, underscores the adaptability and utility of CloudClass in diverse educational scenarios.

High school students recently visited the Open University of the Netherlands to test out CloudClass, a virtual reality technology. Throughout the day, they received hands-on training on using CloudClass via the TUBICON online platform. The students explored various features, creating presentations with different backgrounds, incorporating 3D models, uploading slides, and adjusting camera positions. Once the projects were completed, they recorded their presentations in the CloudClass lab. To wrap up the experience, the students participated in an activity where they shared their insights on the process of creating the project and handling the technology.

The CloudClass consortium gathered in Alicante on September 29th, marking an essential milestone as the project approaches its conclusion. The meeting’s primary goal was to not only discuss progress but also to wrap up the second year of the project, signaling the transition into its final six months.

Hosted in the city of Alicante, at the University of Alicante facilities, this meeting focused on sharing the latest developments and strengthening collaboration with teachers and stakeholders who have shown interest in the CloudClass project.

The sessions revolved around demonstrating the project’s advancements and exploring potential collaborations with educators and other key players within the university. These discussions are vital as the project proceeds into its concluding phase. This final phase will concentrate on validating use cases and further developing them in partnership with teachers and students.
As the second year concludes, the CloudClass project is on a clear trajectory towards its successful completion, with the support and engagement of dedicated educators and advisors.

The II Cloudclass International Symposium, held at the University of Alicante on September 28, 2023, brought together educators, technical staff and students to explore the intersection of VR technology and learning. This event provided a platform to delve into the innovative CloudClass project, tracing its journey from the world of television and cinema to its influential applications in the realm of education. The recording is available at the University of Alicante’s webpage here.

The symposium commenced with an opening speech featuring Malena Fabregat, Vice Dean of Institutional Relations, and Rafael Molina, Vice Rector of Digital Transformation at the University of Alicante, setting the stage for the presentations.

In the first place, Francisco Ibáñez, representing Brainstorm Multimedia, described the evolution of the CloudClass project. The VR production tools used in the project initially rooted in the entertainment industry, and are being harnessed to reshape the educational landscape.

The symposium proceeded with a focus on “CloudClass in Higher Education” experiences in different universitites: To begin with, Roi Menéndez, from the University of Santiago de Compostela, highlighted potential use cases for CloudClass in traditional face-to-face universities. Following, Elena Llorca, of the University of Alicante, discussed integrating CloudClass into hybrid education, emphasizing its role in blended learning with a virtual production tool. Then, Renate de Groot, from the Open University of The Netherlands (OU), shared insights into applied research designs and methodologies used to verify and validate CloudClass.

After the coffee break, the symposium continued with a practical activity led by Kateryna Holubinka, a PhD candidate at OU, who explored “Bridging Technology and Pedagogy in Teaching: Using CloudClass Templates”. Jim Playfoot, representing White Loop, delved into the practical applications of CloudClass, specifically in the context of “Bringing CloudClass to the Education Market.”

The event concluded with a session on “Closure CloudClass Next Steps,” offering a glimpse of the project’s future directions and developments.
The II Cloudclass International Symposium provided valuable insights and clarity regarding the project’s activities thus far and outlined the path forward for the project’s final phase. The symposium fostered informative discussions and collaborative exploration of CloudClass’s potential in the educational sector. It was a constructive event that shed light on the significant role of technology in shaping the future of education, paving the way for further developments and innovations in this transformative field.

At Brainstorm we are pretty satisfied with our participation at Bett UK, last March 2023. We exhibited at booth ND41 alongside our UK and Ireland distributor, Storm Broadcast Ltd, demonstrating Edison PRO: the most cost-effective and easy-to-use solution, which is levelling up the game in online education, virtual classes and eLearning.

We were the only exhibitor showcasing Virtual Production techniques over a green screen and to do this we deployed our brand-new eDesk, a turn-key portable virtual studio solution that allows the quick and easy creation of immersive AR/VR presentations, with Edison PRO.

Edison is an integral part of the technological solutions for two European R&D projects, in which Brainstorm is a technological partner and leader, namely: eDiploma (Electronic, Didactic and Innovative Platform for Learning based On Multimedia Assets) and CloudClass. In the latter, Edison plays a crucial role in the online teaching platform designed for higher education. In the former, it is included as one of the selected disruptive technologies to be applied in the field of education.”

The dissemination activity was held after the fourth consortium meeting in Spain

On february 16th, 2023, the third consortium meeting of the CloudClass project took place in the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), in Spain. After welcoming all the participants, Francisco Ibanez, project coordinator in behalf of Brainstorm Multimedia,

The project coordinator detailed the most significant issues in relation to project management, to give way to each of the partners, who reported the activities carried out in the past 6 months since the last meeting. After lunch, a short visit to the audiovisual recording studio of the University gave way to the second part of the plenary meeting, dedicated to reviewing the necessary tasks for the preparation of the following deliverables. The final part of the meeting was devoted to the next steps of the project. present period.

The day after the meeting, the Cloudclass Symposium: Virtual communication for teaching innovation, was held, in which professors and students of the University had the opportunity to attend different presentations about virtual reality in education.

In the first place, Roi Méndez and Rocío Sosa showed those present the use they give to Edison technology, starting their presentation from the recording studio located in another location within the same building, entering the symposium live through the screen and in real time. Also, Rocío explained the research carried out within the framework of her doctoral thesis.

Following, Francisco Ibáñez, from Brainstorm Multimedia, presented in greater detail the Edison technology, a pioneer in the world of television for the creation of virtual recording studios, and recently adopted for the creation of educational content. Elena Llorca, a company’s collaborator at the University of Alicante, completed the presentation explaining the activities that are currently being developed to spread the adoption of virtual reality technology at said institution, where the creation of an Edison Lab is planned.

The next presenter, Jim PlayFoot, from WhiteLoop, detailed the approach that this British consulting company makes to the reality of online training, in order to improve the learning and teaching experience, especially in the most disadvantaged communities or with greater difficulties in accessing information and innovative tools. Kateryna Holubynka, for her part, listed the steps taken at the Open University of The Netherlands (OU), for the validation of the tool and the establishment of a training program for teachers of this virtual university. Antía Mosquera, student at the USC, was the next to present and she contributed with the students’ point of view in regard of the use of Edison.

Finally, the presentation of the book CloudClass, virtual communication for teaching innovation, at the hands of Professor Enrique Castelló, host of the meeting, closed the symposium. This book, which has had the participation of project partners and other USC professors, has been prepared within the framework of the project and published as a monograph by Comunicación Social editores.