Explore Historicovator’s Innovative Learning Media to Take a Virtual Tour of Ancient Thai Communities Developed by Chula Education Lecturer

History is fun with Historicovator, an innovative metaverse media for learning the past at your own pace, by a Chula Education Lecturer that won several awards at the iCAN 2023 Innovation Contest in Canada.

There is no need to memorize history textbooks. Modern history education uses journeys into the past with modern media technology that will give learners a virtual experience, such as the innovative history learning material “Historicovator,” developed by Associate Professor Dr. Racchaneekorn Hongphanut, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, to make history fun and modern.

“Historicovator uses powerful metaverse technology to promote learners’ self-learning, especially in history. Learners can explore the world of the past without limits in a virtual way, which will increase their understanding of historical events and connect them with the world today. Learning history will become a fun and meaningful learning experience,” said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Racchaneekorn.

Historicovator (Metaverse Historicovator for History Learning Media to Promote Self-Directed Learning in the BANI Era) is an innovative learning material that garnered several awards at the iCAN 2023 Innovation Contest in Canada, including the Special Award from the Canadian Special Award Innovation Initiative Co-operative Inc., The Inventors Circle, and the Best Woman Inventor Awards.

Historicovator: History at Your Fingertip

Modern learning technology “shrinks the world and revives the past” in our hands. With a smartphone or computer, it’s easy to learn various subjects.

For “Historicovator,” interested learners can learn history by visiting the spatial website: https://historicovator.com/ . where they can create their avatar and visit various learning contents as if they were walking in a museum or past worlds, giving the feeling of playing a game within a virtual world. There are pieces of knowledge alongside entertaining photos and videos for learners to read, listen to, and enjoy watching.

“Historicovator helps learners to learn on their own, strive for new knowledge, and forget about old ways of history learning.”

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Racchaneekorn, the platform will take learners on a journey to learn about the local cultural history of 5 communities in 5 regions of Thailand, which are unique historical areas, some of which still retain their traditional identities, including:

1. Northern Region: “Thakan Community”,Sanpatong District, Chiang Mai Province.
2. Central Region: “Yaowarat Community”,Samphanthawong, Bangkok.
3. Eastern Region: “Wat Tha Klang Community”, Tha Mai District, Chanthaburi Province.
4. Western Region: “Tham Rong Community”, Ban Lat District, Phetchaburi Province. 
5. Southern Region: “Hong Haam Tao Community”, Muang District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province.

 “Learning history will help us understand the origins and development of society and apply that knowledge to improve the future,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Racchaneekorn noted.

No ticket is required to travel back in time

To truly learn history, one must travel to real historical areas and listen to the stories of local people. This may be a limitation for learners, both in terms of cost and travel. Historicovator therefore overcomes these limitations, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Racchaneekorn said. “This innovation is designed for learners to experience the past as if they were in that world and to see the area in connection with the remaining primary historical sources. This includes hearing accounts from folk philosophers as well.”

Metaverse: The Learning Method for the BANI World

Apart from learning history, Metaverse digital learning materials are used to manage learning in many disciplines, namely:

In science, the Metaverse SkyView application allows learners to explore the universe via the augmented reality (AR) view of the night sky and can also use mobile devices to locate stars, constellations, planets, and satellites.

In art, the VR Museum of Fine Art application allows learners to see world-class paintings and sculptures, including the Monalisa, without having to travel to France.

In the Foreign Language discipline, Metaverse Mondly allows learners to practice foreign languages in actual conversation with native speakers without having to spend money to travel abroad.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Racchaneekorn concluded with the importance and trend of applying the metaverse in learning management for the 21st century, or BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible) world, that “an instructor does not have to only “teach,” but can also inspire learners as a “coach” or “facilitator” to encourage self-learning and promote life-long learning skills.

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