On November 29th, Edutech Cluster marked the beginning of its EduTalk, a series of free sessions aimed at bringing innovation in technology education to schools. Invelon actively participated in the first session of the EduTalk sessions with a specific focus on Immersive Realities: Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality, and their impact on Vocational Training Centers. During this session, experts in the field shared their knowledge, together with teachers from Vocational Training Centers shared their projects and experiences related to these technologies.

The event, which took place online, was opened with a welcoming introduction by Anna Sansalvadó, Edutech Cluster's Director of Conferences and Events. It was a real pleasure to have inspiring keynote speeches by leading specialists in the field. This combination of expert information and practical experiences provided a comprehensive overview of the potential and practical applications of Immersive Realities in the field of technical and vocational education.

The Potential of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Vocational Training Centers by Alan Navarro

Alan Navarro, as Business Developer at Invelon and a leading specialist in Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality technologies, has left his mark in the educational field by collaborating with more than 60 secondary schools and universities. His experience is very broad, ranging from the implementation of immersive solutions to the creation of technologically advanced classrooms and accompaniment in innovation projects.

At the start of the presentations, Alan shared a detailed overview of the three main immersive technologies that are integrated in the centers: Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality. He explored their fundamental differences and showed with examples how they are successfully applied in different professional families in Vocational Training Centers. He not only described use cases, but also invited reflection by analyzing the transformative potential of these technologies in the education sector.

The role of immersive technologies in the digital transformation of education by Francisco Silva Díaz

Francisco Silva Díaz, a reference in the educational field with a solid background in innovation and educational research, took the floor after Alan in the presentations. His career is marked by a long experience in research, especially in the field of Virtual Reality and the application of 4.0 technologies in the educational field.

During his speech, Francisco offered a unique perspective by contemplating the evolution and current state of Virtual Reality from his perspective as a researcher. Diving into the past, he reflected on the journey this technology has taken, highlighting its remarkable evolution over time. Francisco highlighted how this evolution has culminated in the present, where accessibility to immersive devices has allowed many students to enjoy immersive educational experiences. The researcher highlighted how this expansion of technology has transformed the educational landscape, providing new and enriching learning opportunities for students from different educational backgrounds.

The second part of the online event focused on individual experiences of teachers from schools that have chosen to integrate immersive technologies into their innovation programs.

Immersive competence training scenarios in processes and operations of industrial maintenance by Nuria Ferré

Nuria Ferré, una figura destacada en el ámbito de la Formación Profesional, aportó una visión valiosa al compartir su experiencia como profesora en el Departamento de Química del Institut Comte de Rius de Tarragona y su rol como coordinadora del Proyecto de Innovación Digital Twin Boxes (DTB).

Nuria Ferré, a leading figure in the field of Vocational Training, provided valuable insight by sharing her experience as a teacher in the Chemistry Department at the Institut Comte de Rius in Tarragona and her role as coordinator of the Innovation Project Digital Twin Boxes (DTB).

The DTB project is composed of a series of immersive scenarios designed for the development of competencies in industrial maintenance processes and operations in chemical plants. Most notably, the project is based on a real Repsol chemical plant, using its digital twin that replicates the plant in a virtual environment to provide hands-on, realistic and immersive training for students. This initiative demonstrates how technology can be used safely and in controlled environments to enhance the preparation of future professionals with better practical skills applicable in the working world.

Integrating Virtual Reality in industrial families with CAD design verification and analysis software by Antonio Armando

The next to participate was Antonio Armando, Head of the Department of the Mechanical Manufacturing Family at the Instituto Escuela Industrial de Sabadell and Head of Virtual Reality at the center. During his speech, Antonio shared his experience in the integration of Aurora VR software for the validation of CAD models in Virtual Reality environments.

Antonio provided a detailed overview of the interaction capabilities offered by this software with CAD models. He highlighted its versatility by allowing interaction with any 3D model through Virtual Reality glasses. In the educational context, students of various Vocational Training cycles, such as Installations and Maintenance, Mechanical Manufacturing and Wood and Furniture, use this software. Antonio emphasized one of the most significant features of Aurora VR: its ability to create multi-user sessions. This feature allows students to work in groups, interacting both with each other and with the teacher, all immersed in the same virtual environment.

Exploration and elaboration of learning situations in formal training through Virtual Reality, in the fields of artistic creation and linguistics

Fabio Martínez closed the day by sharing his experience in the integration of immersive technologies in the fields of artistic creation and linguistics. Fabio is Professor of Drawing and Coordinator of the AraART Pedagogical Innovation Program at the Instituto Escuela Industria in Sabadell.

The speaker promotes an immersive learning modality where students not only interact, but also become creators of their own experiences, which fosters their motivation. His approach is based on learning through experimentation and trial and error. It recognizes the importance of testing different technologies to determine which ones are best suited to each educational environment. The results obtained are very positive: this methodology stimulates students' creativity and increases their commitment and dedication to the subjects, generating more effective and motivating learning.

The event ended with an open question and answer session, where an enriching exchange of doubts and knowledge was generated among the participants. Attendees were very interested in how teachers can generate immersive content that can then be used by students within their training plan. There was also a debate on the role of Artificial Intelligence in the generation of content, reflecting on whether it facilitates the fact of obtaining content or is a mere mirage.

This event, aimed at teachers and free of charge, represented another step towards the successful integration of technology in the educational environment. Invelon would like to thank the Edutech Cluster for trusting us and for promoting learning and knowledge exchange spaces as enriching as EduTalks.