“VR on the Tip of the Tongue” - Reshaping Hong Kong’s Food Culture with a VR Museum
Learning Objectives
The project aims to promote deep learning through three key stages:
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Cultivating Empathy and Cultural Preservation Awareness: Students will reflect on how to convey the value of Hong Kong’s food culture to international tourists and younger generations.
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Using Technological Tools: Students will employ AI mapping, 3D modeling, and VR programming to address real-world problems, such as recreating scenes of disappearing food culture.
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Producing Interactive Digital Cultural Solutions: Instead of static reports, students will create VR museums that engage users interactively.
Teaching Tools and Equipment
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Platforms: Delightex, Tinkercad, Grok3, Murf.ai, Padlet, Google Classroom
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Equipment: iPad, VR headset, laptop
Classroom Description
This project emphasizes project-based learning and design thinking, allowing students to integrate various tools: AI drawing (visual), Tinkercad (3D modeling), and Delightex (programming). Traditional teaching methods often focus on imparting static knowledge, such as requiring students to write reports on local foods or their histories. While this model builds foundational knowledge, it often fails to cultivate students’ abilities to apply cultural insights to practical problem-solving.
The study incorporates social issues, guiding students to reflect on the urgency of cultural preservation. For example, it explores the decline of traditional dim sum carts and utilizes VR technology to recreate these historical scenes. This approach enables students to transcend traditional learning limitations, moving beyond mere memorization to real-world problem-solving. By focusing on the core question of “how food culture impacts daily life,” students will integrate technological applications with humanistic considerations across disciplines. They will learn programming, 3D modeling, and AI-generated content while analyzing the social significance of cultural heritage and determining how to effectively convey these values to diverse audiences.
Ultimately, this teaching model produces interactive and shareable digital cultural solutions, rather than traditional static reports. It embodies the core principles of STEAM education, emphasizing the integration of technology and the humanities and shifting learning from passive reception to active creation.
Pre-class Preparation
Students will begin by working in groups to gather information on Hong Kong’s four major food culture categories: tea restaurants, dai pai dongs, dim sum, and street food. They will use the Padlet collaborative platform to create a preliminary mind map that encompasses historical origins, social functions, and elements of disappearing culture. The e-learning tools they need include Padlet, Google Earth (for marking food landmarks), and YouTube clips (e.g., “A Bite of Hong Kong”).
Collaborative Classroom Activities
Each class will employ the Jigsaw collaborative model, with each group focusing on a specific type of food culture (e.g., tea restaurant group, dim sum group). Key tasks and tools include:
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Delightex: Designing a VR food museum scene and programming interactive events (e.g., ordering dialogue, maze games).
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Tinkercad: Creating food models (e.g., egg waffle hawker cart, dim sum steamer).
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AI Tool - Grok3: Generating illustrations of nostalgic scenes (learning to write precise prompts).
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Murf.ai: Creating multilingual audio guides (Cantonese, English, Mandarin).
Students will also explore social issues, such as the causes of cultural extinction (e.g., pushcart dim sum culture) and the use of technology to recreate historical scenes. Differentiated instruction is prioritized, providing pre-made modules (Tinkercad) and simplified instructions with illustrated steps for students with special educational needs (SEN).
Post-session Assessment
Formative assessments will focus on contributions during group discussions, evaluated through Padlet interactions and content completeness. Technical implementation will be graded based on the completeness of the Delightex scene and the level of detail in the Tinkercad model. Summative assessments will evaluate the functional integrity of the VR museum, including interactivity, navigation, and game design. Oral presentations will focus on reflections regarding design concepts and cultural preservation, with peer reviews and self-reflections conducted via Google Forms to comprehensively assess student learning outcomes.
Strategies Used and Teaching Reflections
The teaching strategies emphasize independent learning, empowering students to make curatorial decisions and explore tool functions through trial and error. Inquiry-based learning, driven by questions like “How can we make virtual exhibitions more engaging?” fosters deeper thinking. Additionally, technology-enabled cross-tool collaboration (such as AI drawing, 3D modeling, and VR programming) enhances student creativity and immersion. Students actively and spontaneously create remarkable works during the activities. For primary school students, programming and AI tools like Delightex and Grok3 are user-friendly and engaging, motivating them to learn independently and increasing their enthusiasm for presenting their findings.