Stories from the Empty School Desk: Places, Objects and Memories in Augmented Reality

Abstract

Stories from the Empty School Desk is an educational project and experience based on the use of augmented reality and designed to raise the awareness of young generations about the dramatic events related to the persecution of Jews and the Italian resistance movement during Italian Fascism and the Nazi occupation of Italy. The project is characterized by the design of a temporary place of memory, the reconstruction of an Italian classroom of the 30s-40s, to be explored with AR technology. The AR experience was created with the collaboration of the high school's teachers and students, starting from information available in the historical archive of the school itself and other trusted sources. In the AR experience, visitors are engaged with objects, historical documents, and human silhouettes that populate the classroom. An evaluation study displays good results for several analyzed dimensions, including engagement and ethics.