MaxWhere - the educational platform for digital generations

The generations born after 2000 (Generation Z and Alpha), i.e. those who are currently sitting on the benches of primary, and secondary schools and even universities, were already born in the digital age, so they no longer adapt to new technologies but directly demand them. Tech is their new fifth sense, which is also proven by the fact that, according to a study, young people would rather get rid of their sense of smell than technology and devices. This includes VR/AR/XR. A person born after 2000 is at least twice as likely to become a VR device buyer as someone born earlier. In addition, gaining experiences is more important than owning physical objects; that is, they will spend more on experiences and devote more time and effort to them. Sensory stimuli are particularly important to them, so we can capture their attention when we try something immersive. Information obtained through VR is easier to process and remember, giving them more fun!

Gamification is an essential tool of modern education. During the gamified lecture, we use game mechanisms and game elements in processes that are no longer necessarily binding, especially for digital generations. Gamification makes learning more interesting, fun and exciting.

The instructors, trainers, and teachers are the children of the Y, Z and Baby Boomer generations, many of whom have already become their mother tongue with technology, but rather with 2D operating systems and software accessed from a PC or a touch-screen device. Most educators usually need more time and opportunity for modern technological training. At MaxWhere, we have set ourselves the goal of creating an enjoyable and easy-to-learn interface for both instructors and students. Learning can take place following the needs of the modern generation. And for this, we also provide the appropriate support and training. This blog serves that purpose.
With the help of MaxWhere, MaxWhere can bridge the generation gap between teachers and students: the platform uses a proven, familiar user interface for the comfort of teachers while enabling students to acquire experience-based, immersive information in a 3D space. All this without the use of any expensive VR equipment.

MaxWhere: a cost-effective VR solution for education

MaxWhere's virtual learning environment is cost-effective as it requires no new hardware. Its equipment requirements correspond to those of a more powerful average office notebook. With its help, you can save the purchase costs and the possible amortization of expensive simulation or lab equipment. MaxWhere provides simulation spaces and lab tools for many subjects and fields of science, and their range is constantly expanding. Of course, we also welcome inquiries. We recently created a space simulating 3D printing as part of an Erasmus+ grant. The possibilities are endless.

A new way of knowledge sharing

Why is MaxWhere so effective in education? A traditional online course takes place in such a way that the instructor sends the course material to the students by e-mail attaching several files, or uploading them to, for example, Microsoft Teams. Then they hold the online class, during which the student must click on several files and windows. This results in continuous multitasking, and if we use many files, it becomes more and more difficult to organize them. MaxWhere makes it possible to have all the necessary material in front of our eyes simultaneously in one space, including the video chat interface. Thus, the student moves in the space according to the learning flow and always finds the necessary materials. The instructor can create this flow, but the students can also tailor it to their own needs. In this way, up to a hundred students can arrange the same space in a hundred different ways according to their own needs, which the teacher (if he wants) can override.

So instead of a multitude of files, you can share a link to a virtual space furnished with valuable educational materials, web applications, documents, and videos that promote understanding and long-term memorization.

Who can edit spaces?

Anyone can have their own space, which you can obtain by copying and furnishing an existing space, or you can even have your own space created by the MaxWhere team. We are available for requests at https://www.maxwhere.com/support. There are various permissions for editing and viewing a space, so if you have created your course, you can invite colleagues or students there so that they can only modify the space and its content to a limited extent or not at all. In addition, the spaces can be set separately, so that if students need to customize certain content or, for example, upload homework, they can do so without being able to edit educational SmartBoards. You can read more about this feature in the user manual.

What subjects and courses can be taught in MaxWhere?

The technology allows any class to take place on the platform as all kinds of written, visual, audio and video content can be placed on SmartBoards.
In live teaching scenarios, the SmartBoard is used to display video chat.
This makes MaxWhere an excellent platform for simulations and laboratory exercises, enabling knowledge expansion and skill development in an immersive environment. With the help of the Guided Tour function, educators can accompany the student through a specific information flow, be it a chemical experiment or even a historical era.

Two significant advantages of education in MaxWhere are that all information is available in a virtual space, and all tasks can be completed here. In other words, students do not have to switch between windows and tabs, which would have a significant immersion-reducing impact on the younger generations. Another big advantage is collaboration. Shared spaces allow students to work on the same document in real-time. It is optional to send files, it is enough to name the specific part of the space where the document is located, and the students will not get lost in the multitude of file versions. Another advantage for the instructors is that they can see all their students' materials in one place and do not have to search for attachments in e-mails and organize them. In addition, they can track the results and the processes the student goes through before completing a project.

How do you get started?

The MaxWhere User Guide will help you from the initial steps to professional user operations. If you have checked whether your computer meets the system requirements, download the software from the Download menu of the MaxWhere website (the download link is also available on the main page). After installing the software, a window will pop-up to register an account. This is necessary so that you can create your own space and save its settings and content.

After logging in, you will be taken to an interface (the so-called Space Browser) where you can see Demo spaces. It is worth trying the navigation and smartboard editing tips (you can read all the information here). Here you can also see open-access spaces from which we can be inspired or even learn. If you have a MaxWhere subscription, you can have your own space, which you can customize according to your needs.

The Free Plan makes the Demo spaces and publicly visible spaces available. In this package, you can upload up to 50 MB of content to the Demo spaces. You can arrange the SmartBoards of the spaces according to your taste with content uploaded from the web and your computer.
With the Individual Plan, you will have one own space (which can be obtained by cloning one of the Demo spaces - it's two clicks). This package already includes the fact that the space owner can invite 20 additional users to his space with any permission level, and they can upload up to a 20 GB quota of content to the space.
Several other packages are available depending on whether we want to increase the number of spaces, the amount of data that can be uploaded, or the number of users that can be invited.

How can we edit the content of the spaces?

It is important that MaxWhere system has three pillars: the MaxWhere desktop client, the MaxWhere web viewer and the MaxWhere Portal. We have already downloaded the desktop client in the previous paragraph, but there are spaces that are also available in a web viewer. Yes, you can enjoy the benefits of VR in a simple web browser without downloading anything. These have a WEB label on their information card on the Space Browser interface, and when you click on them, the system asks if you want to open them on the web or on the desktop client. The MaxWhere Portal is our administrative interface for the settings of the spaces. This is needed by those (such as teachers) who are the owners or administrators of the space and want to edit the visibility, availability, permissions, and metadata (name, description, thumbnail, visibility, sharing, etc.) of the spaces.

You can also edit the Smartboards and the projects that connect them in your spaces. We can create projects in MaxWhere spaces. This makes it easier to group the objects appearing in the spaces, primarily Smartboards, making the uploaded content easily accessible. Each project is related to a specific space. For example, if you have a chemistry and a biology space, then the biology curriculum does not get mixed up in the space of the chemistry course. This video also helps in editing projects. We would like to add: if we only have one space available, several courses can be held in it, since the content and its layout can be changed freely.

Spaces for inspiration

Which spaces do we recommend for trainers to try out? First of all, from the Demo spaces, choose the Demo Education Space. It is excellent for novice users to learn navigation and to create a simple information flow. As an instructor, we can place the availability of an online Teams class, the course material files required for the class, and open a website linked to the course material on the smartboards.
In the Space Selector, you can also click on the Education category, then you will see a number of public spaces. Here you can find the mapping of several impressive buildings in which smartboards enable collaboration or the efficient processing of an information stream. You may find spaces that were created for an educational institution or conference. The interactive 3D simulation space (3D Printing Workshop) is available to everyone, and we are happy to recommend it to all IT teachers and even to teachers of other disciplines.

Got a Question? MaxWhere support can help

We've already mentioned that there's a full User Guide available, and MaxWhere's YouTube channel also has several video tutorials on how to use MaxWhere, edit the content of spaces, and more. If these do not answer your question, or if you have a suggestion for improvement, you can report it here.
We welcome any bug reports and even ideas. MaxWhere is constantly being developed with the involvement of users. We have been using it ourselves for years, mainly in higher education at many universities, on various courses.

How can MaxWhere facilitate the digital workflow?

Current and former students who have studied using MaxWhere (in some cases full semesters) enthusiastically recall the inspiring 3D learning spaces. These environments enable 50% deeper, more focused information processing while speeding up project work by 30%. MaxWhere facilitates not only strict education, but also other work processes in a school. Many educators complain that their work entails a significant administrative burden. Recording course data and issuing tickets are all processes in which many windows are open on your screen, so there is a high risk of making mistakes. You can save time and unnecessary 'clicking' if you arrange the necessary windows in one space, according to the workflow (for example, tests, the table of point limits, and so on). Thanks to MaxWhere, you deal with much less idle time and solve tasks faster and more effectively - giving you more energy to focus on the most important activity of all: teaching.