Virtual Reality
Define virtual reality and contrast its barriers/concerns and potential uses for learning.
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated environment, through a computer or other tech provided visualization) that allows you to experience things that do not really exist (at least in that environment). You should feel you really are there, both mentally and physically.
Virtual Reality needs of the 5 characteristics.:
- Believable: Environment needs to be believable, where your mind is allowed to percieve the environment as real.
- Interactive: You need to be able to move around, explore, and decide where you would to move, similar to real world exploration.
- Computer-generated: By definition, only a computer can effectively create a visual and auditory envirnment needed to create VR.
- Explorable: Simliar to Interacive, VR needs to be explorable, where the use canmove about and navigate within the developed environment.
- Immersive: This is a step beyond explorable. Immersivess is the ability for the user to fullyengage in the experience, where thay feel fully transported to the VR environment.
Barriers for VR are cost, technology, and content. As with any new technology, cost is always going to be high. However, entry level VR is very accessible, through Google Cardboard and a smartphone. But the true applications of VR will require faster computers and bandwidth, and detailed and cleansed content, ready for immersion.
There is concern that users of VR can begin to lose connection to the real world, falling deeper and deeper into the VR world. This has been demonstrated by people that are avid gamers, where they are so full immersed in their game world environment, and fail to take care of their basic needs in the real world.
Describe 3 forms of virtual reality and embed a video that illustrates at least one of the forms (Do not use an example provided in this assignment. Find new examples.)
(click highlighted title for link to corresponding webpage)
Scientific Visualization: VR in scientific visualization allows researchers to experience a world or environment that is not physically possible. Imagine the ability for a researcher to be able to navigate the smallest regions of a human organ, or explore within the chambers of an active volcano. To allow
Education: Can you imagine going through school again with the power of being able to visit and explore a live volcano? Or to swim through a human body and explore the live functioning organs. Or examine the great masterpieces of art up close, and see every intricate detail? Or explore ancient cities and cultures. The implications for VR in an educational environment are vast.
Entertainment: Through the power of VR, you will be able to immerse yourself into the action and drama of a movie. Or travel to an exotic location and relax on a beach, just by merely slipping on a head set with earphones. Additionally, the music industry will change significantly, and allow fans to attend a "live" concert, or participate in "live" events.
Doctoral students only: In two additional paragraphs, describe the relationship between VR and cognition and the implication for using VR in educational settings.
We know that people learn better through physical experience ad practical application. Think about a new doctor who has never operated before. While they may know all the aspects of an intricate surgery from books, they are never quite as effective, until they have performed the procedure themselves. Through VR, cognitive learning can take place which previously was only available through actual performance. Additionally, the is so much more for seasoned professionals to learn, that previously was not available. Doctors can now journey inside of your heart and see specific obstacles and barriers to a procedure, that would otherwise be undetectable.
Through VR, the educational environment will expand vastly. Not only will students benefit from the new educational environments, but also experienced professionals and workers. The educational experience will change to include a class trip to Mars, or learning to fly a plane without ever leaving the ground. These are experiences that will exponentially change the way we learn, and the amount of knowledge that we will be able to take in, as our minds develop.
lATE ADDITION: I noticed this article published this morning about the use of video gaming (which extends to VR) to treat schizophrenia. The use of an altered reality can be effective in identifying random triggers, which allows the patient to learn coping techniques outside of the real world. Fascinating!
schizophrenia-patients-learn-to-control-verbal-hallucinations-using-video-game
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