Virtual reality (VR) is a growing technology which uses light to force perspective and immerse you into an artificial world. This technology is now available for mass-consumption (Southgate, 2018), particularly with the introduction of game-based systems like PlayStation VR and the Oculus Quest, and as such the assessment of the use for VR in a classroom is needed.
The EDUC3620 tutorial has us use a variety of VR technologies, however I believe that the most notable, or rather the most versatile is the OCULUS QUEST or OCULUS GO (Discontinued). These technologies would allow students to be fully immersed into an environment, and with the right applications, fully express their creativity.
Tilt Brush (Tilt Brush by Google), and other similar applications, are possibly the most direct link to creativity as they allow students to paint in a three-dimensional space. By being sensorily immersed into an artwork via visual and haptic means (Dede, 2009), students will be able to clearly express and design images that would be difficult with traditional art supplies. The placement in a three-dimensional space will allow them to reference the real world and although some students may be inclined to 'copy' reality, I believe that most students would take these references and interpret them in unique ways, such as "lizards have scales... dragons have scales... I will draw a dragon!". When these creations are viewed the immersive nature of VR will make the participant believe that wherever they are, or whatever they are seeing could be real.
Other partner apps, such as CoSpaces Edu (CoSpaces Edu for kid-friendly 3D creation and coding) allow the creation of environments which you can view them in VR, or its cousin augmented reality (AR). CoSpaces is a versatile program which has many different functions that are able to nurture creativity. In the tutorial we experimented with three-dimensional scenes, the pairing with Merge Cubes, and the use of simple coding and physics.
I believe, after the experimentation done, that CoSpaces can be used similarly to other VR applications, such as National Geographic VR (National Geographic Explore VR on Oculus Quest | Oculus) by designing activities in which they are to create a representation of an environment. Examples of this may include exploring the Antarctic, and then creating a world in which you are able to see different animals, landscapes and see stories that are built into the world. I created an example of this, in which you see a group of penguins dancing outside of a polar bears cave (Figure 5., Figure 6., Figure 7.). This sense of world building is what I think gives CoSpaces is viability with virtual reality and is what I see to be the most effective at expressing children's creativity.
References:
[Chocolate Milk & Donuts]. (2019, July 3). What is VR? [Video]. YouTube. What is VR? - YouTube
Dede, C. (2009). Immersive interfaces for engagement and learning.(PERSPECTIVE)(Author Abstract)(Essay). Science, 323(5910), 66-69. Immersive interfaces for engagement and learning.(PERSPECTIVE)(Author abstract)(Essay) (exlibrisgroup.com)
Southgate, E. (2018). Immersive virtual reality, children and school education: A literature review for teachers. DICE Report Series Number 6. DICE Research. Immersive virtual reality, children and school education: A literature review for teachers. DICE Report Series Number 6. (exlibrisgroup.com)
Hey Tyler,
I really enjoyed reading your blog on VR. The short video you provided at the beginning really helped to set me up as the reader for success in understanding what you were really talking about, particularly because I think a lot of people will have never tried VR before.
It was really interesting reading your take on the various VR technologies you had available to you in the tutorial.
It would have been really interesting to see some of the reasons that VR isn't currently being used a whole lot in the classroom (like looking at the price and other limitations)
Overall, great job, keep up the effort.
- Jordan
Hi Tyler,
This was an entertaining read. You mentioning your personal experiences with the different forms of VR, as well as personal work samples was a great way of making your blog engaging. Adding hyperlinks to the different technology's websites makes this blog useful as readers are able to easily access information on them. There was also a great use of information from extra resources throughout your blog.
Regards,
Nouha Kaddour - 12/04/23
Hello Tyler,
I really enjoyed reading your blog. Great job with how you laid out your work, it looks really fun and well structured. Your creativity paragraph was very clear and precise and had many examples of different learning activities. I think bringing up a NSW syllabus outcome for your activities and technologies would have helped picture a more clear understanding.
Mariam Haideri (47084634) - 12/04/2023
Hey Tyler,
You did an excellent job of showing how the use of VR technology fosters creativity in the classroom and how these technologies may be used to design immersive and interesting learning activities that encourage imaginative creation. I do believe that you could have talked about some of the potential drawbacks of using VR technology in the classroom, like the risk for motion sickness, the requirement for pricey equipment, and the potential for sensory overload.
-Souraya Fadda
HI,
Your blog is very impressive and provides a great introduction to VR in the classroom. You provide great examples of how VR can be both a educational tool for learning and also how it can be used to foster creativity in the classroom. I would like to have seen some pedagogical issues that arise with VR as well as some of the technologies limitations. Overall a great blog!/
-Euan 29.03.2023