Using virtual reality to create both learning environments and online communities The presentation will demonstrate ways this instructor has used virtual reality (starting with Second Life and migrating to open source) to create a safe, inviting learning environment. She will give general examples that could apply to various courses or departments and she will bring forth her own examples from teacher education and from instructional technologies. Some video clips will be included to illustrate the type of interactions that are possible and information on the cost and feasibility of such a venture will be considered as well. Eileen O’Connor, Ph.D. - Empire State College [email protected]Pictorial overview in conjunction with presentation – January 2015 My apps VP 1 st time Open sourc e Fall links Fall pix Other apps
Transcript
Using virtual reality to create both
learning environments and online
communities
The presentation will demonstrate ways this instructor has used virtual reality (starting with Second Life and migrating to open source) to create a safe, inviting learning environment. She will give general examples that could apply to various courses or departments and she will bring forth her own examples from teacher education and from instructional technologies. Some video clips will be included to illustrate the type of interactions that are possible and information on the cost and feasibility of such a venture will be considered as well.
My sabbatical too –healthcare simulation for middle school instruction/ work w/ Africa – private island
My apps
VP 1st
time Open
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linksFall pix
Other apps
Finally in spring 2014. . .
I began teaching a class on working & designing in virtual
reality
For the MALET program (Master of Arts in Learning and
Emerging Technology) at Empire State College
Students are now creating / designing amazing new virtual
spaces
Most are using some original design and some purchased
items
Using ESC island
Students developed focused, targeted areas of interest
My
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Virtual – artistic & musical creation
Virtual – dorm management - meetings & classroom
Virtual – learning by doing / trampoline
Virtual classroom created by student – used as an ag-tech meeting space
But then things changed as the next class came:
The islands in SL were too small – not enough space for students to develop their own work
So, we moved to new venues . . . which changed us from limited use to virtual development and design
My apps
VP 1st
time Open
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Other apps
What changes has open source allowed? • A larger, more cohesive framework for complex designs
• A location where students could have ownership and control over an entire process / learning by reading, watching, doing, testing, sharing
• A framework that allowed students to develop projects for others beyond themselves and their direct work /school experience
• Greater sophistication in the work that emerged – from limited applications/all move towards things they would like to see that were not feasible in their current environment/students came with expertise and content areas
• A more comprehensive and applied understanding of a complete learning environment • Freed from the constraints of “reality” – but held to a standard of sense-
making, application, quality
• Something that could be saved and used later – entire island downloads
learning,” community of practice, assessment, analytics, evaluation, learning goals,
objectives, outcome, simulations, Piaget, Vygotsky, dual coding, digital natives, scaffolding, training, project-based learning, problem-based learning, 21st century approaches,
immersive experiences
Why virtual? And, what can you REALLY do? • Students could now develop an entire “concept” for an education
/ communication / interaction environment
• The bi-weekly meeting were about real events and designs – not just simple widgets and whirly-gigs
• Students visited and share each others design ideas
• Students could envision an entire process or project – and create a starting point that they could continue to develop
Design, immersion & conceptual framing became a reality
ESC –
MALET had
a booth at
the 2014
conference
What was the process of learning & community building? – working together in comfortable settings
• Meeting and sharing• Ideas / technologies eventually, articulating a large and visionary
instructional purpose within the space
• Framing theoretical papers were produced by each student
• Work in progress and “homework” via video (Screencast-o-matic)
Working within the individual students ideas and conceptualization / visiting their works-in-progress – not just the once-removed, abstraction of writing
• Moving toward pilots and learner testing in the second course
Visiting each others “visualizations” and the approaches & skills they were developing
Fascinating projects emerged – the experience, talents, desires of the students emerged
And, all of these could be saved onto their computer at the end of the semester for later implementation
Meeting and visiting – again, learning from a “reality” of a students’ thinking – not just talk and/or text• Collaborations among the students
• One student even choose to “officially” tutor other students -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhmnGi-8VxI&feature=youtu.be
• Another student brought an entire class to her island
Learn video in studio settings or in natural setting– the “live” instruction & meetings will be centered hereMy
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A hospital training department is investigating the use of virtual reality as a training site for the ongoing and 24/7 instructional needs . . . without adding more physical space
VP2 student tutors VP1 student –and shares his work via a taped sessions – a “digital native” at work
English language learners start with safe and then expansive experiences
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JBp4rMIoXo
High school students can make and test theater sets thus learning set design and collaboration skills in a low cost yet highly flexible virtual environment
Artist and art students can come to learn, experience and develop virtual creations that they can bring to fabricators later; they can begin to understand art exhibitions too
This spearheaded the creation of an exhibit booth at a virtual conference on virtual reality – she brought us to the conference, and got us great publicity too
