A little boy said, "VR is that you feel in one place, but in reality you are not there. You can't really walk in there, but you are surrounded by it."
Wearing a Google Cardboard, this spring, I joined a group of fourth-year students in New York for a virtual field trip. We visited Independence Square, the Liberty Bell, and, by the way, visited Washington and Adams, who had lived in the house before the White House.
You may have experienced Google's Street View, but the history of the virtual world is still very different.
Google's helmet is not high-tech, but it allows us to look inside and out of Philadelphia. If the teacher wants to remind the children to visit a particular attraction, she simply clicks on the arrow and the arrow can also remind her of what they are interested in. She can explain the child accordingly.
Future VR classroom
This is the case with the VR classroom of the future, as envisioned by the Expeditions Pioneer Program.
The idea is very simple. "What would happen if the app we developed could take the kids to the school bus?" Jen Holland, who led the Google Expeditions App, said. The Discovery Program simulates Philadelphia tours and visits to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. In the future, as long as Google Maps is covered, it can be reached.
In September 2015, Google launched the Discovery Program, after which Holland's team launched more than two hundred exploration projects that benefited millions of students in 11 countries. These projects are all done under the leadership of Google. Now Google has officially released Expeditions for teaching applications, which can be downloaded free of charge by Android users. Put on the Google Cardboard and you'll be able to use it.
Unlike the regular Google Cardboard, the VR head designed for the Google Discovery Pioneer project features silhouettes of fish, planets, and cartoon landmarks, as well as golden stars and colorful color prints. Holland and team members put the Android phone into the Cardboard and distributed it to the students. A teacher who did not disclose his name opened a virtual classroom tour.
"We have already finished the American Revolution," she paused in order to shift the student's attention back from the helmet. "Today, we have a close look at Philadelphia in history. Although the pictures are taken now, they truly reflect The history of Philadelphia.†She used the touchpad to control the head and asked the students: “Are you ready?â€
The children are dazzled, I can imagine how they stand in front of the Independence Square, even though they have seen it before, the magic of VR is still there.
Immersive experience and social
Because Google Cardboard is very simple, consisting of several pieces of cardboard, two convex lenses and a smart phone, it will leak light and no headband, which makes the children's VR experience no longer lonely. The traditional VR experience is usually lonely, which in many people's view is a shortcoming of VR. Google VR has no high-tech, not a cutting-edge product in the world of fantasy.
The interactive system of Google Expeditions is born to meet the teacher's classroom communication needs, so it is very social. The teacher starts the system through the touchpad to ensure that the children see the same things. Like real travel, Google Virtual Discovery is organized in small groups.
In order to create hiking opportunities for students, Holland's team called the Google Street View database and used VR cameras composed of 16 Gopro and Jump to capture VR scenes. The black net was informed that they also filmed a panoramic scene of 50 universities, which is convenient for high school students who cannot visit in person.
Holland said that their team is very active, follow Google's habits, complete tasks quickly, and give users as fast as possible. Once the team has collected the images, the editing work can be completed within 24 hours.
Not long ago, two fifth-grade students in New York consulted about the recycling journey, and wanted the students not to throw things into the garbage. Within a week, the Holland team filmed five VR clips at the Lower East Side Eco Center in New York and the local garbage collection center. "We are standing on the sloping floor with heavy hats, and there are piles of rubbish. We can also take the children to the garbage collection center, but just watch the recycling in the quarantine area, what is the use?"
Now, the Google Expeditions App uses images, which reduces the VR immersive experience, but users can adjust the file size and use it when there is no network. Holland hopes that these trips will become dynamic scenes in the future. These devices and scenes are not high-tech, but the experience is not bad. A little girl in the classroom was shocked when she found a shadow behind her, and then she was very excited.
In fact, the immersion experience is an important factor affecting VR teaching. Researchers have been exploring the future of VR education for decades. The University of Washington Human-Computer Interaction Lab published a paper in 1994 about the immersive experience that helps students focus their attention. With the development of technology, VR will help the teaching more and more. The larger the field of view, the better the immersive experience.
According to Blackbird.com, so far, no research has been conducted to demonstrate how much Google’s exploration of App can help learning habits and memory. Their product manager said that you can argue from the perspective of pedagogy, but it is undeniable that it increases the enthusiasm of children to participate. Google’s free exploration app for everyone means more people can use VR to learn.
Back in class, Holland asked about the children's VR experience. “We watched some scenes and walked into the White House and some places related to liberation,†said a little girl. After that, Holland asked the children about the principles of VR, and the children were very confused. VR, for this generation of children, is not far away. A little boy said, "VR is that you feel in one place, but in reality you are not there. You can't really walk in there, but you are surrounded by it."
The old trip has just ended and the new trip has begun again. We put on the VR helmet, came to the underwater world, saw sharks and all kinds of fish, and the classroom was full of laughter and laughter.
This article from Wired, Author: MARGARET RHODES, Black Box Network Discovery Jing compiled.
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