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- Approved: NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
- Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 00:14:23 EST
- Sender: "EDTECH - Educational Technology" <EDTECH@OHSTVMA.BITNET>
- From: "Brett Wyatt" <wyattb@equinox.unr.edu>
- Subject: Re: Education & Virtual Reality
- Lines: 37
-
- This thread of discussion is fascinating as it diverges onto equipment,
- teacher abilty and studetn needs.
-
- Sacramento schools have been working in "virtual environemnts" for over
- four years. Without sophisticated 3-D software, students have produced
- virtual folders, notebooks, etc. including pictures and voices. This
- virtual world, the hypercard-linkway multi-media presentation, represents
- the very lowest end of virtual reality.
-
- Step up another level, SimEarth, SimCity, SimAnt, (Liesure Suit Larry), or
- for those with active imaginations, Rogue, Moria, Empire (Character
- simulations, no graphics here) are also virtual worlds.
-
- What we see coming is immersion, total sensory immersion into a make
- believe environment with stimuli outside of our control, fed to us by
- powerful software engines. Anyone can start placing "virtual" realities
- into their classrooms, just at what price and what level of immersion are
- you willing to go.
-
- Which gets to these teachers, just why don't they learn all this stuff anyway!
- Could it be time? Is there incentive? How do you deal with problems like
- explaining to a kid that they can not wear the headmount with all that
- grease in their hair? How do you justify the expense of an expensive piece
- of equipment when you can't purchase ditto fluid? pencils?
-
- Our successes in Sacramento came from letting the students go forward,
- always outpacing the teachers and showing us new tricks. This year,
- though, with funding cutbacks and limited resources it has become
- difficult to access the equipment or become motivated to try new ideas.
- With all of these new toys to play with, all of the virtual playhouses
- becoming available, it sometimes isn't possible to turn away from the
- immediate game of survival, just getting the overcrowded (32+) classrooms
- through each period. Such a dilemma.
-
- Brett Wyatt
-
- wyattb@equinox.unr.edu
-