When is Reality Not Real Enough? Augmented and Virtual Reality for Learning

Bernie Dodge • Learning Design and TechnologySchool of Journalism and Media Studies • San Diego State University

This handout with live links is available at http://bitly.com/LDT-Reality

IntroductionWarping our reality, feeling like you’re somewhere else, isn’t a new thing. Stereoviews were the hot new technology of the late 19th century. A few generations later, Viewmaster reels transported us to other places, real and imagined. The technology continues to advance in ways that will be useful to improve learning.

Augmented vs Virtual Reality vs. Virtual Worlds• Augmented Reality is an overlay on the real world. It

provides extra information ordinarily unavailable to us. Examples: Google Glass, Terminator, Yelp Monocle

• Virtual Reality is a replacement for the real world. It shuts out the normal input to your senses and replaces them with high quality imagery and sound that immerses you in a different place. Head tracking with low latency is part of the definition. Examples: Oculus Rift, Sony Project Morpheus, Vuzix Wrap, Zeiss VR One, Samsung Gear.

• Virtual Worlds are computer-generated places which share some things in common with Virtual Reality. The distinction is that a Virtual World plays on an external screen and isn’t immersive unless viewed with a VR headset. Examples: World of Warcraft, Second Life.

How can AR and VR be used to promote learning?• At the very least, it’s different and can engage kids just because it’s a novelty. That’s not a good basis

for using it, though, because it won’t be novel for long.• Augmented reality can be used to enhance field trips and museum visits. SDSU LDT Students created a

WebQuest that included a scavenger hunt at the Mission Trails Regional Park.• Last month, a school in the Czech Republic began a pilot project using Oculus Rift to teach science. • Do you have a student who needs to get focused in the here and now? There are VR guided meditation

environments ready to use. • Twoguysandsomeipads describe how they use AR with elementary students to create book reports,

treasure hunts, flash cards, photo walls, and more.• Titans of Space has been used by science teachers to give a sense of the scale of the planets.

(Warning: language)

What do you need to do AR?• It’s all in the app. Aurasma lets you create “auras” and attach them to a particular visual cue or a

particular place. • ARIS is a richer tool for creating clues attached to places and overlaying images and movies on your

phone’s screen.

• Klikaklu also lets you create puzzles that involve finding something in the real world and matching it to the image you’ve prepared ahead of time.

• The app with the widest potential, though might be DAQRI 4D Studio. Use their apps to teach Anatomy and Chemistry or use DAQRI 4D Studio to make your own. You can get a free education account for yourself and students.

What do you need to do VR?•Wait for the consumer versions of Oculus Rift or Sony’s Morpheus to arrive in 2015. •Meanwhile, Request a free cardboard headset from Volvo or order one from Amazon for $25. •Then look for apps that support your curriculum. For Android, the Cardboard App lets you fly around Google Earth, look at Photo Spheres you or others have taken and experience Street View more immersively. VR Cinema lets you watch movies as if you were at a theatre. Tuscany Drive lets you, uh, drive through Tuscany. For iOS, choices are limited so far. Try Dive City Rollercoaster.

What’s the downside?Social skills might decline. Or they might improve! Jeremy Bailenson at Stanford is researching ways to improve communication skills. No matter what, putting technology over your face makes you look like a dork. Some early technologies will never catch on, so you need to be careful what you invest your time and budget on. There will also be need for caution when using VR with children prone to seizures or vertigo.

Still, some form of these technologies will be commonplace soon. YouVisit is creating college tours for prospective students. Maybe you’ll forget where you are when squeezed into your plane seat. Mark Zuckerberg invested $2,000,000,000 in Oculus Rift for a reason!

Interested in getting a quality Masters degree in Learning Design and Technology? Our new Hybrid course sequence starts in Fall, 2015. Take two courses per semester at home and enjoy the perfect combination of online learning and a face-to-face learning community. We meet once a semester for a mini-conference with outstanding guest speakers and activities keyed to each course. SDSU tuition is more affordable than any of the alternatives.  To learn more, go to http://bit.ly/LDT-SDCUE. Admission deadline is March 1, 2015.