VR is best used to give students experiences of things they cannot experience in the real world, like the bottom of Puget Sound or the inside of an atom. However, as the technology improves and we learn more about how people learn by interacting with virtual worlds, VR will be seen more frequently in our schools and colleges. But people are working to create virtual touch and texture, virtual smell and virtual taste. Sounds in the environment can already be made to come from places that are stable relative to the user, regardless of how the head is turned. The quality of visual displays is increasing as their weight and cost come down.
Educators have an uncanny ability to work creatively with new technologies.
VR will be no exception. He teaches courses in Educational Technology and instructional theory. For several years, he has directed research projects intended to discover when virtual reality might, and might not, help students understand concepts and principles. He is currently working with oceanographers to develop learning environments that will help people learn about the ocean. Copyright 2001 New Horizons for Learning , all rights reserved.