vej january 2016

Hold on toyour hats

and glasses!

Winter 2016

Virtual Reality Augmented Reality

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Hello Everyone! Who moved my cheese? As I look out our VEJ window, I realize the landscape has changed, and so too . . . the view!

There are four reasons for my comment: (1) Virtual Reality Headsets (e.g., Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR); (2) Augmented Reality (e.g., Microsoft HoloLens); (3) Low-end Virtual Reality (e.g., Google Cardboard, View-Master); and (4) Other Innovations yet to be released (e.g., Amazon patent). Twenty-one year old Palmer Luckey created a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of $250,000. He raised over $400,000 the first day, skyrocketing this technology forward. Two years later, Mark Zuckerberg purchased the company for $1.6 billion. And thus, the race began to create the first consumer virtual reality headset. Oculus Rift hit the market during the first week in January 2016 as a consumer product. With the arrival of Windows 10, Microsoft touts an entirely new technology with Holodeck. This augmented reality superimposes digital information on real world objects. The HoloLens headset is a complete computer, unlike the Oculus Rift that requires the purchase of a desktop computer, likely to set you back at least $1,000. At the extreme low end, Google Cardboard has created a template to hold as a cardboard mask. Users insert a smartphone device and use a variety of free Cardboard apps to access virtual experiences. For example, the New York Times, ABC News, Yale University Virtual College Trips, and the Seattle Space Needle have jumped onboard by providing virtual experiences. Likewise, with the help of 3D and augmented reality, businesses, such as IKEA, are using apps to create virtual shopping experiences that allow consumers to place furniture items in their own spaces before purchasing them. As soon as these new products come online, however, some believe they are already obsolete. For example, Amazon is already working on a device that will no longer require a headset or goggles to immerse yourself in an augmented reality world. Microsoft purchased Minecraft in 2014. Already Microsoft is demonstrating the Minecraft HoloLens opening up a realm of amazing experiences for players difficult to even imagine. All this begs the question . . . as schools begin to use Minecraft to teach core curricula, 21st century skills, and digital citizenship, how will this transform the traditional brick and mortar classroom? How will this impact student learning? Hold on to your hats and glasses. . . this is wildest ride in the metaverse. We know you will want to devour this issue – so don’t wait, take your first byte! You will discover, like always, VEJ is “Out of this World!”

Keep Smiling J

Roxie Neiro (SL), Rosie Vojtek (RL) Cover by Bob Vojtek (rl) BJ Gearbox (sl)

InThisIssue

• WhileYouWereSleepingbyBobVojtek• VWBPE16ThinkererAwardNominations

Open• BanditSailboatRacing• SaveTheDate–Enchanted@VSTE• AugmentedRealitybyBobVojtek• VirtualRealityDiscussionsbyKaeNovak• Cardboard,Google&iOSAppsbyBob

Vojtek• AMicro-HistoryofAugmentedRealityin

Film,Television,andPopCultureBluebarkerLowtide(sl),VasilA.Giannoutsos(rl)

• 9thAnnualVirtualWorldsBestPracticesinEducationConference

• Woot,y’allbyScottMerrickOH(sl),ScottMerrick(rl)

• VirtualRealitybyBobVojtek• TheVirtualPioneers:AReportfromthe

Field,AndrewWheelock(rl),SpiffWhitfield(sl)

• IntroducingRenaissanceGallerybyRoxieNeiro(sl),RosieVojtek(rl)

• MobileAppDevelopmentUsingInternationalCollaborationbyBillSchmachtenber(rl),DaeMiami(sl)

• OnWalkabout,Vol6,AnArcheologicalDiscoverybyCyrusHush(sl),MattPoole(rl)

• YouSnooze…YouLose:MachinimaShowcaseSubmissionsdue

• WeLoveHangin’WithFriends!PicsbyScottMerrick

• WhereintheMetaverseisAvaConGrid?• EDTECH532Part3byChrisHaskell,Ed.D• WriteforVEJ

VEJVol.5Issue1VirtualEducationJournal

June2014

ToReadVEJonlinevisit:http://www.virtualeducationjournal.com/ FormoreinformationaboutISTESIGVE/VENortojointhefun,visit:http://sigve.iste.wikispaces.net/ Follow us on Twitter @VEJournal or #VEJournal

©VejisanEdovationPublication

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Roboticsandsoftwarecapabilitiesareencroachingintoareasthatmostpeoplewouldhaveguessedwere“beyondthereachofrobots.”Asthecapability,capacity,andprocessingspeedscontinuetoincrease,somebelievethatrobotsandsoftwarewilltakeoverjobsthatwerepreviouslyconsideredsomethingonly

While You Were Sleeping By Bob Vojtek (rl), BJ Gearbox )sl)

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ahumancoulddo.Ifthepredictionsarecorrectasignificantnumberofjobswillbecomeextinct.ThistrendwillhaveahugeimpactonK-12andhighereducation.

Whilewehavebeendebatingthebestwaytogetteachersengagedandusetechnologyintheclassroom,awholewaveoftechnologicaladvancementshasoccurred.Itwascutetoparaphrasethestatement,“ittook20yearstogettheoverheadprojectoroutofthebowlingalleyandintotheclassroom.”Therealityisthatrobots,software,andalgorithmsincloudcomputingareexcellingattasksthathavepreviouslybeenonlytheprevueofhumans.Taskssuch,asmovingboxes,creatingreportsanddrivingcarswerealwaysgoingtobethejobsofhumans.Robotshavedifficultydeterminingtheedgesofboxesespeciallywhenmultipleboxeswereaskew.Theyalsohavedifficultydeterminingthedifferencebetweenseveralboxessidebyside,andonelargebox.Thisisabouttochangeascompaniesnowreportthattheirnewrobotsnotonlyrecognizetheseedges,buttheycanorganizeandmoveboxesfasterthanahuman.

Sinceeducationissofocusedonincrementalchange,ourcurrenteducationalparadigmmayimplodewhenhighschool,bachelordegreeandgraduateschoolgraduatesbecomeunemployable.

Justafewyearsagothebuzzwas,“weneedtoeducatestudentsforthe21stcentury,”meaningweneedtoteachforjobsthatdonotyetexist.Whatiftherealityisthatjobswehavebeenconfidentwouldcontinue,becomeextinct?Theskillsrequiredforthesenewjobscan’teasilybeassessedwithhighstakestests.Studentswillneedtocontendwithsignificantambiguityandthefactthattheremaybemultiplesolutionsforagivenproblem.

Wearelivinginaworldwhereeverymultiplechoicequestiononanassessmentputsastudentonestepclosertoun-employability.Priorityschooldistrictsthatbelieveusingscriptedlessonsisananswertoclosingtheachievementgapmayfindeventheirgraduatingstudentslacktheabilitytoqualifyforthesenewjobs.Thislikelihoodisnotjustforhighschoolgraduates,butalsoforthosethataregraduatingfromcollege.Itisnotsimplyaboutgraduatingfromatopschoolanymore;butrather,howpreparedarestudentsforthekindofthinkingrequiredforthenewtechnologies?WiredMagazinelookedatLinkedIn

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datatoseewherewestcoasthigh-techemployeesgraduated.Theywantedtosee,“ifnon-StanfordgradshaveachanceatSiliconValleyfirms.”ItturnsoutthatSanJoseStateisagoodbetjustasisStanford.Infact,“ifyou’rejustlookingatthesheernumberofalumniconnectionstoCupertino.UC-Berkeley,UT-Austin,andCalPoly-SanLuisObispoalsoappeartobeApplefavorites....AsfortheIvyLeague,notoneoftheancienteightmakesthelistforanyofthetechcompaniesunderconsideration.”

Microsoftunwittinglycreatedatechnologicalavalanche.TheycreatedagamingdevicecalledKinecttousewiththeirgamingconsole,XboxOne,

withtheintentofcreatingaquantumleapingamenavigation.

TheKinectsystem,“identifiesindividualplayersthroughfacerecognitionandvoicerecognition.Adepthcamera,which‘sees’in3-D,createsaskeletonimageofaplayerandamotionsensordetectstheirmovements.Speechrecognitionsoftwareallowsthesystemtounderstandspokencommandsandgesturerecognitionenablesthetrackingofplayermovements.”Theresultingtechnology,amere$130add-ontoanXboxsystem,revolutionizedrobotics.Althoughitwasnottheintent,Kinectcreatedacheapsolutionforrobotstobeableto“see,”catapultingroboticstechnologyforward.

Inagriculture,forexample,“robotsthatcansowseedsinafarm,robotsthatcanremoveweeds,robotsareusedforfertilizingcropsandrobotsthatcanevenpluckfruitsfromtreesandaccumulatetheseatoneplace—

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theseweresomeofthefinalistentriesatthee-YantraRoboticsCompetition2013,”asreportedintheTimesofIndia.

Fastfoodworkersareclamoringforalivingwage.Doesitseemthat$15dollarsanhourisunreasonablefortheworkfoodserviceemployeesperform?Ithinknot.However,justasthisdebateescalates,acompanyinCaliforniahasarobotthathastheabilitytocustomcreategourmethamburgersattherateof360hamburgersperhour.Themanufacturer,MomentumMachines,explainsthattheirrobotdoesnotcallinsick,doesnotqualifyforworkman’scompensation,andrequiresnomedicalbenefits.Thecompanyexplainsthatcurrentlyafoodserviceworker,workingaline,coststhecompany$135,000annuallywithsalaryandbenefitsaccordingtotheMomentumMachineswebsite.Theirpredictionisthatwithintwoyearstheirroboticsystemwillbeonparwiththatfigure.

Thenewlyrevisedmachinehasthecapacitytogrindthreetypesofmeat.Forexample,youmayrequestonethirdbisonandtwothirdsbeef.Itgrillsthemeattoyourlikingbeforeassembly.Thenafterthegrillingprocessyourburgerisassembledtoyourspecifications.Tomatoes,lettuce,andpicklesareallslicedimmediatelyafterthegrilling.Itplacestheseselectionsontopofyourburger,beforeaddingtheketchup,mustard,andmayonnaisetothetopofyourbun,givingyouthefreshestburgerpossible.

McDonaldsispreparingtoaddkioskstotheirrestaurantsafterhavingdeployedthemoffshorealready.Chili’sGrillandBaraswellasApplebee’sareintroducingkiosksandmobileordering.TheWallStreetJournallabelsthisasa

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“minimumwagebackfire.”UndertheguiseofimprovingthecustomerexperienceforMcDonaldsthemoveisalso“aconvenientway...tojustifyareductioninthechain'sglobalworkforce,”claimstheJournal.Itcontinued,“Theresultoftheiragitationwillbemorejobsformachinesandfewerfortheleastskilledworkers.”

Itwasonethingtoprogramacomputertowinatchess.ItisanothertoprogramasupercomputertoblowawaythetopJeopardycontestants.

Butwhatifyousubscribedtoacompanythatwouldtakeallofyourrawbusinessdataandconvertitintoaclean,well-written

narrativeforyourendoftheyearreport?NarrativeScienceclaimstodojustthat.

TheChicago-basedcompanybeganasaclassproject.KristianHammondandhisLarryBirnbaumtaughtaclassatNorthwestern’sMedillSchoolofJournalism,Media,andIntegratedMarketingCommunications.Thestudentstakingthecoursewereacombinationofprogrammersandjournalismstudents.Oneteamofstudentscreatedprototypesoftware,StatsMonkey.AccordingtoWiredMagazinethesoftwarewas,“designedtocollectboxscoresandplay-by-playdatatospitoutcredibleaccountsofcollegebaseballgames.”

AutomatedInsights,acompetitortoNarrativeScience,wasusedinatestbetweenasoftwaregeneratedgamerecapandonewrittenbyajournalist.InChristerClerwall’spaper,EntertheRobotJournalist,hefound,“thetextwrittenbyajournalistisassessedasbeingmorecoherent,wellwritten,clear,lessboring,

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andmorepleasanttoread.Ontheotherhand,thetextgeneratedbysoftwareisperceivedasmoredescriptive,moreinformative,moreboring,butalsomoreaccurate,trustworthy,andobjective.Theresultwasessentiallyatiewhenallfactorswereevaluated.

NarrativeScience,inadditiontocreatingnewsstoriesfromvastamountsofdata,hasaproducttargetingbusinesscommunications.Quillisthenameoftheirbusiness-centricsolution.TheNarrativeSciencewebsiteexplains,“Quillleveragesnaturallanguagegenerationsoftwaretoproducecontentwhichmeetsyourcommunicationgoals,businessrules,andoverarchingstylisticpreferences,suchastone,styleandformatting.”Finally,Quillautomaticallyappliesnaturallanguagetothemostrelevantinformationandassemblesanarrativethatisindistinguishablefromahuman-writtenone.

TeslaMotorshasjustreleasedasignificantsoftwareupdateforexistingTeslaModelSautomobilesthatprovidesasuiteofnewandupdatedfeatures.Autopilotprovidesseveralautonomous-likefeaturesforthedriver,orowner,sincesomefeaturesdonotrequireanyonetobeinsidethevehicle.ThewebsiteexplainstheModelS,“isdesignedtokeepgettingbetterovertime.Thelatestsoftwareupdate,7.0allowsModelStouseitsuniquecombinationofcameras,radar,ultrasonicsensorsanddatatoautomaticallysteerdownthehighway,changelanes,andadjustspeedinresponsetotraffic.Onceyou’vearrived

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atyourdestination,ModelSscansforaparkingspaceandparallelparksonyourcommand.”

ThismeansTeslahasanearautonomousdrivingmode.Thecompanyrecommendsadriverbeinthecarandreadytotakethewheelatanytime.ThenewfeaturesincludeAutosteer(Beta),AutoLaneChange,AutomaticEmergencySteeringandSideCollisionWarning,andAutopark.Autosteer,“keepsthecarinthecurrentlaneandengagesTraffic-AwareCruiseControltomaintainthecar’sspeed.Usingavarietyofmeasuresincludingsteeringangle,steeringrateandspeedtodeterminetheappropriateoperationAutoSteerassiststhedriverontheroad,makingthedrivingexperienceeasier.TeslarequiresdriverstoremainengagedandawarewhenAutosteerisenabled.Driversmustkeeptheirhandsonthesteeringwheel.”

WhenAutosteerisenabled,AutoLaneChangeallowsthedrivertosimplyengagetheturnsignalandthecarwillchangelaneswhenitsensesthatitissafetodoso.AutomaticEmergencySteeringandSideCollisionWarningalertsthedriverifsomethingisdetectedtooclosetothesideofthevehicle.

Autopark,asthenameimplies,allowsthecartoparallelparkwithoutengagementofthedriver.ElonMusk,Tesla’sCEOsaid,“theparkingfeatureisa‘babystep’towardhiseventualgoal:Lettingdriverssummontheirself-driving,self-chargingcarsfromanywhereusingtheirphones.Iactuallythink,andImightbeslightlyoptimisticonthis,withintwoyearsyou'llbeabletosummonyourcarfromacrossthecountry.Thisisthefirstlittlestepinthatdirection.”

ThisisimportantbecausetheseupdatesareforTeslasthatarealreadyontheroad.Googlehasbeenworkingonanautonomousdrivingcarbutitdoesnotintendtomanufacturetheautomobiles,ratheritintendstolicensethe

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technology.BothGoogleandTeslabelievethatfullyautonomouscars,whatMuskdescribesas,“trueautonomousdrivingwhereyoucouldliterallygetinthecar,gotosleepandwakeupatyourdestination”–willbeavailabletothepublicby2020.

Uberhasasignificantinterestinautonomousvehicles.Ubercurrentlygetsamere25percentofthefarewith75percentgoingtothedriver.IfUbercanregaintheadvantageiftheycouldeliminatethedriver.Specifically,TravisKalanick,UberCEOrecentlymadethestatementthatUberwilleventuallyreplaceallofitsdriverswithself-drivingcars.

ColumbiaUniversityrecentlyconductedastudysuggesting,withamere9,000autonomouscars,“UbercouldreplaceeverytaxicabinNewYorkCity–passengerswouldwaitanaverageof36secondsforaridethatcostsabout$0.50permile.”

Atthisyear’sConsumerElectronicsShowinLasVegas,GeneralMotorsCEOMaryBarrasaid,“We'regoingtoseemorechangeinthenextfiveto10yearsthanwe'veseeninthelast50.Tothatend,Barraannounceda$30,000Voltthat

goes200milesonachargeanddoes0-60in7seconds.ThisbeatsTeslatotheelectriccarforthemasses.FormoreaboutthisreadFebruary2016WiredMagazinearticle.

Duringthesameshow,ElonMuskstatedthatintwoyearsTeslawouldhavethetechnologyreadyforfully

automatedlevel4self-drivingcars.TheU.S.DepartmentofTransportation'sNationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministration(NHTSA)definesLevel4asFullSelf-DrivingAutomation:“Thevehicleisdesignedtoperformallsafety-critical

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drivingfunctionsandmonitorroadwayconditionsforanentiretrip.Suchadesignanticipatesthatthedriverwillprovidedestinationornavigationinput,butisnotexpectedtobeavailableforcontrolatanytimeduringthetrip.Thisincludesbothoccupiedandunoccupiedvehicles.”

Theeliminationofjobsbecauseofautomationisatrajectorywearealreadyon.TheGartnerGroupclaimssoftwareandrobotswillreplaceonethirdofallworkersby2025.“Newdigitalbusinessesrequirelesslabor;machineswillmakesenseofdatafasterthanhumanscan,”claimsGartnerresearchdirectorPeterSondergaard.Thistimearoundthejobsthatwillbecomeextinctwillincludemanyhigh-skilledjobs.

Thisshouldbeawake-upcallforeducation.Thediscussionsabouttrainingstudentsforjobsthatdon’tcurrentlyexistdoesn’tusuallyconsiderthatmanyofthesenewjobswouldbeforfarfewerpositionsandhowmanyexistingjobswillbecomeextinct.

Teachingstudentsinthesamewaywehavealwaystaughtwillmakeitexceedinglydifficultforgraduatestoentercollegeortheworkforce.Independentoftransformingeducation,thefutureislikelytoeliminateasignificantnumberofsummerjobsthatcurrentlyallowhighschoolstudentstolearnthebasicvaluesoftheworkplace.

Itistimetolookatwhatistrulyhappeninginthe21STcenturyandabandontheperspectiveofwhatschoolsneededtoteachthatwasformulatedinthe1990s.The21STcenturyisnotevolvinginthesamewayweenvisioned.

Ifwedonotseriouslyrethinkwhatandhowweteach,ourstudentswillbeill-preparedforthefuturetheywillinherit.

Thisarticlehasbeeneditedbypermissionfrom“VirtualRealityMagazine”byBobVojtek(releasedateFebruary2016).

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VirtualWorld’sBestPracticesInEducation

VWBPE16

ThinkererAwardNominationsOpen

TheThinkererAwardispresentedtoanindividualwhosedeedsandactionshaveshownconsistentselflessservicetowardsthepromotionoflearning,community,andeducationalpractices,andwhoexemplifiesthespiritofcooperativedevelopmentwithinimmersiveenvironments.Theawardisforlifetimeachievementratherthanforasinglecontribution.

Recipientsofthisawardarenotsimplyoutstandingprofessionalsintheirfield.Awardrecipientsmustcharacterizetransformationalleadershipqualitiesto:

• envisionandguidechange;• enhancethemotivation,morale,andperformanceofbothpeersandpupils;• promotebestpracticesandcontinuousimprovement;and• inspireothersthroughtheirwords

andactions.

TheThinkererAwardispresentedinhonorofDr.SelbyEvans,Prof.ofPsychologyatTexasChristianUniversityinFortWorth,Texasfrom1964-1990,specializinginresearchdesign,statistics,andcomputerapplications.Dr.Evanshasbeenaninspirationtomanywithinthefieldofimmersiveenvironmentsandcontinuestothisdaytoinspire,guide,andenhanceopportunitiesforchange-seekingeducatorstomeet,collaborate,andexperiment.

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Ifyouknowofsomeonewhodeservestoberecognizedfortheircontributiontothefieldofeducationandimmersiveenvironments,weencourageyoutosubmitthemasanomineeforthe2016ThinkererAward.NominationsarecurrentlyopenuntilFebruary7th,2016.

Nominationcriteriaandthesubmissionformcanbefoundonourwebsiteathttp://vwbpe.org/at-a-glance/thinkerer-award.

FinalselectionoftheawardrecipientwillbeconductedbytheVWBPEOrganizationalCommitteebySundayFebruary21st,2016andwillbeannouncedpubliclyduringtheconferenceclosingceremoniesonMarch12th,2016.

WatchingtheBanditSailboatRacesintheFruitIslandsonJanuary16,2016.TojointhefuncheckoutVirtualWorldSailing.

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SAVETHEDATE!MadamesandMonsieurs!Itiswithdeepestprideandgreatestpleasure

thatwewelcomeyoutobeEnchanted@VSTE!

VSTEVEPLNpresentstheirAnnualFundraiserwithamagicalspacethatwillbesuretostiryourwildestimaginationsandgrandestoffantasies.

Anightinthismysticalcastlewillleaveyoubreathless.Joinusforfinefriends,finedining,anddancingaswecelebratethepastyearwithphotosandhourlyPrizegiveaways.

MarkyourcalendarsforJanuary29,2016from5–8PMSLTasweinviteyoutobecomeEnchantedatVSTE!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VSTE%20Island/62/102/22

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AugmentedReality(AR)anexplodingtechnology,isgainingconvertsquicklywithitsabilitytosuperimposecontentoverarealenvironment.Microsofthasaddedanentirelynewapplicationcategory,MicrosoftHolographic,totheWindows10operatingsystem.Itsuperimposeshologramsontotherealworldenvironment.

AugmentedRealityiscreatingpathsthathavesignificantpotentialforeducation.MicrosoftlaunchedWindows10onJuly29,2015andoneoftheapplicationsthatiscreatingsignificantfanfareisHolodeck,whichwillrequireHoloLens,aheadsetcomputer.Itwillcometofruitionfirstfordevelopers.TheHoloLenswillcostapproximately$3,000andshouldshipinthefirstquarterof2016.

TheHoloLenswasahitatthelaunchandlikeKinecttechnologyfortheXboxgamingconsole,hasthepotentialtobeadisruptivetechnology.HoloLens,isasleek,flashyheadsetwithtransparentlenses.Youcanseetheworldaroundyou,butsuddenlythatworldistransformed--with3Dobjectsfloatinginmid-air,virtualscreensonthewallandyourlivingroomcoveredinvirtualcharactersrunningamok.UnlikeVR,whereyouareenclosedintheenvironment,HoloLensusesatransparentlensallowingcontenttobesuperimposedovertherealworldenvironment.HoloLensmapstheenvironmenttoknowwherewalls(verticalsurfaces)andtables(horizontalsurfaces)arelocated.Thisinvisiblemapallowstheuserto“attach”itemstowallsandtables.

AugmentedRealityByBobVojtek(rl),BJGearbox(sl)

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Thecompanyisnottryingtotransportyoutoadifferentworld,butratherbringthewondersofacomputerdirectlytotheoneyou'relivingin.Microsoftisoverlayingimagesandobjectsontoourlivingrooms.AsaHoloLenswearer,you'llstillseetherealworldinfrontofyou.Youcanwalkaroundandtalktootherswithoutworryingaboutbumpingintowalls.Thegoggleswilltrackyourmovements,watchyourgaze,andtransformwhatyouseebyblastinglightatyoureyes(itdoesn'thurt).Becausethedevicetrackswhereyouare,youcanusehandgestures--rightnowit'sonlyamidairclickbyraisingandloweringyourfinger--tointeractwiththe3Dimages.

Theseimagesareopaqueandsuperimposedinfrontof,orontopofthemappedversionoftherealworld.So,inthecaseofonedemo,adesigneriscreatinganewgastankandfairingforamotorcycle.Thedesignappearsontopofthereal-worldmotorcycleframesuchthattheeyecan’ttellthedifferencebetweentherealmotorcycleandthedesignelements.TheviewthroughtheHoloLensmakesitappearthatthedesignerisbuildingdirectlyontherealworldmotorcycleframe.

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Microsofthaspartneredwithseveralmajorcorporationstoutilize3Ddesigntoolstonativelycreatearchitectural,mechanical,medical,andentertainmentmodels.Microsoftbelievesthatsuperimposingdigitaldataontopofrealworldcontenthasamultitudeofuses.AsecondMicrosoftdemonstrationsuperimposesgraphicsandinstructioninarealworldenvironment.Inthiscasedemonstratinghowtorepairacloggedkitchensinkdrain.TheviewthroughtheHoloLensdisplaysgraphicalinstructionsforausertoremovethep-traptoeliminatetheclog.Theinstructionsappeardirectlyontopoftherealworlddrainintheusershome,showingthedirectiontounscrewthep-trapfittings.

AnotherdemonstrationvideoshowshowitutilizesadigitalaugmentationwithaMinecraftbuild.Thedesignappearstobesittingontopofacoffeetableinalivingroom.Imaginehowthiswillhelpinarchitecturaldesign.Theimagecouldjustaseasilybea3Darchitecturalmodelonaconferenceroomtable.Theabilitytoseeabuildingdesignsetintherealworldenvironmentisalsoapossibility.Thistechnologywillallowindividualsthatdon’thavewell-honedvisualizationskillstheabilitytoseethefinishedproductbeforethestartofconstruction.

Microsoftbelievesthatmixedrealitycanbeusedtocreatenewexperiencesthatwillcontributetoadvancesinproductivity,collaboration,andinnovation.TothatendMicrosoftheldanacademicresearchRFP.Theyreceivedover500qualifiedproposals.Thefivewinningproposalsreceived$100,000andtwoMicrosoftHoloLensdevelopmentkitseach.Theawardrecipientswere:

• Open-SourceInvestigationsinMixedReality:InteractiveArt,Visualizations,andExpressiveInterfacesonHoloLens,GolanLevin,TheFrank-RatchyeSTUDIO,CarnegieMellonUniversity

• AugmentingRealityfortheVisuallyImpairedwithMicrosoftHoloLens,EmilyCooper,WojciechJarosz,andXing-DongYang,DartmouthCollege

• CollaborativeAnalysisofLarge-ScaleMixedRealityData,JosephGabbardandDougBowman,VirginiaTech

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• ImmersiveSemi-AutonomousAerialCommandSystem(ISAACS),AllenYang,ClaireTomlin,andShankarSastry,UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley

• HoloLensCurriculumforTrade-BasedEducation,AndyMingo,TawnySchlieski,NikkiDunsire,ShelleyMidthun,andJBills,ClackamasCommunityCollegeandIntel

Let’srecap,500plusqualifiedentries,winningentriesfrom:CarnegieMellonUniversity,DartmouthCollege,VirginiaTech(althoughDougBowmanhassincebeenrecruitedbyApple),UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,andClackamasCommunityCollegeandIntel.What?ClackamasCommunityCollege?WaytogoClackamas!

Beyondtheneedforexpensiveheadsetsanddisplays,thereisanewwaveofaugmentedrealitythatsimplyneedsasmartphoneoriPadandsomethingcalledamarker.Amarkerisusuallyasheetofpaper,businesscardorcatalogpagethathasauniquesetofgraphics.ItissimilarinfunctiontoaQRcode.ThemarkermustbeuniquesothatthecorrectmodelassociatedwiththatmarkerdisplaysthroughthephoneoriPad.Thepossibilitiesareamazing.IKEAusesthistechnologywiththeirprintcatalog.Ikeaexplainsthat,“byscanningselectedpagesintheprintedIKEAcatalogoraccessingthepagesinthedigitalpublicationsyoucanviewimages,filmsand360°roomsets,andgettoknowthestoriesbehindtheproducts.Youcanalsoplaceselectedfurnitureinyourownroomwiththehelpof3DandAugmentedReality!”

Theprocedureistoputthemarker,orinthisinstancethecatalogpageonthefloorwhereyouwanttoplacethefurniture.Loadtheapplicationandviewthemarkeronthephoneusingthecamera.Theapplicationinterpretsthemarker.Lookingthroughthescreendisplaysafull-sizepieceoffurniturerightintheroom.Thecamerafeatureallowsaphotographtobetakenwiththefurnitureinplace.Iftherearecoloroptions,forexample,youcanslideyourfingeracrossthescreenandswitchthedisplayofcoloroptions.Byslidingortwistingyourfingersonthescreenyoucanmanipulatethefurniturepiece.Slidingtwofingersacrossthe

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screenmovesthefurniturepieceintheroomandtwistingtwofingersonthescreenrotatestheitem.Inthiswayyoucan“move”thefurnitureintoplaceinyourroomtogetasenseofsize.IKEAhasfoundthat14percentofitscustomersenduptakinghomefurniture,whichturnsouttobethewrongsizeforitsintendedlocation.

Fromaslightlydifferentperspective,Intelsaysyournextlaptoportabletmayhave3Dsensorsthatletitrecognizegesturesoraugmentarealscenewithvirtualcharacters.Intelhasdevelopedtwotypesofdepthsensors.Oneisdesignedforuseinplaceofafront-facingwebcam,tointerprethumanmovementsuchasgestures.Theotherisdesignedforuseonthebackofadevice,toscanobjectsasfarasfourmetersaway.Bothsensorsallowadevicetocapturethecolorand3-Dshapeofascene,makingitpossibleforacomputertorecognizegesturesorfindobjectsinaroom.

Amazonontheotherhandhasreceivedpatentsthatfocusongesturestoprovideinputinanaugmentedrealityenvironment.Amazonhassubmittedpatentsthatitbelieveswilleventuallyeliminatetheheadset,displayingcontent

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rightinyourroom.AmazonhopestorenderMicrosoft’syetunreleasedtechnologyobsolete.

WithsomanytechgiantsjumpingontheVRandARbandwagonitwouldmakesensethatApplewouldhaveapresence.Althoughnotformallyannouncingspecifics,accordingtoPiperJaffrayanalystGeneMunster,Appleispreparingtoenterawholenewspace,andthecompanyismakingacquisitionsandpoachingemployeesawayfromotherfirmstodoit.“Basedonrecentacquisitionsofaugmentedrealitycompanies,hiringofakeyMicrosoftHoloLensemployee,andconversationswithindustrycontactswithinthevirtualandaugmentedrealityspaces,webelieveApplehasateamexploringtheARspace,”explainedMunster.

Thisarticlehasbeeneditedbypermissionfrom“VirtualRealityMagazine”byBobVojtek(releasedateFebruary2016).

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Whatbetterplacetohavediscussionsaboutvirtualrealitytheninavirtualenvironment!

EverythirdMondayoftheMonth,ISTEMobileLearningNetworkandISTEGamesandSimulationsNetworkwillbehavingadiscussiononvirtualrealityinSecondLife.We’llbediscussingemergingtechnology…wellasitemerges.

VirtualRealityDiscussions!!!!!!ByKaeNovak(rl),akaKavonZenovka

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We’llalsotalkaboutwhatisdoableforyouaseducator.IsitOculusRift,aSamsungmobiledeviceorgooglecardboard?Thistechnologyhassomuchpotential.So,let’sstartexploring!

Takealookattheflickrsitewejuststartedandfeelfreetojoinit.https://www.flickr.com/groups/2873206@N25/pool/with/22985571561/

HaveyourheadsetandmichandytojoininthediscussionwithyouravatarinSecondLife!

RegisteranddownloadSecondLifesoftwarehere:http://secondlife.com

IMCyndylEnyoorKavonZenovkaforateleporttoourlocationorfollowtheSLurlhere:http://bit.ly/istemln_SL

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ByBobVojtek(rl),BJGearbox(sl)

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GoogleCardboardistheultimatelow-costversionofVR.Itisliterallyacardboardfold-upwithcheapplasticlensesthatencasesasmartphonetoviewstereoscopicimagesandvideo.Itlookslikeahand-heldmasksimilartoasnorkelingmask.Aphoneappsplitsthescreentoviewcontentin3D.

Thefold-uptemplatesareavailableonlinesothatanyonecouldtheoreticallycreatetheirownGoogleCardboardbydownloadingthetemplateandcuttingoutthecardboardpieces.ThisfreeavailabilityhasenabledorganizationstoprinttheirownbrandedversionsofCardboard.TheeasiestwayfortheaveragepersontogetCardboardistoorderakitfromAmazonoroneofseveralmanufactures.

ProbablythebestwaytovisualizetheCardboardconceptisthatitisa21stcenturyversionoftheiconicView-Master.Inanamusingtwist,MattelhasgivenView-Masterthefirstfaceliftin30years.GoogleandMattelhavepartneredandupdatedtheiconicView-MasterfortheVRgeneration.TheoriginalView-Masterwasasmallhand-helddevicethatallowedyoutoinsertadiskwithstereoscopicphotographstodisplayanimagein3D.SoitshouldnotbeasurprisethatthenewView-MasterVR,a$29.95devicemadeofplastic,cradlesasmartphoneandworksthesamewayasCardboard.

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GoogleCardboardiscatchingonratherquicklyandgainingtractionwithsupportfromsuchheavyhittersasABCNews,NewYorkTimes,andVerizon.EventheSpaceNeedleinSeattleseesCardboardasawaytojettisonits1960spersonaandencouragepeopletohaveaSpaceNeedleVRexperience.

Collegesanduniversitiesarecreatingvirtualrealitytourstoenhancetheirrecruitingefforts.YaleUniversityusedadozenOculusRiftheadsetsoncampustoprovideprospectivestudentsavirtualtouroftheuniversity.Nextyear(2016)theyareplanningtomailoutCardboardheadsetswithassemblyinstructionsandalinktothelocationofthefilestoview.ThisallowsanyonewithasmartphonetoviewthevirtualtouronaYalebrandedviewer.

GoogleownedYouTubeannouncedthatitwouldsupportVRvideo.AdditionallyitwillmakeeveryoneofitsexistingvideoviewablethroughaVRheadset.GooglehasbeencreatingitsowncontenttobeusedinGoogleCardboardandisprovidingthespecificationandsoftwarethroughJump.Jumpisaplatformthatuses16specificallyorientedGoProCamerastocapturetheseimmersivescenesandthesoftwarestitchesthecontenttogetherintoavisualsurroundexperience.Asthetechnologymatures,thecostofcreatingengagingimmersivecontentmaysoonbecomeaffordable.CurrentlyJumpisoneofthemostcosteffectivesolutionsonthemarket.OryoucouldgowithaNokiaOZOVirtualRealitycamerafor$60,000.

ABCNewsiscreatingVRnewsstoriesthatutilizeGoogleCardboard.Theirfirstimmersivestory,isa360degreevirtualrealityexperiencethattransportsviewerstothestreetsofDamascus.Thesiteishttp://www.abcnews.com/vrandexplainstheprocesstodownloadtheapplicationandviewtheinauguralstory.ABCNewsVRintendstobringvirtualrealitystorytellingtothenewsdivisionandbeyond.“Ourinauguralprojectisaspecialone,animmersiveexperiencecapturedwhileinSyria,”announcedABCNewsPresidentJamesGoldston,“fromtheDamascusCitadelandSouktotheUmayyadMosqueandtheNationalMuseum,Alex[Marquardt]transportsviewersintothestory,providingadepthofreporting--andapersonalguide--unlikeanythingwe’vedonebefore.”

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Soasnottobeoutdone,TheNewYorkTimesannouncedavirtualrealityprojectincollaborationwithGoogle,whichincludedthedistributionofmorethanamillioncardboardVRviewers,oneforeveryprintsubscriber.TheNewYorkTimeshasmadeacommitmenttocreate100VRstoriesusingNewYorkTimesbrandedviewers.ItsinauguralventureisaVRstorycalled“TheDisplaced,”aboutchildrenuprootedbywar.DeanBaquet,theexecutiveeditorofTheNewYorkTimes,saidthemagazinehad“createdthefirstcritical,seriouspieceofjournalismusingvirtualreality,toshedlightononeofthemostdirehumanitariancrisesofourlifetime.”JakeSilverstein,themagazine’seditor,explained,“ThepowerofVRisthatitgivestheviewerauniquesenseofempathicconnectiontopeopleandevents.”Ithashugepotential,hesaid,tohelpbringsubscribersnewsandstoriesfromthemostinaccessibleplaces.[Editornote:Aswegotopresstherearecurrently8storiesontheirwebsiteathttp://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2015/nytvr/.%5D]

GooglehasapilotprogramforeducationwithsomethingtheycallExpeditions.Theseareeducation-orientedvideosrecordedinimmersive3D.Thispilotprojectiscreatingself-containedadventures,intheformofshortvideosoffamousplacesaroundtheglobe.Forexample,Travel&LeisureannouncedhowtheirreaderscanexploreBuckinghamPalaceusingGooglecardboard.

Googlehaslaunchedaworldwidetourallowingschoolstoexperiencetheclosestthingtoavirtualfieldtriptooccurintheclassroom.GooglebringsCardboard,smartphones,andawirelessnetworkintotheschoolsothatnoschoolresourcesarerequirednotevenaninternetconnection.Thepilotdemoisself-contained.Theyleadstudentsthroughanimmersiveadventuretoplacesstudentsmayneverbeabletogo.Formoreinformation,visithttps://www.google.com/edu/expeditions/.

TheteaserforExpeditionsstates,“ImaginevisitingthebottomoftheseaorthesurfaceofMarsinanafternoon.WithExpeditions,teacherscantaketheirclassesonimmersivevirtualjourneystobringtheirlessonstolife…Expeditionsisavirtualrealityplatformbuiltfortheclassroom.Weworkedwithteachersand

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contentpartnersfromaroundtheworldtocreatemorethan100engagingjourneys-makingiteasytoimmersestudentsinentirelynewexperiences.”

TheavailabilityofCardboardcentriccontentandtheaffordabilityoftheCardboarddevicestillleaveoneelementtograpplewith…accesstothesmartphonestodrivethem.Googlesuggeststhatwhenfamiliesinyourcommunityconsidertradingtheiroldsmartphoneintobuyanewone,theyinsteaddonatethephonetotheschool.Thephonedoesnotneedacellularaccountorusecellulardata;ratheritjustneedstotakeadvantageofawirelessinternetconnectiontoviewthecontentonCardboardin3D.

IfschoolscanobtainthesmartphonesanduseCardboardintheclassroom,wehavethepossibilityofafundamentallevelingoftheeducationalplayingfieldwherestudentsthatwouldneverhavetheopportunitytotravelcouldbeimmersedinvirtualtravelandhaveexperiencesthatcouldcloselyreplicate“beingthere.”

IremembermyfirstteachingassignmentininnercityLosAngeles…ItookstudentsinmyscalemodelclubtomybeachapartmentinHermosaBeachontheStrand.Threeofthedozenjuniorhighstudentsinthisgrouphadneverbeentothebeach,hadneverseenthePacificOcean,justmilesfromtheirinner-cityhomes.ImaginethepossibilitiesiftheycouldwalkthroughthestreetsofPariswiththehelpofaninexpensivedevice.

WhileattackingthelowendwithGoogleCardboard,Googleisamongasmallgroupthatinvestedmorethan$500millioninacompanycalledMagicLeap.TheSouthFloridaBusinessJournalisreportingMagicLeapis“closetoinkinga$1billionfinancinground.”MagicLeaphasmadeverylittleinformationpublicabout

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whatitdoes,butmakinga$500millioninvestment,GoogleclearlybelievesMagicLeapisworkingonsomethingworthyintheworldofaugmentedreality.

Sowhyisn’tit“gameover?”Googleappearstobegainingworlddominanceinbothvirtualrealityandaugmentedreality.GoogleCardboardisanaffordablesolutionforsomeaspectsofvirtualrealityandsmartphoneappsbringingusableaugmentedrealitytothemasses.

Well,theissueismotion-photon-latency,obviously.Thedifferencebetweena$500headsetattachedtoa$2,000computerandGooglecardboardistwofold.First,whatisreferredtoaslatency,isthetimeneededforausermovementtofullybereflectedinthescreen.GooglerecommendsthatusersnotattachGoogleCardboardtotheirhead.Thereasonisthatwhenthedeviceisattachedtotheheadandtheusermovestheirhead,itoftenhappensquitequickly.Ifthecardboardhastobeheldbyhandagainsttheface,thereisatendencytotwistfromthewaist,whichhappensmoreslowlythantwistingattheneck,therebyloweringtheeffectsoflatencybymakingslowermovements.

ThesecondaspectofCardboardthatcurrentlylimitstheimmersiveexperienceisthattheexperiencesaresomewhatpredefinedinthattheuserisstationarywiththeabilityto“look”around,nottowalkthroughascene.ThisisincontrasttoafullyimmersiveexperiencesuchastheOculusRiftwherethereareadditionalinputsthatmayallowyoutomorefullyinteractwithintheexperience.Aninputdevicecouldpropelyouthroughtheexperience,suchasusingthearrowkeystomoveforward,backward,orsideways.InasimulationwithGoogleCardboardyouwouldlikelybeinafixedpositionwiththeabilitytoturnaroundtoseewhatisbehindyouorlookuptoseetheverticalextentoftheenvironment.Withmoresophisticatedimmersiveexperiences,youwouldlikelybeabletoexploreonyourown.

AnOculusRiftdemonstrationofanItalianvillaallowsyoutoexplorethebuildingandgroundsbyusingarrowkeystoglidethroughtheentirespaceasyouseefit.Youcanevenascendastaircasebymovingforwardatthebaseofthestair.ForexamplesofotherOculusRiftdemosseeVRCircle’slistoftopratedOculusRiftVRDemos.

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Still,lookingatCardboardwithacost-benefitlens,therearestrengthstobeingabletoseearoundasettingwithoutmovingthroughthespace.ClearlytheNewYorkTimesandABCNewsVRbelievethatthenewopportunitiesoftellingVRstoriesareworththeinvestment.

Therealityisthattraditionalmoviesortelevisionshowsinhibitourabilitytomove.Wecountontheproductionto“show”uswhatweneedtoseeratherthandeterminingonourownwhatisimportant.

ThenewfreedomsofVRstorytellinghavethepotentialtobegamechangers!

Thisarticlehasbeeneditedbypermissionfrom“VirtualRealityMagazine”byBobVojtek(releasedateFebruary2016).

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If You Had Fun Last Year . . .

You won’t want to miss the VWBPE Social activities this year!

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ContainedhereinareexamplesofAugmentedRealityfeaturedinmoviesandtelevision.TheysaysomeofthethingsyouseeonTVwillonedaybereal.AugmentedRealityisoneofthesealltoofamiliarsciencefictionploysorfantasygimmicksbeingmadereal.

A Micro-History of Augmented Reality

in Film, Television, and Pop Culture

By Bluebarker Lowtide (sl)

Vasil A. Giannoutsos (rl)

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OneofthemorerecognizableformsofAugmentedReality(AR)isJARVISfromMarvel’s“IronMan”and“TheAvengers”films.JARVISisIronMan’spersonalArtificialIntelligencecomputerthatrespondstoTonyStark’scommandsandrequests.JARVIStakestheformofaHeads-UpdisplaywithintheIronManhelmetorhissunglassesinthelatermovies.Heisabletocommunicatetohimthroughvoiceanddetailedgraphsandmetersoftheimportantstatisticsofthesupersuit.

Asearlyasthe1960sAugmentedReality(AR)hittelevisionscreenswithHanna-Barbera’s“TheJetsons”withholographictelevisionandspecialtabletopconsolesthatalteredtheconfigurationoftherooms,furnitureandclothes.Liveactionshowssuchas“Dr.Who”,“StarWars”and“StarTrek”featuredmanygraphicaldisplaysthatwerealwaysdoneinpost-productionthattheactorcouldn’tsee,butstillhadtointeractwith.Thefamous“StarTrek”Holodeckisaperfectexampleofvirtualrealityandaugmentedrealitycomingtogethertohelpthecharactersdobattlesimulations,diplomaticconferencesand(evenindata’scase)jumpintobooks.

ThenextrealemergenceofARcameinthe80sduringthedevelopmentof

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experimentalandavant-gardemusicvideos,I’msure.Buttwogreatsciencefictionfilms,someofthelastbeforeeverythingwentcomputergeneratedweretwointenselyaction-packedfilms.Irecommendbothifyouhaven’tseenyetthem.“BladeRunner”and“RoboCop”involvehightechnologydisplaysoncomputersandheadsupdisplaysinthecars.Seriously,Iamconvincedthescenewheretheyareplayingsomecamerafootagein“Robocop”iswheretheypickedupthehandmovementsforwhenyouoperatetouchscreensmartphones.

Approachingthe90s,wefindaburstofmovementinthegamingindustryasgamedevelopersarestartingtomoveawayfrom16-bitarcade-stylegamesandthirdpersonplatformsto3DCGfirstpersonshooterswithadvanceddisplaystohelpyouintheartofwar.Thoughnotactuallytechnologicalavailabletouseatthetime,theconceptsoftheplayerbeingthegamecharacterinacommutativepropertysortofway,makesitAugmentedRealityforthatgame.Withthosedisplaysgivingdataandchangingtheenvironmentsowecanseecorners,lookforclues,orfindhealthpacksintheNoMan’sLand,manyofuswouldnothavemadeitpastthefirstlevel.NintendoevendidacoupleofgamesthatallowedapersontohookuptheirGameboyAdvancedtoagameandhaveitfunctionasanadditionalmap,sensor,orcontrollerthatinteractedwiththeenvironmentinthegame.Thismaybeconsideredaperipheral,butthetransferofdata,informationandenvironmentinteractioniswhatseparatesARfromjustaregularcomputermouseorprinter.

Thisinputandoutputofdatabackandforthbecomesmorebeneficialfortheuserthanjustanoutputorjustaninput.HavingthedataandinformationreactrealtimeisalsoanotherkeyfeatureofARthatmanyforget.Ifitisnothappeningnowandalteringthewayyouperceiverealitythanitprobablyisn’tAR.

NowIamnotsayingthatanalteredstateofrealitythroughchemicals,medicineorothermeansisthesamething.AugmentedRealitycomesinmainlyoneofthreeforms.

AugmentedRealtycanbeclassifiedasLow-Tech,Mid-TechorHigh-Tech.WhenwesayLow-Tech,itreallymeanslittletonotechnologyis

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involvedtoaccomplishtheeffectofperformingAugmentedReality.Anexamplewouldbearole-playinggamesuchas“DungeonandDragons”orpretendingthescenariothatyourstudentsarescientistsatJurassicParkidentifyingdinosaurDNA.Suchprimitiveillusionsareaneffective,Low-TechwaytoperformasimpleformofAugmentedReality.

Thesescenariosoradventureschangethesurroundingsandtheframingfordoingcertainthingsthataffectwhatisactuallyhappening.InDND,yourolldicetodetermineactionsandmovements.UsingtheDinosaurDNA,studentstakewhattheyhavelearnedandapplyingittoafictional,yetpracticalwaythatsuchinformationcouldbeusedintherealworldifdinosaursdidstillexist.

Mid-Techconcernsthemajorityofallthoseheadsets,suchasOculusRift,GoogleGlass,GoogleCardboard,MicrosoftHololens,andvariousothertechnologicaldevicesbeingconstructedtoprojectanARtotheuser.Evenappscanbedownloadedtoaphoneoratabletthat,withspecialmarkersorcards,canmakeimagesappearonthedevicethatareinteractive–suchas“LettersAlive”byAliveStudiosforPreschoolersuptothethirdgrade(http://alivestudiosco.com/).ThismildinteractionsandabilitytochoosetheinputsandoutputsarewhatseparatestheMid-TechfromLow-Tech

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categories.WithLow-Tech,theuserhastoprovidetheoutputandworkfromthere,inMid-Techboththeinputandoutputofinformationisprovidedandconstructed.

ThebleedingedgeisconsideredHigh-Tech–wherewemightbeseeingthedawnofsuchimpressivetechnologies!WiththeadvancementofAugmentedRealityandVirtualRealitytechnologies,theusershavetheabilitytocreateawholenewexperiencethatencompassesand/ortricksallthesensesincorporating‘close-to-full-immersion’withmachinesthatputyourelativelyinthatrealityforallintensivepurposes.Theonlythingclosetothiswouldbe“TheVOID”andtheyarestillinthealphastageswithhopestoopenafacilityinthesummerofthisyearinUtah.

Forgiveme,butIfeelthatmanybiologyteachersarescreamingatmesayingthatsuchathingispurelyfictional.SoallowmetoaddresstheDinosaurDNAabitdifferently.Nowwecouldpaytohavestudentmini-kitstodeterminethesexofbirds,butwewouldneedtotakethatoutofthebudgetbecauseitsexpensive.Surely,anyteacherinpubliceducationunderstandsthewoesofbudgetconstraints.Soinsteadofusingkits,studentscanreceiveafolderorpicturesofXandYchromosomesandbypairingthemandcountingthemwecandeterminethesexofabirdwithoutevenhavingtogetourhandsmessywithcollectingaspecimensample.Heavenforbidabirdbitastudentandtheparentssuedtheschool.It’smuchsafertopretendtobeOrnithologiststhentodealwithalltheredtape.

Anyhow,IbelieveIjumpedofftopic,wherewasI?

Oh,yestheturnoftheCenturyandtheringingintheNewYearandmillenniawhereeveryonethoughttheY2Kbugwouldbetheendofallcomputers.Oh,goodtimes!Bythe2000s,technologywasgainingheavyspotlightasnewerandbettercellphonesandthetechnologyforcomputergeneratedimageryandvideocompositingwasgettingfasterandstronger.Bothanimatedandlive-actionTVshowsandfilmswereaimingtowardsaveritablebrightandshiningfuture.“MeninBlack”,“MinorityReport”,“A.I.

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ArtificialIntelligence”,“TheMatrix,”andmoreallsatisfiedourneedsforsomesciencefictionbedlamwhileshowingusfascinatingworldsofthegoodandbadoftechnologicalprogression.

TheMatrixTrilogyalonewassetwiththepremiseoftheworldwecurrentlyliveinasanAugmentedRealitythatisprojectedtohumanstohidetheapocalypticrealityofaworldrunbymachines,averydeepconcept.EventhewholeplotofJamesCameron’s,“Avatar,”involvesthemaincharacterlivinginanAugmentedRealityashismindisbeingtransportedthroughtechnologyintothatofaNa’vi(thatwouldbethemostextremeformofAugmentedRealityinmyopinion).

Alloftheseamazingthingsovertheyearshavegivenjustalittlesparktoallthathaveseenit.Itisamazingtoseehowfilms,televisionandpopculturecaninspireandinfluencesuchmarvelousthingsthatwereonceconsideredtheworksoffiction.

Whowouldhavethoughtthatwewouldseesuchinventionsandtechnologicaladvancementsinourlifetimes?Inaslittleasroughly50yearsweareseeingthingsfrom“TheJetsons”and“StarTrek”becomereality.MaybeoneofthesedaysIwillgettoseerobotmaidsandflyingcars;won’tthatbesomething?

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Heck,thereisalreadytalkaboutcommercializingspacetravelandthecolonizationofMarsandVenus!

If“TheMartian”cansurviveonMarsbyhimselfonamoviescreen,thenjustimaginewhat50yearsdowntheroadfromtodaywillbring?Makesyouwonderwhatkindofthingswillexist?

Well,lookingatfilms,television,andthepopcultureoftoday,therehavebeensomeinterestingideas:apillthatmakesyousmarter;robotswithhumanemotions;andsomuchmoreincludingtrailersforupcomingfilmsandTVseriesin2016.

Wearelivinginafuturethatonlyfewhavedreamedof.Itis,however,whatwedreamanddotodaythatwillshapeourfuture.IamsureIheardthatquotesomewhere,leastwiseIamprobablyparaphrasingWaltDisney.LOLI’vewatchedpracticallyallofhisclips.

VEJsatelliteofficeatVSTE!

Besuretovisitusat:http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/VSTE%20Island/19/169/22

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It’sthe9thAnnualVirtualWorldsBestPracticesinEducation

March9-12,20162016Theme:Horizons

TheVWBPEConferenceisacompletelyvirtualconferencethatisconductedusingsimulatedenvironments.Participantsexperiencetheconferencethroughavirtualrealitytypesettingincludingconferencerooms,theatres,expositionhalls,meetingspaces,andothertypesofvenuessimilartoabrickandmortartypeconference.Theconferenceisfreetoattend.Thecostoftheconferenceiscoveredbysponsorshipanddonations.

RegisterandseeallthelatestnewsfromVWBPE!

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There’slotsgoingonatAvaConGrid!AwalkingtourofISTEVEN’s

NewVirtualPresenceintheMetaverse!

ByScottmerrickOh(irlScottMerrick)

Severalmonthsago,afterdiscoveringtheOpenSimulatorprojectthatisthebrainstormoflongtimepioneersChrisCollinsandJoyceBettencourt,alongwiththeircapableteammembersatAvaCon,LLC,IapproachedthemtoaskwhetherornottheywouldbeinterestedinhostingsomespaceonthegridforISTEVirtualEnvironmentsNetwork.

Woot,y’all.

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Theycouldn’thavebeenmoregracious.BeforeIknewit,Iwasabletoteleporttoaregion--notaparcel,butafullregion-sizedproperty--setasideforISTEVEN.Backin2011,whenISTEdecidedtopulloutofSecondLife,theycontinuedtosupportourcommunitybyprovidingrentforaparcelonEduisland9,SerenaOffcourse,(MaryO’Brian,rl),designedandbuiltareallyniceheadquartersforusthere.

Facedwiththisnewandrelativelyvastexpanseofflatgreenearthunderbrightbluesky,wecalledSerenaintoserviceonceagain.Shesetaboutterraformingarollinglandsurfaceandinstallingsomegorgeouslandscaping,whileIplantedatemporaryfreebiebuildinginonecornertoserveasameetingspaceandMaryHoward(irlMaryHoward)jumpedintohelpaswell.Wehadsomefunwiththat,buteveryonewasawarethatitwouldn’tbeenoughaswegrow.

EnterHelenaKiama,(BarbaraSeaton,rl).Helenaofferedtocreateanewheadquarters,andofcoursewesaid“goforit.”Littledidweknowhowwonderfulthefinalproductwouldbe!

Let’stakealittlewalkingtripandgetthelayofthevirtualland,shallwe?ForthisseriesofpicsIloggedintoAvaConGrid(instructionsforgettingafreeeducators’accountareupat:https://www.avacon.org/blog/avacon-grid/andyouwillbegladyoudid).

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I’velandedinAvaConGridatthewelcome/tutorialarea.ThisisAvaCon’sCommunitysimlandingzone,andtogettoourbeautifulnewHQwithinit,Icandooneofanumberofthings:

• Click“World/Teleporttomyhome”sinceI’vesetmyhometoHQ

• UsetheOpenSimslurlinthemap,or

• OpenupthemapanddoubleclickwhereIwanttogo.IthinkI’lldothefirstone:

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There.I’mhome.Landed.Let’szoominandpanaroundtoseeme,ScottMerrick(cleveralias,eh?).

Ilookalittledubious,don’tI?Mygeneralmodusoperandi

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istoworkonmyavatarstomakethemlookasmuchlikeIdoinmy“meatspace,”myreallife,astheviewerwillallow.Igenerallylookmuchmorebuffandyounger,butthegeneraldesigndirectionisprettyconstant.Idon’thavemySecondLifeponytailinAvaConGrid,butI’mcontentfornow.

Let’szoomouttoseemoreofthebuilding:

Walkingintotheright-side(houseleft)wing,thevisitorcomesuponblankscreens.

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Clickingoneachonebringsupthehtml-on-a-prim.Theyloadprettyfast,in5-7secondseachforme,andeachscreenthenbecomesafullyusablewebbrowser.

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Fromlefttorightthecurrentconfigurationdisplays:

1. TheVirtualEnvironmentsNetworkPadletwithallthevolunteermentorslisted.Youcanjointhislistathttp://padlet.com/spiffwhitfield8/venmentor

2. TheVirtualEducationJournal,presentedregularlysince2011!http://virtualeducationjournal.com

3. TheMassiveMultiplayerOnlineCalendar,witheventsfromalloverthemetaverse--http://bit.ly/moocalendar

4. TheISTEVENWeebly,awealthofinfoinaneatandtidypackage:http://venetwork.weebly.com/,and

5. ISTE,theorganizationthatbroughtustogetherinVirtualWorldsandkeptustogetherlothislong:http://iste.org

Poppingovertositattheconferencetable,onlythefirstofthemanymeetingplacesatISTEVENAvaCon.

Asofthiswriting,thebuildinghasonlybeeninplacearoundtwoweeks,lowereddownfromtheskywhereHelenaworkedonit.

I’msurethatwewillcontinuetoaddtoitscontentsnowthatitisinplace,butIsurelydolovetheopennessandtheflowofitjustasitis.

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Theothermeetingspacesaresettingsforconversationsbetweentwoavatarsormany.Let’stakeawalktoseethose!

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Weapproachaguidingsign.Every4thTuesdayofeachmonthwepresentMachinmanight.

We’llgothere,withmaybeacouplesidejagsontheway.

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Here’sourfirstlittleside-trip.We’llfollowthepavingstonestoacozylittlespotfor2tofour(moreiftheysitontheground)avatars.

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Ilovemealittlefireplace.Ihavemysunsettingstomid-day,butafewclickscanmakethisaverycozylittlenighttimemeetingplace.

Backonthepathanddownit,there’sanothersign.

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But,let’sgostraightinsteadandseewhatthisinvitinglookingspacepastthebridgecouldbe.

Ah,it’sapartyspace.Itmayneedadancefloorandsomegroovycoloredlights:Notetoself.

NexttimeIwantpopcorn,ahotdawg,oricecream,Iknowwheretocome,though.

We’rebackalongtotrail,pastthat“machinima”sign,andwhatwillwesee?Ah,themoviearea!

I’llhaveaseat.VERYcomfy.

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Panningaroundtothescreen:

andin…lookslikeaGuildmeet-upinWorldofWarcraft.Holidayintheme!

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Thiswilldefinitelybenefit,onmovienights,fromsettingtheenvironmentsunsettingstomidnight.Butfornow,let’smakeaquickrunaroundtoseeothermeetingareas.

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Upthosestonestairs…

TheAdirondackchairs,familiarseatingfromISTEVENinSecondLife.Doweneedouropencampfirehere?

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Here’satreehousespaceforaone-on-onechat.

AndalovelypagodawithturquoiseAdirondacksandcarpet.

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Feelingnautical?

It’sonlystationary,dockedattheedgeofalovelypond,sothetripwon’tbelong,butit’safunplacetochat.I’mthinkingmidnightforthisone,too,yathink?

Abeautifulandpeacefulwaterfallwithcozyseating.Conducivetoreflectivediscussionandquietdialogue.

Comeandvisit.OnceyouexploreISTEVENinAvaconGrid,don’tbeastranger.WeholdOpenOfficeHoursthesecondandthirdTuesdaysinSecondLifeorinAvaConGrid,asthewhimsy,orasthetopic,takesus.

Then,asmentioned,the4thTuesdayofeachmonthourownGridjumperhostsMachinimaNight.Alloftheseeventsoccurat5pmSLT/PacificTime(8pm,ET).Comehangoutwithusandtalkaboutwayswecanleveragethepowerofvirtualworldsforeducationandcommunity!

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Thankssomuchtoleadershipteammembers.Helena,Selena,andMrs.Howard,fortheircontributionstothisenchantingandatthesametimeutilitarianbuild.Ofcourse,itcouldnothaveevenbeenbegun,muchlessrealized,without

theimmensegenerosityofAvaCon,LLC.Andfinally,andalways,thankstoRoxieandBJ(RosieandBob)forthelongandcontinuingstoryofourwork,aliveanddocumented,inVirtualEducationJournal!

AdditionalLinks:

JoinISTEandtheVirtualEnvironmentsNetwork:http://www.iste.org/lead/become-a-member

IfyoualreadyhaveanOpenSimulatoraccountthatisHypergridenabled,youcanHypergridjumptoAvaConGridusinghttp://grid.avacon.org:8002.

VisitISTEVENinSecondLife:http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduIsland%209/46/90/22

Life(s)iswonderful!

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Aftermanyfalsestarts,VirtualReality(VR)nowhaspromisewiththebackingofsomesignificantplayers,includingFacebook,Sony,Samsung,andHTC.Inessence,VRimmersestheuserina3Dworldwithstereoscopic“glasses.”

GoogleisattackingtheVRpossibilitiesonmultiplefronts.OnthelowendisGoogleCardboard,acardboardfold-upthatusesasmartphonetodisplaystereoimages.Onthehighend,Googlehasinvested$542millioninMagicLeap.MagicLeapintendstotakevirtualrealitytoalevelbeyondthecurrentprojectionsofOculusRift.TheOculusRift,isaheadsetthatlooksmuchlikeadivingmaskwithasplitscreencomputermonitorinside.

ImmersiveVirtualRealityhasbeenaroundfordecades.Thereasonforaspikeinenthusiasmhasmuchtodowithfaster,cheaperprocessingwhichcreatessignificantgainsinqualityatalowercost.Thebasicelementsoftheseproductsincludeatwinsetofmonitors,oneforeacheye,insertedintoagoggleorhelmet;aninputdevicesuchasagamingcontroller,keyboardorotherhand-heldinputdevice;andasensorsystemtodeterminethelocationandorientationoftheheadset(whichwayareyoulooking).Oneotherelementthatallofthesesystemshaveincommonisthattheimmersioniscreatedbyshuttingouttheoutsideworld.Thehelmetorgogglescompletelyeliminatetheabilitytoseeanythingotherthanwhatisbeingdisplayedonthemonitorsinfrontofeacheye.

Virtual Reality

ByRobertVojtek(rl)

BJGearbox(sl)

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ThereareseveralcompaniesthatarevyingtobeTHEsolution.Themostnotable,discountingGoogleCardboard,isprobablytheOculusRift.TheKickstartercampaignforOculusVRsetagoalofraising$250,000andsurpassedthatbyraisingmorethan$400,000onthefirstday.ThisfeatcatapultedOculusforwardandwithintwoyearsFacebookboughtthecompanyfor$2,000,000,000.Thesocialnetworkispaying$400,000incashplus23,100,000Facebooksharesforthecompany,withafurther$300,000,000inincentivesifithitscertainmilestonesinthefuture.Thisstartedaveritablearmsracetobecomethefirstconsumervirtualrealityheadset.

AlthoughOculusmaybethemostrecognizedheadset,itisnottheonlyplayerbyfar.OthermajorplayersincludeSonyPlayStationVR,HTCVivePre,

SamsungGearVR,FOVEVR,ZeissVROne,AvegantGlyph,RazerOSVR,andtheFreeflyVRheadset.Afieldthiscrowdedensuresafasterdevelopmenttimeofrefinements.

LikeVRofthe1980s,earlyversionsoftheOculusRiftDeveloper’sKitcreatedauserexperiencereferredtoasthescreendooreffect.Theresolutionandrefreshratewerefocusedondevelopingcontentandthelens/monitorswouldbeanalyzedseparately.Applereferstotheirdisplaysasretina.Theideabeingthatthepixelsaresoclosetogetherthatthebrainnolongerseesindividualpixels.

WhenSteveJobslaunchedtheiPhone4,andwithitthefirstRetinadisplay,hedescribeditashavingascreenwithsomanypixelspackedcloselytogetherthattheywereimperceptibletothehumaneyeatadistanceoftwelveinches.He

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wenttogreatlengthstoexplainthat,becausetheiPhone4’sscreenpackedin300pixelsperinch,mostpeoplewouldn’tseethematallwhenthephonewasafootfromtheireyes.

TheOculusRifthastwodisplaysandwhenyoutakeevenahigh-resolutiondisplay,dividingitinhalfoftenmeansithaspixelsthataredetectiblebythehumaneye.Oculusisstrivingtohavethebestpossibledisplaywithintheirgivenpricepointfortheretailproduct.

Somecompaniesarenowthinkingthathavingthedisplayinfrontoftheeyesinaheadsetwillbeashort-livedsolution.MagicLeappurports,baseduponpatentinformation,tobeamcontentdirectlyintoyoureyessothatthatbraincannotdifferentiatethedigitalfromthereal.

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Virtualrealitydevelopersareprimarilylookingatthreeusesintheshorttermincludinggaming,simulations,andmovies.Movieshavetransitionedsignificantlysincetheearlydayswithoutsound.Initiallymoviecameraswerestationary,butsoonatthedirector’sdiscretiontheypannedfromsidetoside.Oncethemovementofthecamerasstarted,theabilityofthemovietotellastorychangedsignificantly.

Todaywebenefitfrom3Dmovieswheretheviewercanseeadepthoftheimagethatwasnotpossiblewithtraditional2Dmovies.Additionally,wenowhavesurroundsoundwheretheviewercanhearthedirectionofasoundmakingtheexperiencemuchmoreengaging.The1996movieDragonheart,featuredSeanConneryasthevoiceofDracoadragon,isstillusedasanexampletodemonstratesurroundsound.AsFernbyFilmswebsiteexplains,“Draco’swingbeatsanddeepvoicethrobfromeverychannelashefliesaboutthesky;itwasthemomentduringwhichIrealizedjusthowsurroundsoundcould–andshould–beused.”Thisnewlyaddedauditorylayercangiveanincrediblesenseofspaceandissometimesreferredtoas3Daudiohackingyourbrain.

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WithsurroundsoundcapabilitiesaddedtoanimmersivevisualexperienceitisnowonderthatOculushascreatedanewcreativeteamcalledOculusStoryStudio.TheteamistaskedwithutilizingVRtocreateafilmexperienceunlikeanyother:onethatcompletelyimmersestheviewerintheinteractivefilmswithitsrevolutionarytechnology.

TheutilizationofVRinmovieswillcreateacomplexwaytotellstoriesandviewcontent.Avirtualenvironmentthatisdigitalwillbeverydifferentfromcharactersinascene.Whenwewatchamovieortelevisionshow,thedirectordictateswhatweseeandwhen.Youhearasoundandthescenezoomsinonwhatmakesthesound.WithVRtheviewermaydecidetomeanderaroundthescenechoosingwhatisimportantandwhattoconcentrateon.

Whenhyperlinkswerefirstintroducedmanyfeltthatpeoplewouldnolongerbeabletohavealinearexperiencewithtext.Havinglinksembeddedinthetextofthestorythatwerepreviouslynotesattheendofthestorywouldleavethereaderdisoriented.Allowingtheviewertomovethroughanenvironmentprobablymakesmoresenseforafootballgameratherthananadventuremovie,butonehastoadmitthepossibilitiesareintriguing.

Gamingwasthefirstfocusofvirtualrealityandoverlappedbysimulations.Themilitaryhasbeenutilizing3Dvirtualsimulationsforyears.ArmyresearchersattheU.S.ArmyEdgewoodChemicalBiologicalCenterareusing3-Dsoftwaresolutionstosupplementmoretraditionaltrainingandsimulatereal-lifescenarioswithoutthedangerinthefield.Overthelasttwoyearsasthedeveloper’skithasbeenmadeavailabletherehavebeenamultitudeofgamescreatedfortheOculusRifttheirwebsite,https://share.oculus.com/listspagesandpagesofgamesthatarealreadyavailable.

Thisarticlehasbeeneditedbypermissionfrom“VirtualRealityMagazine”byBobVojtek(releasedateFebruary2016).

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The Virtual Pioneers

A Report from the Field

ByAndrewWheelock(rl);SpiffWhitfield(sl)

VirtualPioneersGala

Introduction

TheVirtualPioneershavecontinuedtheireducationaladventuresandhijinksin2015.Startedin2006,theVirtualPioneershavehadbi-weeklytoursandeventsthatexplorehistoryandculture.Thisyearwecontinuedourexplorations.InthepastIhavereviewedthesimswehavevisited.Ihavecreatedaquickreferencelinkforthosewhowouldliketoexplorethese.IwouldliketotakethistimeinsteadtoprovidesomeevaluationofhowIseethefutureofhistoryandcultureexplorationsusingvirtualenvironments.

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HistoryEducationandVirtualEnvironments

I’vealwaysfeltthatstudentsdon’tappreciatehistoryandit'simportantimplicationsuntiltheycanvisualizeit.Historicalbiographies(ex.TheDiaryofaYoungGirl:AnneFrank)andhistoricalfiction(ex.MyBrotherSamisDead)havebeenourtraditionalpathwaystothisunderstanding.Nextcamefilmandvideo.JohnHuston’sTheRedBadgeofCouragewasthefirstmoviethatstirredthedeeplongingforhistoryinmyyoungmind.

Andhereweare…atthenextfrontier:VideoGamesandVirtualEnvironments.AsIhavefoundthroughmyworkwithVirtualEnvironmentsourstudentsarethirstingforthisnextfrontierinlearning.Theyhavebeenlearningabouthistorytangentiallythroughgamingforthepastdecadeormore.Mostnotably,Civilization,MedalofHonor,andAssassinsCreedarejustafewofthehigh-poweredvideogamesthathavepowerfulhistoricalnarrativesembeddedinthem.

Houston,WehaveaProblem

TheonlyproblemthatwehavenowinSocialStudieseducationusingvirtualenvironmentsandgaming,isthatthesetechnologiesarenotbeingembracedbyalargemajorityofeducators.It’saBIGproblem,butanunderstandableone.It’sunderstandablefor2reasons:

1.Educatorshavebeenbombardedwithheavy-handedreformmeasuresthathavekeptthemtryingtokeepupwiththedemandsofcurriculum,assessment,andevaluationproceduresratherthaninnovativewaystoworkwithstudents.

2.Technologieslikevirtualenvironmentsandgamingarebeyondteacher’stechnologycomfortzones.Thesetwoissueshavekeptvirtualenvironmentsandgamingoutoftheschoolsbyandlarge.

However,“thepowerfulplaygoeson”andteachersarestartingtorealizethepotentialthatawaits...overtherainbow.OneofthemajorfactorsinthisistheexplosionofMinecraft.Parentsarefinallygettingthemessagefromtheirchildrenthatthereisreal,substantiallearningthatisgoingoninavirtualenvironment.

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AndwhileIamafanofMinecraft,Iseetheclunkybuildsthatstudentscreateandthink...OpenSim,Unity,andSecondLifebuildingtoolscanpushtheboundariesofstudentlearningmuchfurther.SeemyarticlewithMaryHoward

Solet’sbringthisbacktotheVirtualPioneers.Lastyear’stourshaveshownthatSecondLifeandgraphicallyintenseprogramscanofferamazingwaysto

1920BerlinProjectTour

teachstudentshistoryandculture.WiththepossibilityofOculusRiftonthe

scenewemayhavehitamotherloadofpossibility.

OurtourofLuxumbourg1867andtheeverpopular1920BerlinProjectareleadingthewayinhighlydetailed,historicallyaccurate,andvisuallystunningbuildsthatcancreateanamazinglearningadventure.Pleasejoinusaswebeginournextseasonofhighlyeducationalandentertainingtoursandevents.

Educationandpossibilityawait!

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LuxembourgTour(above).

BuckinghamPalaceTour

(aboveandtotheright)

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Introducing

RenaissanceGallery

ByRoxieNeiro

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OnSaturday,January16,2016,IattendedaRenaissanceGalleryeventattheChilboartmuseum.TheRenaissanceGalleryisownedbyRachelCorleone.Sheisstandingonthestageinthepreviouspicturewithpianist,ArisiaVita.

Itwasalovelyafternoonperformance.AttendeeswereabletoenjoythemusicaswestrolledthroughthegallerylookingattheamazingcollectionofpaintingsfromtheRenaissanceperiod.

Racheltoldmethatshe“opened[themuseum]toshowpaintingsthatIreallylike,andthatwerefromtheRenaissanceperiod.Theyillustratebothpaganandsacredthemes.”

MaggieLamore,anattendee,said“I'msoexcitedshe'sdoingthisIhopeshedoesmore;thegalleryisreintroducingitselftotheneighborhood.”

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Rachelsaidthatthe“paintingsareonpermanentexhibit.”However,inanotherpartofthemuseum,TheChilboRoadPress,thereiscurrentlyanexhibitwithphotographsbyBillBrand(1904-1983).Rachelsaidthatthephotoexhibitswillchangefromtimetotime.

BesuretocheckouttheRenaissanceGalleryatChilbo.Racheldoespersonalgallerytourstoexplainthedifferentpiecesofartinhercollection.Ifyouareinterested,IMRachel(andtellher,VEJsentyou!)

ThankyouRachelandAriforabeautifulSaturdayafternoon!

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INTRODUCTION

Onthenews,itisfrequentlyreportedthatpoliticiansareworriedthatstudentsintheUSAaresimplynotkeepingupintermsoftheireducation,andthatasaresultwewillnotbeabletocompeteinthefuturewithourEuropeanorAsiancounterparts.Forme,thesediscussionsmissthepointabouttrueTwenty-firstcenturyskills.Itisnotaboutcompetition,butratheraboutonlinecollaboration.Forseveralyearsnow,IhaveworkedbymyselftocrankoutappsforApple’sAppStoreasanAppledeveloper.AtthebeginningofJuly,IfeltthatIneededtopracticewhatIpreachandtrytocreateanAppwithMarianneHellberg,ateacherandappdeveloperinSweden,andsheagreed.Ifoundthattherewereadvantagesanddisadvantagestoworkingwithanotherteacherinanappdevelopmentproject.

ADVANTAGESANDDISADVANTAGESOFCOLLABORATION

IhadalwaysbeenafanoftheLearningCompanyandBroderbundseriesofinteractivebooks,soMarianneandIchosetodevelopaninteractivebookforourapp.WefoundontheUnityAssetStore,aforestmodelthathadalreadybeenbuilt,sowepurchasedthatassettoactasthebackdropfortheapp.Wedecidedtocalltheapp3DForestExplorer(Seepicturebelow).Ialsosuggestedsomeotherassetsfortheapp,andMariannegotBo“Dixie”Albinssontocreatethe

MobileAppDevelopmentUsingInternationalCollaboration

ByBillSchmachtenberg(DaeMiamisl)

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musicfortheapp.So,combiningresourcesreallyhelpedimprovetheapp,andreducethecostofdevelopingtheapp.

Mariannealsoprovidedtechnicalexpertisetoimprovetheapp.Myappswerealsofirstpersonperspectiveeducationalgames,butMarianneshowedmehowwecouldintroduceavatarsintotheapp,andevenhowtohavetheuserchooseaboyorgirlavatar.Shealsoimprovedthenavigationalsystemfortheapp.

Whenitcametimetocreatethebookforthestory,IwasthinkingofusingUnity’sGUIcodesinceIhaddoneitearlier,butMarianneconvincedmetogowiththenewUIinUnity4.6.ThisUIwouldallowallthegraphicsincludingthebookandpagestoautomaticallyscaletothescreenresolutionoftheuser’sdevicewithoutalotofcoding.Sheevenshowedmehowtoaddanimationsandsoundstotheapp,andthenhowtoanimateNPC(non-personalcharacters)totheapp.

Anotherbigadvantagetodevelopinganappwithanotherteacherwasbeingabletosharetheprojectfilesandexploittimezonedifferences.Thisallowedworktocontinueevenifoneofuswasbusyorsleeping!

Mybiggestcontributiontotheapp,wasproofreadingthestoryinthebookandfixinggrammaticalerrorssuchaspunctuation.EventhoughMariannespeaksfluentEnglish,mywritingwasbetterthanherssinceEnglishismyprimarylanguage.WealsoagreedthatmycompanycouldbettermarkettheappontheAppstore,butshewouldmarkettheapponGooglePlayandAmazon.Bycollaborating,wecouldgetbetterdistributionoftheappthaneitherofuscoulddoindividually.

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3DForestExplorerisaninteractivebookadventureproducedasaresultofinternationalcollaboration.

Thedownsidetocollaborationwasthateachofushadtogiveupalittleofourcreativefreedom,andcompromisewasessential.Forexample,IhadagreatanimateddinosaurthatIwantedintheapp,butMariannefeltitdidnotmeshwiththecartoonyfeelofit.So,Iremovedthedinosaurvowingtomakehimappearinalaterapp.

Mariannewantedtheplayertofreelyexploretheappwithlittledirection,butIfeltputtinginpathsprovidedstructuretothestory.Afterall,mostbooksarelinearinthewaythereaderfollowsthestoryline.Igotmypaths,butwedidputafewobjectsoffthepathsfortheplayertofind.Wealsohadtoagreeearlyonabouttheperspectivefromwhichtheplayerexperiencestheapp.Iwantedthestorytobewrittenfromafirstpersonperspective,butMariannewantedit

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fromtheviewpointoftheMage,amagicianinthestory.WeeventuallywentwiththeMage(Seepicturebelow).

Wealsohadtoagreeonsometechnicaldetails.Iwantedsimpleclicksonobjects,butMariannewantedray-tracedgraphics.Ray-tracedgraphicsrequiretheavatartobefacingtheobjectitisinteractingwithandtobeataclosedistancetotheobject.Mysimpleclicksdidnot.Mariannemadetheargumentthatinreallifeyoucannottouchanobject20feetaway,sowewentwithray-tracedgraphics.

Normally,ittakesmeaboutamonthtodevelopanapp,andbecausewehadtonegotiateonthestoryline,ittookaboutthesameamountoftimetocomeupwith3DForestExplorer.

TheMageappearstohelptheplayerinthestory.

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RESOLVINGCULTURALDIFFERENCES

Anotherissuearosewhenweweredevelopingtheapp,whichdealswithculturaldifferences.Thereisonepartoftheappwhentheplayercollectswoodandstartsafirewithmatches.Iwasconcernedtowardstheendthatsincewewerepitchingthisapptoelementaryschoolstudents,thatwemightbeencouragingyoungchildrentoplaywithmatchesandfire.Iwasconsideringremovingthefirescene,orputtingliberaldisclaimersatthebeginningoftheappandintheappdescriptionontheAppStore.

MariannetoldmethatinSweden,youngchildrenaretaughthowtostartfireswithmatchesatanearlyage.Mariannefeltthatsuchdisclaimerswerenotnecessary.Toresolvethis,IdiscussedtheissuewithourveryownRoseAnne Vojtek (aka, Roxie Neiro sl, who is an elementary principal in rl), who reminded me that fire is in Minecraft and is not a problem. So, the fire scene was left in.

Our app was submitted to Apple at the end of July and was approved in the first week in August.

You can try it by searching for 3D Forest Explorer on the App Store, or by clicking on this link for iPads: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/3d-forest-explorer/id1024690730?mt=8

For IPhone users, click this link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/3d-forest-explorer/id1024690730?mt=8

3DForestExplorer

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On Walkabout byCyrusHush(akaMattPoole)

Volume6--AnArcheologicalDiscovery!

WearefarfromfinishedwithourtreksacrossalloftheoriginalLindencontinents,buttheexcitingthingaboutexploringisstumblingacrosssomethingquiteunexpectedthatrequiresadetour.Suchisthecasewithournextdestination--stumbleduponquitebyaccidentalthoughsomeofyouwillundoubtedlyrecognizeit!

LyingtothesouthandeastofthepropercontinentsofNautilusandSatoriisastripofcontiguoussims.Toosmallforapropercontinentandnotonanyoftheoldcontinentmapsanyway,thisstripoflandlackstheuniformstyleandthemetobeoneofthemanyMcRentalcommunitiesthatdottheseas...sowhatisit?

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Toanswerthisknottyquestion,let'stakealookatanoldLindenMap...amapofthegrid,butnotamapoftheSecondLifegrid!

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That'sright...thisisamapoftheTeenGrid!WehavefoundthelostTeenGrid,orwhat'sleftofit!

Onceuponatimetherewasaseparately-maintainedSecondLifegridforpeopleaged13-17thathadprecisesafetycontrolsinplaceandwasusedquiteextensivelybyeducators--TheTeenGrid!TGwasopenedonFebruary14,2005,andwasunfortunatelyshutdownasaseparateentityonDecember31,2010becauseofwhatLindenLabsdescribedasconfusionwithdevelopmentandimprovementfortwodifferentsystems.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Second_Life)

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However,the"physical"TeenGridmainlandwasultimatelyimportedintoSecondLife,andnowexistsasavirtualhistoricalmonumentofftheeasterncoastofSatori.

Let'scheckitout!

Wemakelandfallatthefarnortherntip.Hyperionisacommercial/residentialareamuchlikeanymainlandsim,butwithamorecohesivestructure--reminiscentofaplannedcommunity.AsamatteroffactitremindsyoualotofthenorthwesternSansaracolonyofBayCitywhich,asitturnsout,wasalsooncepartoftheTeenGrid,andwasinfactdirectlyattachedtoHyperion!Thereareplentyofavatarsabout,buttheydonotappeartobeeitherteenagersoreducators.Wemoveon...

Asweworkourwaysouth,fromtimetotimewepassbywhatappeartobedisusedwelcomecenters.SeveralsimsappeartobenamedforEnglishtowns.BrightonandCamdensportsomeimpressivearchitectureandaquaintlittlecafe.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Camden/199/83/25

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http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Brighton/177/123/26

OperaSimboastsanimpressivebridge,amongotherthings.ThissimwasprimarilyoccupiedbyTheUnitedFederationofSimswhenitwaspartoftheTeenGrid.

(file://localhost/fromhttp/::secondlife.wikia.com:wiki:List_of_Teen_Grid_Regions).

UFSwas/isanexperimentwithvirtualgovernmentinSecondLife.

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http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Opera/94/181/40

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dougall/81/159/55

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NextstopisDougalSim,describedas"ThepublicstageofTeenSecondLife,whereanymembercanholdafreeeventwithoutreservationorhavingtoowntheland.

(file://localhost/fromhttp/::secondlife.wikia.com:wiki:List_of_Teen_Grid_Regions).

AtthesoutheasternendthelandchangestowhiteinagroupofsimsthatevoketheWinterlandsofSansara.Herewecomeacrossaskiresort!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sierra/199/181/87

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OfcoursewehavenotevenscratchedthesurfaceofexploringeventheghostoftheTeenGrid,butthoseofyouwhorememberorwhousedtheteengridinitsheydaymightfindthisaninterestingfieldtrip.Youmightevenfindsomeusefulresourcesstillexisting!

Asalways,thankyouforyourcompanyandI'llseeyouonournextexpedition!

Yourfriend,

Cyrus

*********************************************

SubmissionInformationat:

http://vwbpe.org/presenters/guidelines/machinima

Please note this is NOT a contest. The purpose of this event is to share, enjoy, and learn from each other. We are proud to be able to recognize the effort and talents of educators and students, and we appreciate the opportunity to view cutting-edge projects and films. Thank you for submitting your machinima to VWBPE 2016.

VWBPE2016

MachinimaShowcaseSubmissionsDue

January31,2017

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We

Hangin’

WithFriends!

ISTESLHeadquarters-OfficeHoursJanuary12,2016.PicturebyScottMerrick.

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WhereintheMetaverseis

AvaConGrid?

Be sure to check the new ISTE VEN Headquarters on the AvaCon Grid! This beautiful building was built by Helena Kiama (sl), Barbara Seaton (rl).

For more information about the Avacon Grid, visit https://www.avacon.org/blog/ and register for your free account at https://www.avacon.org/blog/

The Virtual World’s Best Practices In Education Conference (VWBPE16) will hold events on the AvaCon Grid during the conference March 9-12, 2016.

Looking forward to seeing you at ISTE Headquarters and VWBPE16. For more information about the conference visit www.vwbpe.org.

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Chris Haskell, Ed.D Clinical Assistant Professor Dept. of Educational Technology Boise State University SL: Dalai Haskell Skype: dalaihaskell AIM: haskellboise WhenlastweleftEpisodeTwoofBoiseStateUniversity’sEDTECH532EducationalGamesandSimulationscourse[SeeApril2015VEJ,pages30–34&June2015VEJ,pages102–104]amysteriousgreenorbturnedRaphaintoanalien.

VEJisexcitedtopresentEpisodeThreeinthisissueinserialform.YouwillbeviewingtheactualscreenshotsandthedialogcapturedfromchatintheirSecondLifeclassroom.Thisepisodeconcludesthe16-weekcourseinsplendiddetail.Itdoes,however,state,“tobecontinued”sostaytunedformore!

ENJOY!

EDTECH 532

EducationalGames&Simulations

Part3

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WriteforVEJWeareespeciallyinterestedinhoweducatorsareusingvirtualenvironmentsand/or

digitalgameenvironmentstomotivatestudentsfromearlyeducationthroughcollege.What’sworking?Notworking?Whatarethebestpracticeswhenusingvirtualenvironmentsand/ordigitalgameenvironmentsforinstructionasateachingtool?Howcanteachers/administratorsharnessthepoweroftheseenvironmentstomotivatestudents?Howcantheseenvironmentsbeusedtopromotelocalandstatestandardsandcurriculaincludingthecommoncorestandards?Howarevirtualandgameenvironments/worldsbeingusedinteacherprepprograms?Howcanwebestpromotetheeffectiveuseofvirtualanddigitalgameenvironmentstoenhanceandengageteachersandstudentsinqualitylearningexperiences.

Pleasesubmitarticles,approximately500–1800words(inCambria14pt).Pleaseincludepicturesandgraphicswiththehighestresolutionpossible(usingpng,tiff,jpeg)to:rvojtek@edovation.com.Besuretoput“VEJ”insubjectline.

Ifyouhavequestions,emailrvojtek@edovation.comorgiveRoxieNeiro(sl)anotecardinsecondlife.YoucanfindmoreinformationandseepreviousissuesofVEJatwww.virtualeducationjournal.com

Besuretovisitusathttp://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EduIsland%209/21/39/22inSecondLife,ourwebsiteathttp://virtualeducationjournal.com/,andfollowusontwitter@VEJournaland#VEJournal.TolearnmoreaboutISTESIGVEeventsvisithttp://sigve.weebly.com/.

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