I attended the Introduction to Virtual Reality Workshop on Tuesday, March 21st at the Edge in the Bizzell Memorial Library. Virtual Reality was a topic that was very new to me, and I was eager to see what VR was all about. I discovered that OVAL was a virtual reality software system that could be used for teaching and learning material ranging from science and medicine to architecture to gaming and experimenting for fun. This software allowed users to upload images and characterize them in the virtual 3D world. I got to work with a skull model that let me see the 3D object in life size scale and proportion. The OVAL let me draw and mark on the skull and rotate its form in a 360 degree direction. The amazing thing about VR using OVAL is all the amazing opportunities you can use in the classroom. I also experienced flying through a blood vessel, examining the vessel in a whole 360 degrees. These opportunities are vary rare to come by, and students would have some many amazing opportunities to explore the VR world that they wouldn't find anywhere else. Another software I got to observe and test out was the holographic VR system. This was similar to the OVAL but the users could still see the present world in front of them and aren't secluded to just the 3D virtual world. I enjoyed seeing the different holographics when using this technology. Another interesting thing about this software is the ability to connect with other VR users and share the same screen. As an educator, I could see this software being very useful in various classes where all students can share a similar learning experience. As I was experimenting through the science "lense" of VR, I found how useful this software could be for specific classes such as biology, chemistry, anatomy, and many more. The only downfall to obtaining these software systems is the costs and knowledge of use. The VR club at OU is still experimenting and learning with new software, so I see it being very difficult for teachers to learn and teach their students, especially at an elementary age. However, I believe at the higher educational level, students can benefit tremendously with in depth content and VR.
