CQIEC

1. Seeing is Believing:
Use of Immersive Technologies to Facilitate
Deep Engagement in Experiential Curricula
Critical Questions in Education Conference
Portland, Oregon
Alison Schmidt & Megan Wereley
Department of Education, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH
March 5, 2018

2. Get Ready
to Immerse
Yourself!
In preparation for our presentation,
please consider downloading the
Youtube App
to your phone and log-in using your
Google sign-in info
(or create an account if you don’t already have one)

3. Overview
What is the role of immersive technology
in enhancing experiential learning opportunities?

4. Guiding
Questions
● Do face-to-face
interactions need
to be at odds with
digital
environments that
are defining the
educational
landscapes of
today?
● Can immersive
technologies offer
ways to experience
environments
beyond the physical
classroom spaces in
which we teach?

5. Foundational Knowledge
● What are current practices related
to the use of immersive technology
experiences in experiential
curricula?
● What are some of the benefits for
implementing immersive technology
experiences into curricula?
● What are the the processes and
challenges of conceptualizing and
implementing authentic immersive
technology experiences into
experiential curricula?

6. What Technologies are Available?
● What technologies can blur the
lines between physical and
simulated worlds, particularly in
regard to expanding educational
options for students?
● Virtual Reality (VR)
Applications
● 3D Cameras and Video
● Immersive Viewing
● Telerobotics

7. Deeper Engagement-
How does immersive technology allow students to
see differently?
Change the Depth of Viewing
Experience
Flat vs. 360
Diversity in Opportunities
for Critical Engagement
● Grade Level
● Educational Philosophy
● Program Model
● Teaching Style
● P-12 Student Needs

8. Virtual Reality (VR)
...an artificial, interactive environment experienced
though sensory stimuli (sights and sounds)... in which
one’s actions partially determine their interaction with
the environment

9. Recording
Devices:
3D/360
Cameras
Cost
Simplicity of Use
Ease of Transport
Transmission of Recordings
Required Software

10. 360 Panorama App
$1.99
Giroptic IO HD
360 for
iphone/iPad
$149.
Samsung
Gear 360
$129
3D and 360 cameras… also known as immersive
videos or spherical videos are video recordings where a view in
every direction is recorded at the same time, shot using an
omnidirectional camera or a collection of cameras. During
playback the viewer has control of the viewing direction like a
panorama.
VUZE
$399.00
Samsung 360
Round
10K

11. Telerobotics
...area of robotics concerned with control of semi-
autonomous robots from a distance, chiefly using
Wireless networks to offer real-time virtual presence in
an alternate, otherwise inaccessible setting

12. Proof of
Concept ● Multiple Learning Environments
● Consulted with classroom teachers to determine
curricular focus for videos
● Filming Strategies:
○ Onsite Faculty/ IT team
○ Trained Classroom Teacher
○ Instruction Guide
Limitations:
● Student Permissions
● Teacher And Student Comfort Level
● Editing!!!

13. Instructions for 360 Viewing
Download Youtube App to your phone and log-in using your Google sign-in info (or create an account if you don’t already
have one)
Open another browser and go to education.spaces.wooster.edu
Go to Digital-Age Learning and then click on VR Gallery
Select any video (except the one labeled FLAT) and click on white arrow in upper right hand corner
Double click on URL address that pops up in center of screen.
This will take you to Youtube in your browser and then you’ll need to hit “open” in the upper right hand corner. This should
allow the video to pop-up within the Youtube app.
At this point, you can watch the video in 360 by manipulating it with your fingers and/or by walking around the room.
Make it Immersive:
To watch the video using the cardboard viewers, click on the white “mask” in the lower right hand corner.

14. Encouraging Deep Engagement:
Implementation as a Teaching Tool
Sample Video: Preschool Free Time
Set Purpose Viewing:
● What activities are available for free play?
● What materials are visible and accessible?
● How do the students engage with materials?
● How are adults interacting with students?
Sample Video: High School Theater Class
Set Purpose for Viewing:
● How are the students engaged in
simultaneous experiences?
● What constructive feedback might you offer
for each performance?
● How does the presence of VR enhance the
lesson structure?

15. Assessment of Impact of Teaching Model
How can VR be used as a tool for assessment of P-12 students and their
learning environments?
● View the space and the ways in which students interact in the space
● View and assess a wide variety of learning environments
● Individualize
● View real-time interactions
● Provide specific examples
● Provide repeated viewing if needed
● Ways students interact in the environment
● View progress over time

16. Where do we go from here?
Assessment:
How effective is the use of VR as a
teaching tool for developing dynamic
teachers who are comfortable in
varied teaching environments?
Resource Collaboration:
How might we work with other
educators and institutions to share
resources including VR footage,
opportunities for onsite telepresence
and supporting curricular materials?

17. Seeing is Believing:
Use of Immersive
Technologies to
Facilitate Deep
Engagement in
Experiential Curricula
elieving:
Use ofSeeing is Believing:
Questions?
Alison Schmidt
aschmidt@wooster.edu
Megan Wereley
mwereley@wooster.edu
Thank you!