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Taking Control?
One way in which chidren's visual literacy may be developed is through the use of software on a computer which gives them more control over images. Virtual reality technology offers this capability.
Non-immersive or Desktop VR applications have many strengths in relation to educational use:
- They are experiential;
- Viewing images is a more “first-hand experience”;
- They allow intuitive human-computer interaction;
- They use similar skills as those used in the real world;
- Desktop VR can be a shared experience that leads to collaboration and exploratory talk;
Cronin P (1997) Report on the applications of virtual reality technology to education Virtual Reality and Education Laboratory (VREL) College of Education, East Carolina University, USA http://www.soe.ecu.edu/vr/vrel.htm Accessed May 2003
- Because they can explore an image independently and take control, VR may help young children to take in the "whole picture".
An example of a Desktop VR application is QuickTime VR. Although researchers at VREL argue that QTVR is "not a form of virtual reality" (Pantelides & Auld 2003) - they have coined the term Quasi-VR to describe it - it has most of the attributes of Desktop VR. Most importantly, it is a form of VR technology which is simple to use, relatively undemanding in terms of hardware and is, therefore, accessible in educational contexts.
What is QuickTime VR?
- VR = Virtual Reality
- It is an electronic image format created by Apple Computer© which is available on both Windows and Macintosh platforms;
- It enables the user to explore a still image of a place as a 360 degree panorama;
- The user can move around the image and zoom in and out to investigate details;
- The user is more “in control” than when viewing a conventional image.
Task
Explore some QuickTime VR panoramas by visiting the following Web pages:
To what extent do you feel more in control of the image than when looking at a conventional photograph?
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