Category Archives: Virtual Reality

Exeter is getting a brand new virtual reality centre - letting you train as a Jedi or run away from zombies.

iVR is the latest facility to be added to popular destination iBounce trampoline park and iPlay soft play centre in Exeter, Marsh Barton.

VR, which stands for Virtual Reality, is an immersive gaming concept available for single or multiplayer use.

With a wide variety of games there is something suitable for everyone as the levels go from beginner to expert.

It's easily tailored to you based on your interests, which gives you a highly personalised experienced using the latest emerging gaming technology.

The new VR centre will cater for a range of ages and is even available for private hire of up to 12 people at a time. It's also very popular when it comes to team building and corporate activity (a fun and different office day out!)

Virtual experiences:

Training as aStar Wars Jedi. Repairing and defending theMillennium Falconfrom attack byImperial Stormtroopers.

Immersing yourself deep into the heart of aZombie Apocalypse,put yoursurvival skillsto the test inArizona Sunshine.

You can use yoursports skillsto climb all the way to the top of the leader board inVR Super Sport.

Or test your fear of heights and take theride of your lifeon one of their theme parkinspired attractions

Feeling brave? not one for those scared of heights, walk the plankfrom 80 storeys high.

With a wide range of games available it's offering a next level virtual reality experience for families, friends and colleagues.

Here at Devon Live we will be giving you an exclusive first look when they are open to test out their new studio, and having a look at all of the different games.

Visit their website for more information.

Go here to read the rest:

Brand new virtual reality centre set to open in Exeter very soon - Devon Live

Singapore. The sixth Singapore Biennale will rununtil March this year at various venues in the city-state. The biggest art event in the country displays more than 200 notable contemporary works by artists from Southeast Asia and beyond.

This year, the biennale takes on the theme of"Every Step in the Right Direction" to reflect on the conditions of contemporary lifeandis held simultaneously at 11 venues the Asian Civilization Museum, de Suantio Gallery, Esplanade Theaters, Gillman Barracks, LaSalle College of the Arts, National Gallery Singapore, National Library, National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Art Museum, Far East Plazaand W!ld Rice Funan.

But don't fret, you can easily move from onelocation to another on boardthe city's super-efficientMRT trains orpublic buses.Afree Singapore Biennale tour bus will run on weekends only (National Gallery Singapore and Gillman Barracks).

Itwill likelytake you more than two days to explore all the sites during the biennale. But Andrea Fam, the assistant curator of the Singapore Art Museum, has suggestedthis list of highlights that you simply can't miss.

'Instruction' by Wendelien van Oldenborgh

Oldenborgh is a Dutch artistwhose mother lived in Java during the Dutch occupation of Indonesia before the Second World War. Her work at the biennale, "Instruction,"exploresunresolved issues fromDutch military interventions in Indonesia.

The video installation shows four young cadets from the Royal Netherlands Military Academy readinga script written by her about her mother.

"It hastwo screens, one showing Dutch military cadetsreciting a powerful propaganda piece, and anothershowing the translation. It makes you think about language today what are we focusing on, the content of what's being said or who is sayingit?Oldenborgdemands ofus to choose the visual image or the text, when you actually have to look at both or you won't understand a thing,"Fam told the Jakarta Globe.

Olderborgh's work is on display at the National Gallery Singapore.

'Relic 3' by Larry Achiampong

British-Ghanaian Achiampong revisits the history of colonization usingscience fiction and the concept of Afrofuturism. The piece is part of a series where he explores the fictitious Relic Travellers'Alliance of the African Union. The travelers go back and forward in time and assess where and how civilization went wrong.

"I think it'sa powerful way to assess all thecraziness ofthe world today. What Larry is doing is speculating can the African continent be the one to save the world?He started off by imagining2016 as an important year, with uncertainties in the Westwhile in Africa they produced a unified passport for the whole continent,"Fam said.

Achiampong's work can be found at the National Gallery Singapore.

'Block 22' at the Gillman Barracks

Block 22 is one of three blocks at the Gillman Barracks, displaying works from Paphonosak La-or, Ruangsak Anuwatwimonand Dusadee Huntrakul from Thailand, Robert Zhao Renhui from Singaporeand Zakaria Omar from Brunei.

"It's like a mini national history museum thateffectively illustratesthe biennale. The block shows artists who are tackling the thinking of constructs itself. You have Anuwatwimon who vividly reconstructs extinct species of plants. Omar who creates atotemic monument from demolished old stilt housesand Huntrakul who questions our value system through ancient relics,"Fam said.

'An Obstacle in Every Direction' by Nabilah Nordin

Nordin's work invites us to enter a room full of objects that are unsettlingly placed to suggestfailure routes that might go somewhere, nowhereor everywhere.

"When you enter this site, you will feel uneasiness because you're in this chaos, where things look like they're about to fall apart. The uncomfortable sensation that you feel is what she wants you to experience, being vulnerable, theawkwardness that you need to embrace. It's about not taking things too seriously,"Fam said.

"I think it's an important work because it summarizes the biennale nicely. Take your time, clear your routes there is no prize in the end, but maybe you will feel ease in this world,"Fam said.

Another must-see workat the biennaleisthe award-winning virtual reality experience "La camera insabbiata (The Chalkroom)" by Laurie Anderson and Hsin-Chien Huang thatlets the audience fly througha labyrinth filled with writings and drawings.

Indonesia Represents

Works by Indonesian artists at the Singapore BiennaleincludeBoedi Widjaja's "Black-Hut, Black-Hut" on display at the National Gallery Singapore,an architectural installation inspired by the Javanese joglo house.

Also at the Gallery, Gillman Barracksand LaSalle College of the Arts, you will find a series of works byHafiz Rancajale from Pekanbaru called "Social Organism,"a rumination on Indonesia's post-Reformasi struggles.

Read more:

Colonialism, Afrofuturism, Virtual Reality: the Best of the Singapore Biennale - Jakarta Globe

The so-called "v-commerce" arm will rely on many of the same digital assets created using its augmented reality technology

NexTech AR Solutions Corp () (OTCMKTS:NEXCF), the augmented reality company, announced Wednesday that its gearing up to launch a virtual reality division called VRitize.

The new division will work hand-in-hand with its ARitize counterpart, utilizing many of the same 3D assets created for augmented reality, now as part of an immersive v-commerce experience that takes place in-store.

Combined, the VR/AR combo will help NexTech achieve its revenue goal of $20 million in 2020, the company said.

By adding VR to our product mix we are positioning NexTech as the industry leader set to dominate both the AR and VR industry for retail, CEO Evan Gappelberg said in statement. We are super excited to be able to leverage our growing 3D/AR library of assets and technical capabilities into virtual reality which compliments our AR technology stack and represents another multi-billion dollar vertical for NexTech.

The VRitize platform will include an app for both iOS and Android, the company said, and be compatible with most VR headsets, including s () Oculus.

For Gappelberg, this technology marks another seismic shift in retail.

New AR/VR technologies are starting to transform the multi-trillion dollar retail industry, just like Wamnamaker changed the game when he opened the first department store in 1876, then Sears with its massive catalog, next came the internet and Amazon which revolutionized retail with e-commerce, Gappelberg said.

Now we are entering a 4th transformational wave where AR/VR and 3D content creation are becoming essential to merchandising products both online and in brick and mortar stores. NexTech sits right at the forefront of this massive opportunity and tidal wave of innovation which is going to completely change the way we shop over the next few years."

The New York- and Toronto-based companys augmented reality offerings include AR for e-commerce, AR in Chat, its ARitize App and AR University for education and training.

Shares of NexTech jumped almost 10% to C$3.10 on the CSE and 11% to US$2.38 on OTC Markets on Wednesday.

Updated to include stock movement

Contact Andrew Kessel at [emailprotected]

Follow him on Twitter @andrew_kessel

See the original post here:

NexTech AR Solutions adds virtual reality to its arsenal with VRitize division - Proactive Investors USA & Canada

THE STORY of women's activism throughout history is being chronicled in a unique virtual reality experience.

The Peace Museum, in partnership with National Lottery Project Remembering Resistance, is exploring 100 years of womens protest and activism, drawing from collections of photographs and resources from time past.

Rooted in Bradford, the viewer will walk through a march led by the Bradford Female Radical Association of 1839, encountering virtual representatives of northern women's movements chronologically through the ages.

Working alongside students from Grange School in Bradford, the project will bring together resources from The Peace Museums collection as well as material from Lancaster Universitys Remembering Resistance project.

Pupils have been exploring The Peace Museums collection of over 7000 objects relating to peaceful activism and pick out relevant artefacts, such as posters or banners. These objects will then be digitised by Lancasters team to form part of the virtual reality march.

Jude Wright, peace educator at The Peace Museum said: "We're really excited to be working with Remembering Resistance on this unique VR project.

"It's amazing that our collection is being used to form a piece of virtual reality as this is something we have never done before.

"Using our collection to explore the history of peaceful activism to inspire the next generation to see peacemaking as an active endeavour is one of the driving forces behind our work.

"We hope that the young people involved will be inspired by exploring peace objects in the museum and that the many more people who take part in the VR experience learn from the stories of protest in the North of England."

During the VR experience, viewers will be able to 'select' artefacts from the virtual march to find out more information.

Extracts from oral histories illustrating women's experiences of protest collected through Remembering Resistance will also be included in the virtual march, creating an experience for all the senses.

The virtual march will be available across different platforms, including the Google cardboard app and viewer and via a web-based platform, enabling teachers to access the materials through an interactive whiteboard.

The project will be co-ordinated by Lancaster University, co-designed with young people, delivered by education and museum professionals, and will be shared throughout the project partners networks.

Remembering Resistance: A Century of Women's Protest in the North of England has been awarded by the Heritage Fund.

Go here to read the rest:

Peace Museum virtual reality project focuses on Northern activism - Bradford Telegraph and Argus

The "Voice over 5G Market by Vo5G in SmartPhones, Wearable Tech, IoT, Virtual Reality, Telepresence, Robotics and Teleoperation 2020 - 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report evaluates the Vo5G market including companies, technologies, strategies, and solutions.

The report assesses the market potential and outlook for many Vo5G supported applications and services including enhancements to existing solutions as well as completely new user experiences and use case scenarios. It also evaluates how 5G will support various next-generation immersive apps and services such as virtual reality. The report includes detailed Vo5G market forecasts for all major equipment, application, and industry segments for the 2020 to 2025 period.

Key Findings

Voice quality gained significant ground with Voice over LTE (VoLTE) with the deployment of 4G LTE networks. Voice over 5G (Vo5G) service will build on those advancements as evolved voice systems leverage combined 5G core network elements along with IP Multimedia Systems (IMS), VoLTE enhancements, 5G Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and other 5G New Radio (5GNR) 5G radio access network equipment such as smart antennas.

Advantages of Vo5G include ultra-high definition voice/audio for both voice-only calls as well as integration with applications and content such as announcements, music, conferencing, and more. Vo5G will also provide enhanced support for real-time communications including Rich Communications Services (RCS) integration.

Real-time feature/functionality will include unprecedented interactive capabilities such as real-time language translations. Many of the more advanced functions will work only in a 5GNR environment with the support of 5G core infrastructure. Consequently, there is a need for 4G/VoLTE hand-over for a relatively smooth transition from Voice over NR (VoNR) to VoLTE when crossing into service areas lacking sufficient 5GNR coverage.

Vo5G is anticipated to become increasingly more valuable to enterprise and consumer segments coincident with the growth of next-generation applications, especially those involving immersive technologies such as augmented, virtual, and mixed reality. Anytime, anywhere telepresence, holographic communications, and telepresent robotics are some of the key solution areas that will leverage Vo5G, specifically VoNR.

Report Benefits

Key Topics Covered

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction

2.1 Voice over IP in Cellular

2.1.1 VoIP in Wireless Networks

2.1.2 Voice over LTE

2.1.3 Voice over 5G

3. Vo5G Deployment Challenges

3.1 Vo5G Standardization

3.2 5G Service Optimization

4. Vo5G Market Dynamics

4.1 Vo5G to accelerate 5G Development

4.2 Voice Solution to Drive 5G Commercialization

4.3 5G Enabled Applications to Accelerate Vo5G

4.4 Service Assurance will be a Key Challenge

5. Vo5G Technology and Market Analysis

5.1 5G New Radio Infrastructure

5.1.1 5G Base Station

5.1.2 Small Cell

5.1.3 Macro Cell

5.1.4 Baseband Units and RF Units

5.1.5 Remote Radio Heads

5.1.6 Distributed Antenna System

5.2 IP Multimedia Subsystem

5.3 Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and IMS Functions Network for Vo5G

5.4 EPS and RAT Fall Back Multicarrier Network Solution

5.5 Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Functional Intelligence

5.6 HPC to Enhance Computing Performance

5.7 5G Security to Protect Data, Communication, and Network

6. Vo5G Ecosystem and Value Chain Analysis

6.1 Real-Time Voice and Video Communication

6.2 Mobile VoIP

6.3 SMS and USSD Solution

6.4 IoT Modular Solution

6.5 Mobile AR and VR

6.5.1 360 Video VR Experience will Play Pivotal Role

6.5.2 Real Time VR will Kick-off the Market

6.5.3 Allowing Full HD Streaming and 4K Video for VR

6.5.4 Vo5G to Take Haptic Experience Mainstream in VR Application

6.5.5 Vo5G to Allow Telecom Operators Playing Pivotal Role into VR Ecosystem

6.5.6 5G to Support Drone and Telerobotic into VR Ecosystem

6.5.7 Chip Manufacturer to Play Important Role

6.6 Automated Assistant Apps and Devices

6.7 Edge Processing for Voice Over WiFi

6.8 Enabling Network Data Analytics

6.9 CPaaS and UCaaS

6.10 Vo5G Trialand Development

6.11 Vo5G Value Chain Analysis

6.11.1 5G NR Infrastructure Providers

6.11.2 VoLTE and IMS Infrastructure Suppliers

6.11.3 Enabling Technology Providers

6.11.4 5G Device OEMs

6.11.5 Deployment and Test, Roaming, and Billing Service Providers

Story continues

6.11.6 Mobile Operators

7. Vo5G Vendor and Service Provider Analysis

7.1 CISCO Systems Inc.

7.2 Nokia Networks

7.3 Ericsson AB

7.4 Qualcomm Incorporated

7.5 Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

7.6 Intel Corporation

7.7 AT&T Inc.

7.8 SK Telecom Co. Ltd.

7.9 Verizon Communications

7.10 China Mobile

7.11 NTT DoCoMo Inc.

7.12 Vodafone

7.13 Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

7.14 LG Electronics Inc.

7.15 T-Mobile US Inc.

7.16 KT Corporation

7.17 NEC Corporation

7.18 Fujitsu Ltd.

7.19 ZTE Corporation

7.20 Deutsche Telekom AG

7.21 Broadcom Corporation

7.22 LG Uplus Corp.

7.23 SingTel

7.24 Telefonica

7.25 HPE

7.26 VMware Inc.

7.27 MediaTek Inc.

7.28 Juniper Networks Inc.

7.29 Analog Devices Inc.

7.30 MACOM Technology

7.31 Orange S.A.

7.32 Cavium

7.33 Qorvo Inc.

8. Vo5G Market Analysis and Forecasts 2020-2025

8.1 Global Vo5G Market 2020-2025

More:

Global Voice over 5G Market Outlook Report, 2020-2025: Vo5G in SmartPhones, Wearable Tech, IoT, Virtual Reality, Telepresence, Robotics, and...

Phyllis Holmes, a former art teacher, is surrounded by family photos and by watercolors she has painted. She's 91 and recently moved into hospice care in Burlington, Mass., but she's still able to travel.

Her destination one recent day was Harbor Springs, Michigan. There was no bag to pack, no ticket to buy, nothing to plan. Instead, Holmes and her daughter, Rebecca Oteri, returned to their beloved vacation spot with the help of virtual reality headsets.

"This is great," said Holmes as she looked through her headset and took in the 360-degree view.

Once largely the domain of gamers, virtual reality (VR) for seniors is a now a booming field, as an aging population and a shortage of elderly care-givers have added impetus to find new options for senior care. The technology is mostly used in group settings to connect residents in shared social experiences like reminiscing, games and 'bucket list' travel. VR also has applications that address a wide range of health issues, from exercise, to dementia to pain management.

"We have to look at innovation and different tools to come up with new solutions to address issues of social isolation and loneliness and allow people to stay engaged and active," said University of Pennsylvania Professor George Demiris, an expert in the use of technology for the elderly in care settings.

In hospice settings like Holmes', VR is a popular way for patients to return to a childhood home and find joy in remembering.

"Our whole goal is to help somebody to have a peaceful passing, said Casey Cuthbert-Allman, executive director of Continuum Care Hospice, which operates the facility where Holmes is receiving care. Part of that process is to do a life review. This technology really helps us transport them to accomplish that. This VR project also helps them reconnect with family members."

Looking through her VR headset, Holmes marveled as she recognized familiar streets. She said VR helps stimulate her thoughts.

"Its all based on that one little glimmer that comes about when you look at something that you havent seen for a long time. When you look at these things, theyre about you or about what you would have liked," she said. "That to me is a continuation of growing and keeping your mind working as you age."

"The vacations were our absolute favorite time," said Holmes' daughter, Rebecca Oteri, "so I like to re-live them with her so that she can remember, as well. And then, you know, we spent some time talking about things that werent so good. And [we] have come to some understanding and agreement about those."

Demiris said VR has also shown early promise for dementia patients. While studies so far are small and he says more studies are needed, there is some evidence virtual reality can have a calming effect for older adults who have experienced dementia and show anger or aggressive behavior.

Experts are also looking at other uses for VR in seniors' lives. Benedictine Health System, which runs a network of Catholic nonprofit senior living centers in five Midwestern states, has partnered with the company MyndVR. Benedictine uses the content for group social activities and to draw out isolated residents, but they've recently started using VR for pain reduction during wound dressing. A 2019 review of studies in the Journal of Pain Research concluded that VR is an effective treatment for reducing acute pain.

Headsets are put on patients who can choose from a menu of content to relax just before a dressing is changed.

"The goal is to provide diversity in non-pharmacological interventions, " said Dr. Neal Buddensick, Benedictine's chief medical officer, "We're trying to cut down on the number of pills."

Still, Demiris and others caution that VR should augment and not substitute for human encounters.

"We would never say that technology could replace the human touch," Grace Andruszkiewicz, marketing director for Rendever, the Somerville-based company that makes the VR technology Holmes uses. "What were trying to do is augment the human touch."

At the end of her VR session, Holmes decided she'd also like to travel in VR to places she never got to in real life. As she looked around at a 360-degree virtual view of the marbled halls of the Vatican, she joked about not having to stand in line, as she did on so many real trips.

Would she consider a safari?

"At this distance, yes," Phyllis said with a laugh.

Go here to see the original:

How Virtual Reality Is Providing Comfort To Elderly Hospice Patients And Others - wgbh.org

Cole del Charco reports on how classrooms are using technology to take students on virtual field trips.

Earlier this semester, students in sixth grade at St. Timothys School in Raleigh took a trip to the Roman Coliseum and Greek Parthenon. But they did so without ever leaving their classroom.

All it took was a set of virtual reality headsets and help from the schools technology teacher.

"If youre moving around a lot, you will get motion sick," technology teacher Bradon Bogumil warned the kids as they donned the headsets. "So dont do that."

Bogumil can bring VR to any classroom, and he helps teachers craft the "trips." St. Timothy's School started using the technology this school year, and the goal is for all students to go on at least one VR field trip before the end of the school year.

In Kim Balentine's sixth-grade art class, students lift the red and white headsets up to see ancient rock pillars and ruins of two of the worlds best-known structures. The class is learning about Greek architecture for a pottery project.

Balentine leads students through the virtual site and asks them to identify the "tall, worn, rock things."

Hands across the room shoot up, but one student is particularly excited.

"Ooh, maybe those were part of the buildings?" Ella Burnhamsaid. "And they were the columns of the buildings."

Balentine nods in approval. "Excellent, yes ma'am!" she responds.

The field trip goes on like this, Balentine pointing students toward specific aspects of the 360-degreee landscape, asking questions.

But just like on any field trip, students notice more than the one or two things theyre supposed to be focusing on.

"Oh my gosh," yelps one of the students. "Thats a giant dead squirrel."

Down to the right, just in front of the Roman Coliseum is, indeed, a dead squirrel. It causes quite a distraction, as students call across the room to others to ask where it is and how they can find it.

Students, are, after all, still kids. But in a virtual reality field trip, they do have more control over their indiviudal learning experience than on a normal field trip.

"In virtual reality, every student has agency to drive their own learning," said Iulian Radu, who develops and researches emerging educational technology at Harvard University. "Thats where one of the benefits is in these kinds of experiential learning experiences."

Radu said these kinds of student-led opportunities are what make virtual reality, and even augmented reality, a benefit in the classroom. But, he said, educators have to think differently for this kind of learning experience to be effective.

"Theres an expression, instead of the 'sage on the stage,' they have to switch to being the 'guide on the side,'" Radu said. "So the teacher is more of a guide through the virtual experience and their role is now changing."

Field trips have always been the standard for experiential learning. But trips to museums or other locations are subject to permission slips and local opportunities. Anything more than that has always been little more than fantasy.

In the animated TV show "The Magic School Bus," Miss Frizzle would shrink the bus and take her students on wild rides inside the human body or rain clouds. In books like "The Magic Tree House," readers can follow the characters as they are transported to a different historical time and place.

But now with virtual reality, students can get much closer than an imaginary world or pictures on a screen. The technology is shown to provide - on a deeper psychological level - the experience of actually living a different experience.

Creating these field trips is complicated and expensive. As the technology improves, it will get cheaper, and students will be able to experience more and more.

Right now, VR field trips are likely out of reach for large-scale use in public schools.

"I think we will see a lot more field trips," Radu said. "But on a shorter scale."

But even if virtual reality field trips became cheaper than actual field trips, Radu says he hopes they never completely replace getting out of the classroom.

"Theres still something about reality that youll pick up by just going to a place," Radu said.

At St. Timothys School, leaders say the technology wont be replacing normal field trips any time soon.

Go here to read the rest:

Virtual Reality Field Trips Take Students Around The World - WUNC

A grant in the School of Optometry will enable researchers to study the use of virtual reality and intelligent tutoring in an effort to make low vision rehabilitation more accessible and affordable.

Lei Liu, Ph.D., School of OptometryLei Liu, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has received a four-year, $2.5 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the use of virtual reality and intelligent tutoring in an effort to make low vision rehabilitation more accessible and affordable for at-risk populations.

The long-term objective of Lius research is to integrate Virtual Reality-based Intelligent Orientation and Mobility Specialists into orientation and mobility rehabilitation practice so that this valuable service becomes accessible and affordable to all who may benefit from it.

Currently, O&M rehabilitation is the primary method to restore independent travel to those with low vision and improve their quality of life. However, factors like a shortage of O&M specialists and socioeconomic constraints make access to O&M rehabilitation tough.

A VR-IOMS is a computer program that mimics human O&M specialists teaching strategies and tactics to conduct automated and individualized O&M skill training to individuals with low vision in safe virtual environments. When VR-IOMS courses are delivered through the internet, low vision travelers can receive quality O&M training at their convenient location and time with little cost.

We believe that if low vision travelers can learn O&M skills in a safe environment in their convenient location and time, and if such learning is self-regulated, with minimal intervention from an O&M specialist, we can overcome the accessibility and affordability barriers to O&M rehabilitation. This led to the idea of Virtual Reality-based Intelligent Orientation and Mobility Specialists (VR-IOMSs), Liu said.

This research is built on Lius previous study of teaching O&M skills in virtual streets. It includes the technical development of VR-IOMSs, in collaboration with the University of Alabama, and a clinical trial to compare the training effectiveness of the VR-IOMS and human O&M specialists, in collaboration with Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind.

Read the rest here:

R01 grant to study ways virtual reality can assist with low vision rehabilitation - UAB News

By Cole del Charco, WUNC Fletcher Fellow for education policy reporting

Raleigh, N.C. Earlier this semester, students in sixth grade at St. Timothys School in Raleigh took a trip to the Roman Coliseum and Greek Parthenon. But they did so without ever leaving their classroom.

All it took was a set of virtual reality headsets and help from the schools technology teacher.

"If youre moving around a lot, you will get motion sick," technology teacher Bradon Bogumil warned the kids as they donned the headsets. "So dont do that."

Bogumil can bring VR to any classroom, and he helps teachers craft the "trips." St. Timothy's School started using the technology this school year, and the goal is for all students to go on at least one VR field trip before the end of the school year.

In Kim Balentine's sixth-grade art class, students lift the red and white headsets up to see ancient rock pillars and ruins of two of the worlds best-known structures. The class is learning about Greek architecture for a pottery project.

Balentine leads students through the virtual site and asks them to identify the "tall, worn, rock things."

Hands across the room shoot up, but one student is particularly excited.

"Ooh, maybe those were part of the buildings?" Ella Burnham said. "And they were the columns of the buildings."

Balentine nods in approval. "Excellent, yes ma'am!" she responds.

Sixth graders Ella Burnham and Oliver Kilani try to get a better view of ancient ruins during a virtual field trip. (Cole del Charco/WUNC)

The field trip goes on like this, Balentine pointing students toward specific aspects of the 360-degreee landscape, asking questions.

But just like on any field trip, students notice more than the one or two things theyre supposed to be focusing on.

"Oh my gosh," yelps one of the students. "Thats a giant dead squirrel."

Down to the right, just in front of the Roman Coliseum is, indeed, a dead squirrel. It causes quite a distraction, as students call across the room to others to ask where it is and how they can find it.

Students, are, after all, still kids. But in a virtual reality field trip, they do have more control over their individual learning experience than on a normal field trip.

"In virtual reality, every student has agency to drive their own learning," said Iulain Radu, who develops and researches emerging educational technology at Harvard University. "Thats where one of the benefits is in these kinds of experiential learning experiences."

Radu said these kinds of student-led opportunities are what make virtual reality, and even augmented reality, a benefit in the classroom. But, he said, educators have to think differently for this kind of learning experience to be effective.

"Theres an expression, instead of the 'sage on the stage,' they have to switch to being the 'guide on the side,'" Radu said. "So the teacher is more of a guide through the virtual experience and their role is now changing."

Field trips have always been the standard for experiential learning. But trips to museums or other locations are subject to permission slips and local opportunities. Anything more than that has always been little more than fantasy.

In the animated TV show "The Magic School Bus," Miss Frizzle would shrink the bus and take her students on wild rides inside the human body or rain clouds. In books like "The Magic Tree House," readers can follow the characters as they are transported to a different historical time and place.

But now with virtual reality, students can get much closer than an imaginary world or pictures on a screen. The technology is shown to provide on a deeper psychological level the experience of actually living a different experience.

Creating these field trips is complicated and expensive. As the technology improves, it will get cheaper, and students will be able to experience more and more.

Right now, VR field trips are likely out of reach for large-scale use in public schools.

"I think we will see a lot more field trips," Radu said. "But on a shorter scale."

But even if virtual reality field trips became cheaper than actual field trips, Radu says he hopes they never completely replace getting out of the classroom.

"Theres still something about reality that youll pick up by just going to a place," Radu said.

At St. Timothys School, leaders say the technology wont be replacing normal field trips any time soon.

Read more here:

Virtual reality field trips take Raleigh students around the world - WRAL.com

'); if(!WVM.IS_STREAMING){ $videoEl.append('' + '' + ''); } setTimeout(function(){ $('.mute-overlay').on('touchstart click', function(e){ if(e.handled === false) return; e.stopPropagation(); e.preventDefault(); e.handled = true; player.muted(false); //console.log("volumee " + WVM.activePlayer.volume()); $(this).hide(); $(this).css('display', 'none'); var currentTime = player.currentTime(); if(currentTime 0){ if(deviceName == 'desktop'){ WVM.VIDEO_TOP = $('#media-container-' + videoId).offset().top; }else{ WVM.VIDEO_TOP = $('#media-container-' + videoId).offset().top - $('.next-dropdown-accordion').height(); } if(deviceName == 'desktop'){ WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT = $('#html5-video-' + videoId).outerHeight(); }else{ WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT = $('#html5-video-' + videoId).outerHeight(); } WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT = $('#media-container-' + videoId).height(); //console.log("container height: " + WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT); $(window).on( "resize", function() { if(deviceName == 'desktop'){ WVM.VIDEO_TOP = $('#media-container-' + videoId).offset().top; }else{ WVM.VIDEO_TOP = $('#media-container-' + videoId).offset().top - $('.next-dropdown-accordion').height(); } if(deviceName == 'desktop'){ WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT = $('#html5-video-' + videoId).outerHeight(); }else{ WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT = $('#html5-video-' + videoId).outerHeight(); } WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT = $('#media-container-' + videoId).height(); console.log("container height: " + WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT); }); //console.log("VIDEOTOP: " + WVM.VIDEO_TOP); //console.log("VIDEOHEIGHT: " + WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT); $(window).on( "scroll", function() { if(!WVM.IS_FLOATING){ if(deviceName == 'desktop'){ WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT = $('#media-container-' + videoId).height(); }else{ WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT = $('#media-container-' + videoId + " .hlsvideo-wrapper").height() + $('#media-container-' + videoId + " .now-playing-container").height(); } } //var top = $('#media-container-' + videoId).offset().top; var offset = WVM.VIDEO_TOP + (WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT / 2); var offsetBack = WVM.VIDEO_TOP; var changed = false; //console.log("VIDEOTOP: " + WVM.VIDEO_TOP); //console.log("VIDEOHEIGHT: " + WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT); //console.log("scrolltop " + $(window).scrollTop()); //only float if playing var isPlaying = WVM['player_state' + videoId]['IS_PLAYING'] || WVM['player_state' + videoId]['AD_IS_PLAYING']; if(isPlaying){ $('.vjs-loading-spinner').hide(); } if($(window).scrollTop() > offset && isPlaying && !WVM['player_state' + videoId]['CANCEL_FLOATING']){ $('#media-placeholder-' + videoId).height(WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT); $('#media-placeholder-' + videoId).css('display', 'block'); if(!WVM.IS_FLOATING){ changed = true; } WVM.IS_FLOATING = true; $('#media-container-' + videoId).addClass('floating-video'); //set right var sWidth = window.innerWidth || document.documentElement.clientWidth; var sHeight = window.innerHeight || document.documentElement.clientHeight; if(deviceName == 'desktop' || sWidth > 900){ var leftPos2 = $('aside').get(0).getBoundingClientRect().left; var leftPos = $('aside').offset().left ; $('#media-container-' + videoId).css('left', leftPos + "px"); var newWidth = Math.floor(sWidth / 3.5); $('#media-container-' + videoId).css('width', newWidth + "px"); } else{ $('#media-container-' + videoId).css('width', "100% !important"); $('#media-container-' + videoId + ' .now-playing-container').css('display', 'block'); $('#media-container-' + videoId + ' .next-dropdown-accordion').css('display', 'block'); } //floating-video $('#media-container-' + videoId + " " + '.page-carousel-wrapper').hide(); setTimeout(function(){ var hWrapper = $('.floating-video .hlsvideo-wrapper').height(); var npWidth = $('.floating-video .now-playing-container').height(); var ndWidth = $('.floating-video .next-dropdown-header').height() + 20; var scrollerHeight = sHeight - (hWrapper + npWidth + ndWidth); scrollerHeight = 180; //scrollerHeight = parseInt(scrollerHeight * 0.5); if(WVM.device_name == 'desktop'){ $('#media-container-' + videoId + " " + " .mobile-list-videos").height(scrollerHeight); } }, 100); }else if($(window).scrollTop() 0){ var container = document.querySelector('#page-carousel-' + fullVideoId); imagesLoaded( container, function() { var screenWidth = window.innerWidth || document.documentElement.clientWidth; if(screenWidth > 850){ WVM.IS_DESKTOP = true; $('#page-carousel-' + fullVideoId + ' .page-carousel-lg-slides').css('display', 'block'); WVM['player_settings' + fullVideoId].slider = $('#page-carousel-' + fullVideoId).bxSlider({ maxSlides: 4, minSlides: 4, slideWidth: 305, infiniteLoop: false, hideControlOnEnd: true, useCSS: true, pager: false, slideMargin: 15, moveSlides: 1, nextText: '', prevText: '' }); }else{ WVM.IS_DESKTOP = false; $('.page-carousel-wrapper').css('display', 'block'); } }); } }; WVM.setupToggleButton = function(fullVideoId, player){ if($('.nextplay-switch-' + fullVideoId).length > 0){ new DG.OnOffSwitchAuto({ cls:'.nextplay-switch-' + fullVideoId, height: 24, trackColorOn:'#F9F9F9', trackColorOff:'#222', textColorOn: '#222', textColorOff: '#222', textOn:'On', textOff:'Off', listener:function(name, checked){ var theVal = 1; if(!checked){ theVal = 0; } $.ajax({ url: '/ajax/update_autoplay_video/', data: { autoplay_on: theVal }, type: 'POST', dataType: 'json', success: function(data) { WVM['player_settings' + fullVideoId]['autoplay'] = checked; }, error : function(){ console.log("Error loading video"); } }); } }); } }; WVM.setupAccordionButton = function(fullVideoId){ var deviceName = 'desktop'; $('#next-dropdown-accordion-button-' + fullVideoId).on('click', function(){ if($(this).find('i').hasClass('fa-chevron-up')){ //hide $(this).find('i').removeClass('fa-chevron-up'); $(this).find('i').addClass('fa-chevron-down'); if(deviceName == "desktop" && !$('#media-container-' + fullVideoId).hasClass('floating-video')){ $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.page-carousel-wrapper').slideUp(); $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.mobile-list-wrapper').hide(); }else{ $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.mobile-list-wrapper').slideUp(); $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.page-carousel-wrapper').hide(); } var currVideoId = WVM['player_state' + fullVideoId]['VIDEO_ID']; var nextVideoId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currVideoId); //playerId, mediaId, fieldName var myTitle = WVM.getPlaylistData(fullVideoId, nextVideoId, 'noprefixtitle'); //alert("Getting title " + myTitle); $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).css('display', 'inline'); $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).html(myTitle); }else{ //expand $(this).find('i').addClass('fa-chevron-up'); $(this).find('i').removeClass('fa-chevron-down'); $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.mobile-list-wrapper').css('display', 'block'); if(deviceName == "desktop" && !$('#media-container-' + fullVideoId).hasClass('floating-video')){ $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.page-carousel-wrapper').css('display', 'block'); $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.page-carousel-wrapper').slideDown(); $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.mobile-list-wrapper').hide(); if(!WVM.player_state108329['CAROUSEL_INIT']){ WVM.setupCarousel(fullVideoId); } }else{ $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.mobile-list-wrapper').slideDown(); $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.page-carousel-wrapper').hide(); if(!$('#media-container-' + fullVideoId).hasClass('floating-video')){ if(!WVM.player_state108329['CAROUSEL_INIT']){ WVM.setupCarousel(fullVideoId); } } } $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).css('display', 'none'); } }); var currVideoId = WVM['player_state' + fullVideoId]['VIDEO_ID']; //console.log("current Video " + currVideoId); var nextVideoId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currVideoId); var myTitle = WVM.getPlaylistData(fullVideoId, nextVideoId, 'noprefixtitle'); //console.log("setting title " + myTitle); $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).css('display', 'inline'); $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).html(myTitle); }; WVM.sendbeacon = function(action, nonInteraction, value, eventLabel) { var eventCategory = 'Video'; if (window.ga) { //console.log("sending action: " + action + " val: " + value + " label " + eventLabel); ga('send', 'event', { 'eventCategory': eventCategory, 'eventAction': action, 'eventLabel': eventLabel, 'eventValue': value, 'nonInteraction': nonInteraction }); } }; WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex = function(mediaId, returnArrayIndex){ var currId = null; if(mediaId == null){ return null; } for(var x =0; x 20){ if(fullDuration > 1 && ((fullDuration - fullCurrent) > 1) && !$('.vjs-loading-spinner').hasClass('badspinner')){ console.log("hiding spinner"); $('.vjs-loading-spinner').addClass('badspinner'); } } var duration_time = Math.floor(this.duration()); //this is a hack because the end video event is not firing... var current_time = Math.floor(this.currentTime()); if ( current_time > 0 && ( fullCurrent >= (fullDuration - 10) )){ var currId = playerState.VIDEO_ID; var newMediaId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currId); //if(playerSettings.autoplay_next && newMediaId){ if(newMediaId){ if('desktop' == "iphone" && playerState.AD_ERROR){ console.log("skipped timeupdate end"); }else{ WVM.load_video(newMediaId, true, playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); } } } if(!playerState.START_SENT){ WVM.sendbeacon('start', true, playerState.VIDEO_ID, playerState.VIDEO_TITLE); playerState.START_SENT = true; } var currentTime, duration, percent, percentPlayed, _i; currentTime = Math.round(this.currentTime()); duration = Math.round(this.duration()); percentPlayed = Math.round(currentTime / duration * 100); for (percent = _i = 0; _i = percent && __indexOf.call(playerState['PERCENTS_TRACKED'], percent) 0) { playerState['PERCENTS_TRACKED'].push(percent); } } } }); //player.off('ended'); player.on('ended', function(){ console.log("ended"); playerState.IS_PLAYING = false; WVM.sendbeacon("complete", true, playerState.VIDEO_ID, playerState.VIDEO_TITLE); var currId = playerState.VIDEO_ID; var newMediaId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currId); //if(playerSettings.autoplay_next && newMediaId){ if(newMediaId){ WVM.load_video(newMediaId, true, playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); }else{ console.log("Playlist complete (no more videos)"); } }); //player.off('adserror'); player.on('adserror', function(e){ //$('#ima-ad-container').remove(); WVM.lastAdRequest = new Date().getTime() / 1000; console.log(e); console.log("ads error"); var errMessage = e['data']['AdError']['l']; playerState.AD_IS_PLAYING = false; playerState.IS_PLAYING = false; // && errMessage == 'The VAST response document is empty.' if(!playerState.AD_ERROR){ var dTime = new Date().getTime(); WVM.firstPrerollTagUrl = WVM.getFirstPrerollUrl(); console.log("calling backup ad tag url: " + WVM.firstPrerollTagUrl); WVM.activePlayer.ima.changeAdTag(WVM.firstPrerollTagUrl + "?" + dTime); WVM.activePlayer.ima.requestAds(); //WVM.activePlayer.src({ // src: masterSrc, // type: 'video/mp4' //}); //WVM.firstPrerollTagUrl = ""; } playerState.AD_ERROR = true; }); //player.off('error'); player.on('error', function(event) { if (player.error().code === 4) { player.error(null); // clear out the old error player.options().sources.shift(); // drop the highest precedence source console.log("now doing src"); console.log(player.options().sources[0]); player.src(player.options().sources[0]); // retry return; } }); //player.off('volumechange'); player.on('volumechange', function(event) { console.log(event); var theHeight = $('#media-container-' + playerState.ORIGINAL_ID + ' .vjs-volume-level').css('height'); var cssVolume = 0; if(theHeight){ cssVolume = parseInt(theHeight.replace('%', '')); } var theVolume = player.volume(); if(theVolume > 0.0 || cssVolume > 0){ $('#media-container-' + playerState.ORIGINAL_ID + ' .mute-overlay').css('display', 'none'); }else{ $('#media-container-' + playerState.ORIGINAL_ID + ' .mute-overlay').css('display', 'block'); } }); WVM.reinitRawEvents(playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); setInterval(function(){ WVM.reinitRawEvents(playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); }, 2000); } if(!WVM.rawCompleteEvent){ WVM.rawCompleteEvent = function(e){ var playerState = WVM['player_state108329']; console.log("firing raw event due to all other events failing"); var currId = playerState.VIDEO_ID; var newMediaId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currId); //if(playerSettings.autoplay_next && newMediaId){ if(newMediaId){ WVM.load_video(newMediaId, true, playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); } }; } if(!WVM.rawTimeupdateEvent){ WVM.rawTimeupdateEvent = function(e){ var playerState = WVM['player_state108329']; var rawVideoElem = document.getElementById('html5-video-' + playerState['ORIGINAL_ID'] + '_html5_api'); var fullCurrent = rawVideoElem.currentTime * 1000; var fullDuration = rawVideoElem.duration * 1000; var current_time = Math.floor(rawVideoElem.currentTime); console.log("raw timeupdate: " + fullCurrent + " out of " + fullDuration); if ( current_time > 0 && ( fullCurrent >= (fullDuration - 50) )){ var currId = playerState.VIDEO_ID; var newMediaId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currId); if(newMediaId){ console.log("loading new video from rawtimeupdate"); WVM.load_video(newMediaId, true, playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); } } if(!$('.vjs-loading-spinner').hasClass('badspinner')){ $('.vjs-loading-spinner').addClass('badspinner') } }; } WVM.reinitRawEvents = function(playerId){ var playerState = WVM['player_state' + playerId]; var rawVideoElem = document.getElementById('html5-video-' + WVM['player_state' + playerId]['ORIGINAL_ID'] + '_html5_api'); //COMPLETE EENT if( WVM['player_state' + playerId].COMPLETE_EVENT){ rawVideoElem.removeEventListener('ended', WVM.rawCompleteEvent, false); } rawVideoElem.addEventListener('ended', WVM.rawCompleteEvent, false); //TIME UPDATE EVENT if( WVM['player_state' + playerId].TIMEUPDATE_EVENT){ rawVideoElem.removeEventListener('ended', WVM.rawTimeupdateEvent, false); } rawVideoElem.addEventListener('ended', WVM.rawTimeupdateEvent, false); WVM['player_state' + playerId].COMPLETE_EVENT = true; WVM['player_state' + playerId].TIMEUPDATE_EVENT = true; };

SOUTH BEND, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg attended a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday morning for a new Technology and Resource Center in downtown South Bend.

The Technology and Resource Center was built in order to teach members of the community technological skills and give them access to technology they do not have at home.

Mayor Pete, who attended the event, said, The important thing about the Technology and Resource Center is its not just a hub for work thats going on in city administration. Its for the community; its allowing us to help close the digital divide and provide more opportunities for people to get the skills that they need and the access that they need to thrive in the digital age.

Around 25% of South Bend homes do not have internet access, and some homes do not have computers. The center will allow these community members to utilize this technology and will teach them how to use it effectively.

Some of the skills that will be taught there include data analysis and coding.

The Chief Innovative Officer for the City of South Bend also commented on the project, saying, I want everyone to think about the Technology and Resource Center here in South Bend as a place where technology is for everyone, so whether you are a worker in South Bend that wants to upscale and learn more data skills, theres something here for youReally this is all about bringing people together to solve common problems, to work together and to skill up as a city.

The project was approved in 2017 by the Redevelopment Commission and cost about $2.7 million.

The ceremony concluded with Mayor Pete cutting the ribbon in virtual reality.

See original here:

Mayor Pete Buttigieg cut a ribbon in virtual reality Wednesday - ABC 57 News