The future of education.

Gaming is a significant market for VR, but gamers are the beta testers and early adopters of VR tech. With their feedback, VR technology is improved. The take-up by the general population for education will dwarf the niche market of gamers asnd cause panic in conventional academia.

Consider: The curriculum and education will improve to such an extent and VR excursions will be so interesting, that it will trump VR porn (the student can do that anytime). The initial thrust will be for high fidelity audio and video which will involve what appears to be a robust set of spectacles rather than the brick things you wear on your face currently (bendable screens on wraparound VR specs?) together with the software and hardware to enable it Imagine a VR school. It doesn’t even need to physically exist as it’s in cyberspace (that abstract place where you meet someone you’re phoning) A student (anywhere in the country) registers for the courses they wish to take. The cost to the student for the VR equipment shouldn’t be more than the cost of a year’s worth of tuition, and it’s a one-time cost. This is applicable to basic and tertiary education. The student’s construct their avatar, select their username and get it approved by the school. The school sells the student the necessary interface and biometric gear adequate for school issues (biometric gear is to verify identities and suchlike for exams etc). This is a once-off cost to the student (it lasts their whole school career) and won’t be much more expensive than the text books. The student manifests each day at school, goes on virtual field trips anywhere in the world with their class and teacher. There are virtual blackboards, laboratories’ (chemistry, physics and IT). Dangerous or expensive experiments can be carried out in simulated laboratories with simulated chemicals (there’s no risk). There are huge spaces for debate (modelled on the Greek Athenian forum?) etc. Power is restored to the teacher. Teachers can just mute or eject troublesome avatars (discipline will improve). If a student feels they are been treated unfairly, they can appeal and a recording of the class session can be reviewed. Three strikes against you and you are expelled. A higher appeal is available, but it will take a single adverse judgement and you’re expelled.

In basic education it will be peer pressure that pushes education. What if you hear friends talking about the technology of ancient Egypt and these amazing pyramids in Giza? Or that cute girl getting all romantic with guys who can talk about the Taj Mahal? And your only contribution is “duh”. If you can learn at your own pace, at your convenience, anywhere in the world and anything you want in VR, why not? Maybe education would be seen to be ‘cool’. It would really help with long distance relationships as well. Meet up in VR for a moonlight walk in Central Park (without the dog turds and muggers)? A VR candle lit meal outside the Taj Mahal? Breakfast on top of the great pyramid of Giza?

Augmented Reality (AR) as well. I was charmed by the scenario I read in a sci-fi book (I don’t recall its title). The population had these zooty, comfortable VR/AR specs. They would cruise down the street (shopping or something) with their specs in AR mode (VR polarization off so they were transparent). Solid things were there but a fire hydrant would be transformed into an AR fountain. You would tailor the AR theme to your preferences. All shop windows (for eg) could be drawn from the Harry Potter mythology. Passers-by could be witches and wizards. Dragons would flap their way around. If you needed to see external reality, you just looked under the specs or took them off. It sounded quite cool.

Submitted May 19, 2018 at 08:52AM by boytjie https://ift.tt/2IRQRYY