ILP Participation - Sandbox AR/VR tools

I went up to the Sandbox to complete the tour that was cut short the other week.  I wanted to get into the AR and VR items because I feel this is really where the applications are enormous for students in a history or social sciences classroom.  "History is boring".  Probably the most common phrase you hear from people about history classes.  I don't think it is, but I've always been able to see the drama in everything.  For most people, it's a collection of dates and dead people.  I think AR and VR, in particular, can help to change that. 

Currently, there is not a ton of content available for the systems for History and Social Studies courses, but there are a few, and I was able to look at a few of them.  Under the AR heading, there was Civilizations AR, which is an excellent tool though limited by content.  (This will be a recurring theme with these programs)  It allows you to see and manipulate items that are superimposed on the background of your space on your phone.  The personal interaction with the objects and the ability to focus on areas you want to see better is nice.  JigSpace is another program that lets you again, insert an object into your space and manipulate it with similar limitations in regards to the availability of content.  These are limited by the sometimes difficult process of maneuvering your phone and having it register a space to place objects.  They can be a bit finicky and difficult to use.

Here's a pic of a mummy sarcophagus on my floor at work, this was taken with Civilizations AR and shows a bit of what you can do with it.

VR is where the technology really has a chance to shine.  I firmly believe that in the next 10-15 years, class field trips to chosen sites and even observation of particular historic events will be as simple as putting a headset on and entering the VR world.  As it currently stands, you are generally limited by a couple of factors.  They have not completely figured out a movement method that is simple and intuitive, but some options are better than others.  You are also usually tethered to the computer, though the wifi revolution is changing that slowly.  The most important limitation currently is (Say it with me) lack of content.  I know there are groups out there who are preserving ancient sites like the Acropolis by taking detailed 360-degree video and using drone photography in order to create a perfect 3D representation of these locations so eventually, you will be able to stroll through these historical sites completely virtually and even, if combined with the 3D modeling techniques, be able to wander through them and see it as someone from the time of their construction would have.  This is where the future of teaching history lies.  Not just a dry talk about an object or a time period, but actually (Well, virtually) seeing it.  Even with the frame rate and resolution issues with the headsets currently, your brain can be completely fooled.  Imagine if when discussing the Civil War in your US history classroom, instead of talking about Pickett's Charge, you could put your students in the front line and let them see what one of those soldiers saw.  Or let them watch the Gettysburg Adress like they're seeing it live.  That is how you can get people interested in history.  Let them be IN the stories you're telling.

As it is, there isn't much to talk about for the history programs for VR, there simply aren't many.  Google Earth VR is useful, as you can somewhat get in and see sites, but the range of motion is limited and the controls are mind-bogglingly frustrating to learn.   We are just on the cusp of what this technology can do, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it will take us.  I appreciate the Sandbox for having these items so we can see what we can do with the technology and letting us try it out.  You can't understand how much your brain can be fooled by this stuff until you actually try it.  I hope I can find some more time to go back and try these items out some more.  I also wish I was in charge of setting up the programs in the pipeline to be made because I have so many ideas for things.