Running Head: TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION FIELD REPORT ON VIRTUAL REALITY 1

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION FIELD REPORT ON VIRTUAL REALITY 17

Technology Innovation Field Report

Virtual Reality (VR): Google Cardboard Viewer

PART 2

Virtual Reality (VR): Google Cardboard Viewer

Fieldwork is a significant and essential part of educational technology research. It grants one the opportunity to exercise their research application skills via playing, experimenting, and engaging with the new educational tool under study. This discovery time leads to understanding how the technology can help foster their educational profession and practice. Moreover, it grants one authentic know-how to be able to make sound recommendations about the technology.

Technology under Consideration

Based on the above mention assumption, the significant innovation/trend that is discussed and researched in this field report is Virtual Reality (VR). More specifically, the group will conduct their field report on the Google Cardboard viewer. Virtual reality is an environment that is generated by a computer to simulate the physical presence of people and other objects as well as bring out the real feeling of sensory experiences (Johnson, Becker, & Hall, 2017). According to the latest Horizon Report (2017), VR is predicted to be adopted and hit the critical mass within two to three years. Google Cardboard Viewers provide educators an important tool to enhance classroom learning experiences. Google Cardboard Viewer is a platform of VR that was developed by Google (2018). The viewer has a smartphone mount that uses apps designed to work in conjunction with the viewer for users to experience VR. This product combination is the focus of this field report.

VR is growing in demand in the education sector. Although the educational field generally takes more time than other fields to adopt new technologies, VR has many implications for the educational institutions of tomorrow. Education is the base for a thriving society as stated by Babish (2018) when he said, “people are constantly looking for ways to make knowledge transfer more easily, more quickly, and more effectively," and the transfer of knowledge has been a priority for civilizations.

Using VR in Education, students can read descriptive passaged in a textbook about ​​what life was like in ancient Rome, but this does not compare to experiencing a lifelike image. What would happen if students could take a voyage on an immigrant ship arriving at Ellis Island during the early 1900s? How could experiencing a deep ocean dive to observe the habits of marine life first-hand impact students’ understanding? If educators can use VR, these experiences come to life for students to give them a deeper and more authentic understanding.

  With VR, students have a way to quickly access deep learning, regardless of their cognitive or developmental challenges. VR levels the playing field, providing learning opportunities to everyone. Imparting more relevance in traditional learning experiences VR experiences can inform and improve traditional learning activities.

Communication Strategy

Several strategies will be used for communication among team members. First, a Doodle (2018) was created for team members to share their availability over the next few weeks. Doodle was used to take into consideration everyone’s schedules. In the case of needing a video call, Google Hangout (2018) will be used. Google Hangouts can be accessed on a computer, with or without video, or on a smartphone. The team will meet via Google Hangout on Tuesday of each week from 8:15 – 9:15 pm CST until the completion of the project. The team will also communicate via email. A contingency time will also be added to each meeting to cater to any unavoidable circumstance preventing a team member to attend. We all have the goal of produce a successful fieldwork report.

Field Report Part 2

The significant innovation/trend that is discussed and researched in this field report is Virtual Reality (VR). More specifically, the group will conduct their field report on the Google Cardboard viewer (Google VR., 2018). Virtual reality is an environment that is generated by a computer to simulate the physical presence of people and other objects as well as bring out the real feeling of sensory experiences (Johnson, Becker, & Hall, 2017). According to the latest Horizon Report (2017), VR is predicted to be adopted and hit critical mass within two to three years. Google Cardboard Viewers provide educators an important tool to enhance classroom learning experiences. There is a growing demand of VR and hardware in educational institutes. As a group, we have decided to utilize the Google Cardboard Head-Mounted Display (HMD) as our VR platform because it is extremely cost effective and portable making it viable of usage in the classroom (Ray & Deb, 2016).

The technology chosen is the use of VR in education technology, Google Cardboard, and the use of Apps in smartphones, tablets, and laptops at schools as part of education technology for our students. The innovation and use of Google Cardboard has demonstrated to people for the first time that it is possible to turn any smartphone, tablet, or laptop into a VR machine by the use of HMD. The Google Cardboard has two optical lenses for each eye to enable a view of the depth and favorable use. Therefore, any learner having a smartphone and VR HMD can use and enjoy the experience of the VR apps and can share the whole ideas and thoughts (Hussein, & Nätterdal, 2015). Simulation of the experience encourages students to practice the skills gained in a safe surrounding (Merchant, 2014).

TEAM MEMBER 1 P

The article states that the benefits of Virtual Reality in the education sector have been researched over the last decade. The total investments to facilitate accessibility to massive VR contents in the year 2016 was 1.2 billion US dollars, and the expected profit from this investment is 120 billion US dollars in the year 2020 (Martin- Gutiérrez, 2017).

Key Findings

The findings and the critical information contained in this article is that the sector of education will benefit from improving the user-friendliness and the affordability of the VR technologies arising from using the techniques as teaching tools. Upcoming smartphones are incorporating cameras that allow shooting of 360 degrees videos as well as images. Therefore, the chance of the users developing the VR contents is a reality. A plan to share the VR generated materials by the users is the method by Facebook to incorporate virtual meeting gaps and any other activities. It is factual that many people may not yet be aware of what is offered by VR (Martin- Gutiérrez, 2017). Even so, all Virtual Reality companies are trying to win the race of making as many users as possible aware of the technology, and within a few years, the world will be a global business.

Moreover, many VR manufacturers have publicized their products, and the HTC Vive produced a 360 camera that uses a laser tracking system. The device allows the user to move anywhere. The new Samsung smartphones have apps that share and observe virtual contents with the help of the HMD viewfinder (Martin- Gutiérrez, 2017). In addition, LG has a device that takes 360 degrees pictures and videos with a 2k resolution, two mini HD screens, and a light VR viewer that is connected to the smartphone.

The information relevant to this innovation is that the article presents how the virtual technology can be used in education through the incorporation in smartphones, laptops, and tablets. The students can interact in an immersive VR exposure with fellow students as well as teachers. In addition, the article presents the trends and the future learning state of affairs using the VR technologies. The article as well describes the benefits of using VR in education.

Potential Uses in Education

The potential uses of this technological innovation in education as well as in the workplace include the ability to make learners and workers get motivated and committed to learning and working. This opens new paths for learning, teaching and working. In the use of the VR technology in the educational sector, one needs to know the effective instructional designs for effective integration of the Virtual Reality technologies. There is a necessity to get a clear view of how to integrate the VR technologies in the education field as well as the workplace. The possible challenges of the use of technology in the education sector and the workplace include the resistance of the conventional learning setting to incorporate the innovations. Other problems are the possibility of the opposition from teachers to use new technology out of their comfort zone and the high costs involved in the implementation and maintenance of the VR technologies. Besides the fact that there is a quick evolution of mobile technology such as smartphones and tablets, the VR technology is affordable and more feasible to learners and workers in the present than in the past (Martin- Gutiérrez, 2017). Hence, it is relevant now to know the advantages and disadvantages of using VR in educational and working environments.

Field Test Plan

The field test for technological innovation will involve qualitative research involving interviewing students having the technology in their phones, laptops, and tablets to collect qualitative data. Through the interviews, we can get to understand the users of VR technology and explore deeper into knowing the application from various aspects of Virtual Reality and mobile apps in education as well as other workplaces. The interviews will be scheduled to be done in one week. The interviewees will be contacted before the days of discussions to confirm availability. The meeting is likely to take 10 minutes, and 30 people will be booked for the field test in high schools.

TEAM MEMBER 2 C

The purpose of the study by Ray and Deb (2016) was to contribute research to the field of VR for educational purposes. The experimental design was to exclusively use the Google Cardboard platform and at the point of their study, no significant research had been conducted on this specific device. The intent of the study was to inform classroom teachers about the potential of VR systems to positively impact the teaching process and learning outcomes for students (Ray & Deb, 2016).

Traditionally, educational pedagogy revolved around a direct instruction model (National Institute for Direct Instruction, 2018). These teaching methods are “inherently static in nature that requires little or no student interaction” (Ray & Deb, 2016, p. 68). As a result of the pendulum shift that occurs in education, recent schools of thought around best practices in instruction relate to student engagement and hands-on learning. Ray and Deb (2016) suggest significant benefits of VR for learner engagement by providing “access to experiences that students could not otherwise have (p. 68). In their study, their intention was to set up a learning environment to improve the classroom teaching process that was cost effective and portable (Ray & Deb, 2016).

The sample size in the study by Ray and Deb (2016) was two groups of twenty participants. These participants were third year university students. The control group received instruction using traditional teaching pedagogy, while the other group added usage of the Google Cardboard for 3D and immersive content delivery. The data collection consisted of performance on pre and posttests related to the actual lesson instructed, and questionnaires related to student engagement.

Key Findings

Even students that initially were not comfortable using VR showed overall performance than the control group. The second group was also positive about the learning experience as a whole and their average performance was significantly better than the control group. Ray and Deb (2016) concluded that VR can be used to effectively increase student performance and participation.

Potential Usage in Education

VR can potential be the answer to the budget crisis in school districts nationwide. The relatively inexpensive nature of Google Cardboard Viewers (as low at $7) allow students to have access to items that are otherwise unrealistic to manipulate or places that they may never get to travel to (Govtech.com, 2016) . VR can take students on trips back in time for authentic experiences. I think of science classes in elementary school all the way to universities. The need for human cadavers replaced by a virtual world that is so real and engaging that the students lose themselves in the learning. Even though it sounds cliché, the potential is limitless and only bound by the user’s imagination and creativity.

Field Test Plan

The plan for the field test will consist of both qualitative and quantitative data. There will be three participating sixth-grade classrooms. One classroom with only receive instruction in a traditional teacher led delivery style. The second classroom will use the Google Cardboard headsets with teacher facilitation and support. While the third classroom will be a combination of teacher led instruction and Google Cardboard headsets. As discussed in the TED talk (2015) the largest gains in students learning where shown in the group that combined the VR component and teacher instruction. Pre- and posttests will be given to students along with student surveys to target participation and engagement. The lesson will be about the parts of an animal cell. The app that will be used is InCell Vr (2018) and students will take a journey inside of a human cell learning about the different organelles and their function.

TEAM MEMBER 3 CJ

The topic selected for this assignment is “Google Cardboard Viewer.” The article that provides information that aids in covering this topic is titled Assessing Google Cardboard virtual reality as a content delivery system in business classrooms. The article explicitly points out that technology is increasingly becoming a key component in the education of millennials. The value of technology in the education of millennials is premised on the fact that this generation was born at a time when technology was in the midst of a major transition such that it is possible to access information through multiple devices. Actually, this is period when technology can simultaneously transfer information and provide entertainment to users (Lee, Sergueeva, Catangui, & Kandaurova, 2017). Due to high expectations the young generation has in technological advancement, instructors believe making technology part of the learning process will definitely help learners to receive better grades. There has been a resurgence of research articles on virtual studies in the recent past. From these findings, Lee et al. (2017) believed virtual reality is the next big thing as far as transformation of content delivery in classroom is concerned. Since the 1990s, scholars have been holding the view that virtual reality is the technology that can help educators and learners to explore new avenues to education.

Key Findings

The purpose of research documented in this article was to answer the question: “How beneficial is VR (3D, 360 video) in comparison with FS (2D video) as a content delivery platform in business classrooms?” Results of this study revealed there was no significant difference between content presented in via Google Cardboard (3D VR technology) and iPod (2D FS). The difference between the two technologies was with respect to reliability and novelty of the content (Lee et al., 2017). This revelation is of critical importance to administrators who wish to integrate VR technology in classroom settings. By basing on these findings, the administrators will be in a position to weigh the pros and cons of the two technologies before deciding the most appropriate one to include in the learning process.

Potential Usage in Education

The future of Google Cardboard looks brilliant. Google Cardboard is projected to achieve remarkable advancement in the foreseeable future and as a result level of application in content will increase significantly (Lee et al., 2017). As the application of this technology continues to gain more ground, learner’s level of mastery of what they are taught will improve as well. As a basketball coach, this technology will boost the delivery of content related to this sport. Most importantly, the immersion of this technology in delivery of the content will help me create an environment that is enjoyable for trainees. As trainees enjoy the experience during training, the level of content absorption is expected to improve remarkably.

TEAM MEMBER 4 S

Research Study

Assessing Google Cardboard virtual reality as a content delivery system in business classrooms from Journal of Education for Business.

Virtual Reality (VR) Background

According to Lee, Sergueeva, Catangui & Kandaurova (as cited in Estes, Dailey-Hebert, & Choi, 2016) virtual reality (VR) is making inroads and is expected to be the next big innovative technology for the education sector. Another added value to VR is that classroom immersion and engagement can be achieved with VR technology (Lee et al., 2017). As pointed out by the researchers, Lee, Sergueeva, Catangui & Kandaurova (as cited in Youngblut, 1998), VRs ability to immerse students into the educational process can lead to higher mastery and retention of new knowledge through an experientially engaging process. Moreover, a students’ learning experience is enhanced through the use of virtual reality (Lee et al., 2017). In the next few paragraphs, I will highlight the study’s research background, my workplace implication, methodology, instrument design, results, limitations, conclusion and my field test plan.

Research Background

The goal of this study was to examine the use of Google Cardboard Viewer virtual reality tool as a content medium in higher education. The authors of the study investigated the use of Google Cardboard Viewer Head-Mound Display (HMD) and its impact on business students. Other HMDs were not considered for this study because of their high cost and their complex nature. In their write up Lee, Sergueeva, Catangui & Kandaurova (2017) observed that business students do more than learn terms using this technology. The researchers were inclined to examine a visualization approach to learning by integrating virtual reality in the classrooms.

My workplace implication

VR technology’s versatility has many advantages in an education backdrop. Google Cardboard Viewer HMD’s low cost and less complex nature played a key role in the decision to adapt it to a learning environment. There are parallels identified in the study that are relevant to the field test goals in my workplace. The VR tool in the research study focused on studying a higher education business classroom. Since I teach hospitality management higher education students, it motivates me to undertake a field study similar in nature. There are numerous possibilities and utilities with this technology. This is very relevant to the goals of my field test. It can be used as an alternate learning visualization experience for students, it is a content delivery system and finally its ability to allow pedagogical knowledge gain and retention of content by students is beneficial.

Methodology

The researchers’ methodology for this study included sample groups of 10 undergraduate students and 34 graduate students enrolled in the business program in a Canadian University (Lee et al., 2017). The sample encompassed a total of 15 women and 29 men with a median age of approximately 29 years (Lee et al., 2017). The study examined two separate groups, the VR group and the Fixed Screen (FS) group (Lee et al., 2017). The non VR group were asked to view their video through the IPod Touch which was a fixed screen (FS). Both groups viewed a Nepal tourism video called The North Face: Nepal, it highlighted a North Face climber through Nepal in 2015 and it ran for about 3.5 minutes (Lee et al., 2017). The video was chosen to immerse the students in the learning experience and expose them to the scenic visuals of Nepal (Lee et al., 2017). Upon viewing the videos both the groups were tasked to respond to a survey which tied back to the video. A preexisting survey with a 7 point Likert scale was used for this study, responses included 1, strongly disagree to 7, strongly agree. Five variables were identified by the survey (Lee et al., 2017). These variables will be discussed in greater length in the instrument design section.

Instrument Design

According to the research write up, the survey had 17 questions and 5 dependent variables; Novelty of content, reliability of content, understandability of content, enjoyment and interest. As indicated in the journal article (Lee et al., 2017) some of the questions posed to the students in both groups for each variable included the following:

Novelty of Content

1. There was a substantial amount of new information in this video

2. Through the video, I discovered a new destination

3. Through the video, I satisfied my curiosity regarding this destination

Reliability of content

1. I think the content of the video is accurate

2. I think the content of the video is consistent with facts

Understandability of content

1. I was able to follow this video’s content with little effort

2. The information in this video was easy for me to understand

Enjoyment

1. Watching this video provides me enjoyment

2. Watching this video is fun

Interest

1. I think the content of the video is interesting

Results

The study had some interesting outcomes. The first three variables; Novelty of Context; Reliability of Content and Understandability of Content did not have any significant difference between the VR and FS groups. These were identified as the content related items. The VR group rated both enjoyment and interest to be significant higher than those rated by the fixed screen 2D group (Lee et al., 2017). What was interesting was that when VR was used it reaped multitude of benefits for the students. It was concluded that when students were more immersed with the Google Cardboard Viewer, they absorbed the content better and also reported a higher level of enjoyment and interest (Lee et al., 2017).

Research Limitations

The authors worked with constraints for this research. They identified and recognized the limitations and possibilities in their study. Firstly, as per the article, the content for the FS group was delivered on an IPod Touch whereas in a normal class situation students would view this content on their laptops or other electronic devices (Lee et al., 2017). Secondly, the content delivered in this study was travel based however, the researchers of the study realize that results would have been varied if this study was conducted in a simulation or lecture based environment (Lee et al., 2017). Thirdly, the seven point Likert scale instrument was adapted from a study that was initially designed for a blog content study (Lee et al., 2017).

Conclusion

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