Ellen Adams

Sarah Dupuis
Kaitlin Jezequel
MEDT 7464
February 14, 2018

Learner-­­Centered Technology Integration

Team Members: Ellen Adams, Sarah Dupuis, Kaitlin Jezequel

1. What is Virtual Reality (VR)?

Virtual Reality is “an artificial environment which is experienced through sensory
stimuli (such as sights and sounds) provided by a computer and in which one's
actions partially determine what happens in the environment” (Merriam-Webster,
n.d.).

Definitions:
-“Virtual reality immerses a user in an entirely simulated environment” (Educause,
2017).
-“VR places users in a virtual world, typically via a headset that immerses them fully
in a digital environment” (Kugler, 2017).

Characteristics:
“VR…[relies] on specialized apps and software, as well as controllers, cameras,
sensors, 360 video, and object-and-gesture-recognition technologies” (Educause,
2017).

2. Applications of Virtual Reality in Education and Training

Case 1: 3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas: Students’

Responses and Challenges in Contemporary Art Education
Context The context for this article is undergraduate and graduate art
education students who could apply this knowledge to K-12
education classrooms.
Purpose The purpose of this article is to “generate data…by investigating
(1) art education students’ responses to a 3D [Virtual World or
VW] as an art medium and exhibit arena, (2) their perceived
learning within 3D VWs, and (3) their willingness to adopt VWs in
future art practice” (Lu, 2013, p. 233)
Content The content area for this article centers on Visual Arts in
Areas education.
Learners The learners discussed in this article are students in
undergraduate and graduate programs in school for art
education.
Application Using virtual reality in a K-12 art classroom is still an emerging
(How) technology. There is not a lot of research on how this could be
used or how it could be valuable. However, for some schools,
using virtual reality to create an avatar has been beneficial.
According to Lu (2013), “identity creation through avatar
customization has received attention in the art world and in art

1
 Ellen Adams
Sarah Dupuis
Kaitlin Jezequel
MEDT 7464
February 14, 2018

education” because “students can interpret and reflect on the

social, cultural, and metaphoric meaning of their avatar
characters in art classrooms” (p. 235).

In the example from the article, a program called “Second Life”

was used for these undergraduate and graduate students to
explore a virtual world and the potential to use the software in
their own classrooms in the future. Not only did this program
allow students to create avatars of themselves, but it allowed
them to make “virtual art from 3D perspectives within the 3D
[Virtual World] through onscreen avatars” (Lu, 2013, p. 238). Not
only were the students able to make their own virtual artwork,
but they also made a virtual art exhibit for their work. Lu (2013)
explains that “after creating at least two individual virtual art
pieces and building a group virtual art space, the participants
hosted events to showcase their work” (p. 239).

While virtual reality in art education is still a new technology, it

can be implemented in a classroom in various ways as shown by
this study. The students from this study were able to learn new
technology that could be used in their future classes and found
that “3D [Virtual Worlds] provide unique ways for making,
viewing, and critiquing art in [Virtual Worlds] that can contribute
to conceptual learning in art education” (Lu, 2013, p. 241).
Sources Lu, L. (2013). 3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition
(Citations) Arenas: Students' Responses and Challenges in Contemporary Art
Education. Studies in Art Education, 54(3), 232-245. Retrieved
February 8, 2018.
Links http://blvrd.com/arteducation/
https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/what-virtual-reality-
means-for-art

Case 2: Augmented Virtual Reality: How to Improve Education Systems

Context The context of this article is the author’s study of the emerging
role of VR and AR in an educational setting.
Purpose The purpose of this article is to attempt to determine the viability
of usage of VR and AR in an educational setting and in “improving
student outcomes in their learning process” (Fernandez, 2017,
p.6)
Content Any educational arena
Areas
Learners Students, staff, businesses and manufacturers
Application According to Fernandez, “Virtual reality has found in
(How) education a new area in which to display its full potential” (2017,

2
 Ellen Adams
Sarah Dupuis
Kaitlin Jezequel
MEDT 7464
February 14, 2018

p.4). The author presents cases that showcase the many virtues of
VR in an educational setting. In addition to the positives, he
states the risks, the costs and the steps needed to train teachers
and incorporate VR fully into an educational setting.

Fernandez (2017), states that “the benefits of virtual reality

are still under investigation. They should undoubtedly focus on
improving students' learning outcomes” (p. 6). Many times,
teachers use the technology as a tool, but not the proper tool.
Instead of fully incorporating pieces of technology into their
lessons, they use the item as a separate piece of a lesson. While
discussing student outcomes and achievements, Fernandez
makes sure to let us know that we should always focus on what
the student is learning and the ultimate goal. “The main risk of
virtual reality within education focuses on misunderstanding
technology as the end rather than a means to the end: improving
student outcomes in their learning process” (Fernandez, 2017,
p.6).

Ultimately, VR can be used in any arena in education. Whether

through face to face education or computer based classrooms,
students and teachers alike can benefit from the use of VR. With
proper teacher training and implementation, VR can be a
successful tool to take a student to “…any point on the planet,
leaving behind the feeling of solitude that a web page or an online
learning platform confers” (Fernandez, 2017, p. 13).
Sources Fernandez, M. (2017). Augmented Virtual Reality: How to
(Citations) Improve Education Systems. Higher Learning Research
Communications, 7(1), 1-15. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
Links www.thinglink.com
www.unimersiv.com
luden.io/inmind/
www.valorem.com
www.holostudy.com/

Case 3: Virtual Reality-Based Social Interaction Training for Children with

High-Functioning Autism.
Contex The context for this article is intervention strategies for educators
t working with children in elementary (K-6) environments who have been
diagnosed with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome.
Purpo The purpose of the study is to “examine the implementation and
se potential effect of a Virtual-reality-based social interaction program on
the interaction and communication performance of children with
AS/HFA.” (Ke, 2013, p.41).
Conte Social interactions, verbal and nonverbal interactions
nt

3
 Ellen Adams
Sarah Dupuis
Kaitlin Jezequel
MEDT 7464
February 14, 2018

Areas

Learne 4th-5th grade students diagnosed with Asperger syndrome or high-

rs functioning autism.

Applic Over the past several years, there has been an increase in children
ation being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Of those being
(How) diagnosed, a larger number are being diagnosed with high-functioning
autism or Asperger syndrome. These students have difficulties with
verbal and nonverbal communications including issues with
conversational skills, negotiation techniques and body language.
Because of these deficiencies, many of these students have been shown
to suffer from “academic and occupational underachievement.” (Ke,
2013, p. 441).

While not a lot of studies have been conducted involving Virtual

Reality in the special needs community, what has been done shows
computing technology and Virtual Reality leading to improvements in
language skills and social interaction behaviors. In this study,
researchers implemented a Second-Life-based social interaction VR
program to include scenarios containing a virtual school (complete with
a playground and cafeteria) and house parties. The students, aged 9-10,
were tasked with recognizing and responding to verbal cues, facial
expressions, and body gestures in both a school environment and at a
simulated birthday party. Coupled with role-play scenarios, the VR
interactions showed improvement in communication skills and social
scenarios.

The findings of this study supported the hypothesis that three-

dimensional virtual reality has the potential to positively enhance social
interactions and communication skills of students with high-functioning
autism. The study also indicated that adaptive measures and purposeful
design should be used to address the needs of individual learners (Ke,
2013, p. 459).
Source Ke, F., & Im, T. (2013). Virtual-Reality-Based Social Interaction Training
s for Children with High-Functioning Autism. Journal of Educational
(Citati Research, 106(6), 441-461. Retrieved Feb 8, 2018.
ons)

Links https://floreotech.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIksPE1_GY2QIV2BmBCh0-
NAoPEAAYA
http://www.matsclassroom.com/blog/virtual-reality-in-special-needs-
education-the-oculus-rift-day-1
http://proxygsu-
scob.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx
?direct=true&db=fth&AN=90465242&site=eds-live&scope=site

4
 Ellen Adams
Sarah Dupuis
Kaitlin Jezequel
MEDT 7464
February 14, 2018

Case 4: Language Learning in Virtual Reality Environments: Past, Present, and

Future
Context The context of this article is an evaluation of K-12 and higher
education people who have used VR while at various stages of
learning another language.
Purpose The purpose of this article is to “[investigate] the research trends
in language learning in a virtual reality environment by
conducting a content analysis of findings published in the
literature…in four top ranked computer-assisted language
learning journals” (Lin & Lan, 2015, p. 486).
Content The information discussed could apply to any foreign language
Areas classroom.
Learners All levels of learners: “elementary school, junior/ senior high
school, higher education, teachers, adults, special needs, ‘others’,
and ‘not specified’” (Lin & Lan, 2015, p. 488).
Application The use of virtual reality in the context of learning languages
(How) is still new and has room for development. Although virtual
reality and virtual worlds have been used for a few years, it is
unclear whether or not virtual reality helps in learning another
language. This article had a very broad sample group with almost
all levels of learners. There was also a broad range of what type of
language learner the people being surveyed were-whether it be
first language, second language, foreign language, etc.

Currently, there are many types of VR that have been used to

assist in language learning. Some of the programs, such as
“Second Life” allow users to “immerse themselves in a wide
variety of social contexts, participating in individual and group
activities” (Lin & Lan, 2015, p. 486). It has been predicted that
“there will be an increase in the number of education studies
focusing on informal outside-class language learning rather than
on formal in-class language learning” (Lin & Lan, 2015, p. 494).

Although virtual reality has been used in language learning

settings for a while, it still seems as though there is no concrete
evidence that it is beneficial for a classroom learning
environment. The majority of the study used people in higher
education and “sample groups in elementary and junior/ senior
high schools [were] explored less frequently over the last 10
years” (Lin & Lan, 2015, p. 494).
Sources Lin, T., & Lan, Y. (2015). Language Learning in Virtual Reality
(Citations) Environments: Past, Present, and Future. Journal of Educational
Technology & Society, 486-497. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
Links https://immerseme.co/

5
 Ellen Adams
Sarah Dupuis
Kaitlin Jezequel
MEDT 7464
February 14, 2018

http://daily.unitedlanguagegroup.com/stories/editorials/virtual-
reality-next-step-language-learning

Case 5: Using Virtual Environments for Teaching Social Understanding to 6

Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Context The context of this article is strategies to teach social skills and
traits that may aid educators working with middle/high school
students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Purpose The purpose of the article is to determine if Virtual environments
are beneficial in improving judgment, reasoning, and social
interactions of teens diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Content Social and emotional interactions

Areas
Learners Adolescents and teens

Application While children diagnosed with autism have been successfully

taught rules about emotions and beliefs, much of what they learn
(How) and understand is very situation-specific and not easily
transferred to other situations. Studies have shown difficulties
with persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) being able to
“generalize learning to new contexts.” (Mitchell, 2007, p. 590)
This study attempted to determine whether Virtual Environments
(VEs) are beneficial as a tool to teach social understanding. The
theory being that “any intervention capable of promoting role play
has tremendous potential, especially if it nurtures mental
stimulation.” (Mitchell, 2007, p. 590).

A virtual café was constructed using Superscape Virtual Reality

Toolkit and student simulations included scenarios such as
choosing and paying for food, choosing a place to sit and
interacting with others. A virtual bus was also designed with
students determining appropriate seating and social interactions/
cues. Once participants worked through the VEs, they were then
videotaped in the actual real-world environments and critiqued on
their interactions by outside observers. The results showed
improvement in the social reasoning and interactions of the
participants (Mitchell, 2007, p.597).

The study discussed the importance of role-play and mental

stimulation in learning and how VE allowing that might be more
productive that just hearing rules being given. The benefits seen in
the study can “facilitate communication and transfer of
knowledge” not only in individual students, but in whole-class
scenarios with the hopes that successful interactions in a virtual

6
 Ellen Adams
Sarah Dupuis
Kaitlin Jezequel
MEDT 7464
February 14, 2018

world could contribute to improved social skills in the real world.

(Mitchell, 2007, p. 599).
Sources Mitchell, P., Parsons, S., & Leonard, A. (2007). Using Virtual
Environments for Teaching Social Understanding to 6 Adolescents
(Citations) with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism &
Developmental Disorders, 37(3), 589-600.
Links https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/superscape-vrt-
rTgPFhqvqZ
http://proxygsu-
scob.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/logi
n.aspx?direct=true&db=pbh&AN=24241002&site=eds-
live&scope=site

3. A Critique of Current Uses of Virtual Reality

Although there has been a lot of research completed on Virtual Reality in education,
it still seems as though there are a lot of uncovered areas. Virtual Reality and the
creation of virtual worlds has the potential to alter education as the world currently
knows.

Virtual Reality in art education seems to be a natural fit, with students being able to
create their own artwork digitally, as well as design their own avatars. Having
opportunities to “go to” museums or historical sites around the world with the use of
VR is very beneficial for any art classroom.

Virtual Reality in the Special Education arena (specifically high-functioning autism)

seems to have some benefits, especially when coupled with role play and feedback
loops. Being able to immerse students in a “safe” environment allows them to work on
their social skills without the fear of rejection or embarrassment of a real-life
interaction. The caveat seems to be that, due to the individuality of learners,
developers should try to be adaptable when designing scenarios.

Virtual Reality as a language learning tool seems to have a long way to go. The
current research does not seem to provide any concrete evidence that virtual reality
helps learners study a new language; however, it seems like Virtual Reality could be an
easy way to “take” people to a foreign country and immerse them in the language and
culture.

4. Guidelines for Using Virtual Reality to Facilitate Learner-­­Centered

Instruction

Virtual Reality is a new and exciting technology that can be used in many different
ways in education. Through the use of this equipment, opportunities are available for

7
 Ellen Adams
Sarah Dupuis
Kaitlin Jezequel
MEDT 7464
February 14, 2018

learners that have not always been in existence. Virtual reality can be used in varying
ways in order to suit the needs of not only education, but training programs and
businesses alike. VR can be facilitated in many ways to support the general
characteristics of a Learner-Centered Instruction approach to education. Because
“learner-centered instruction (LCI) focuses on both the learner and learning” (An, 2012,
p. 798), virtual reality and the use of virtual worlds open up a world of possibilities in
the classroom.

Personalized Learning:
- In a Social Studies classroom, students can use Google Expeditions to visually
study places that they have learned about but may otherwise never see.
“Instructors also have used VR technology to engage students in topics related to
literature, history and economics by offering a deeply immersive sense of place
and time, whether historic or evolving “(Reede and Bailiff, 2016).
- Teachers can use Virtual Reality in an art classroom to have students develop
their own personal avatars. An avatar can be defined as “an electronic image that
represents and is manipulated by a computer user in a virtual space (as in a
computer game or an online shopping site) and that interacts with other objects
in the space” (Merriam-Webster, 2018).
- One simple way to introduce an avatar would be to have students create a
Bitmoji of themselves. Bitmoji is an app where people can create “an expressive
cartoon avatar” (Bitstrips Inc., 2018) that can be designed to look just like
themselves.
- In an art classroom, the virtual reality of Bitmoji could be can be used to help
students understand body and face proportions.
- Below is an example of my own Bitmoji avatar that was created by my students
to look like me. A side by side photograph is included next to the Bitmoji for
reference.

8
 Ellen Adams
Sarah Dupuis
Kaitlin Jezequel
MEDT 7464
February 14, 2018

Personalized Support/ Scaffolding:

- Teachers can provide feedback to students in a virtual world that might get
intimidated through a face-to-face critique or feedback of their work.
- In an art classroom, a virtual critique could take place in a virtual world or
museum. In this context, students could feel valued having their artwork on
display in a virtual world without having the anxiety of real-world criticism.
- Students could receive the constructive criticism of their peers and teacher and
grow as an artist through a supportive online community as opposed to a face-
to-face critique.

Social and Emotional Support:

- Virtual reality worlds could be a solution for students with social and emotional
anxiety in a regular school classroom setting.
- Virtual worlds could allow these students to gain some positive reinforcement
from teachers and peers with the use of online avatars and gaming.
- In classrooms with students who have disabilities, teachers can use virtual
reality to show students how they will visualize changes in their own lives
leading to successful outcomes (Samsung, 2018).

Self-Regulation:
- With virtual reality as an option, students could give teachers ideas about what
they want to learn, and the teacher can try to make it happen.
- For example, if students are interested in a field trip, but the field trip would
require going overseas to a museum or historical site like Pompeii, teachers
could have students tune in to their virtual reality world to take a tour of the site
instead of having the expense of travelling abroad.

Collaboration:
- Students in an art classroom can collaborate with each other in a virtual
environment to create an entire art exhibit.
- Students can work together or individually to create artwork and then display
the artwork in a virtual exhibit that was organized and arranged by the students.
(Lu, 2013, p. 232-245)

Authentic Learning (Task-Based Instruction):

- Students in an Autism classroom can use VR task-based experiences in order to
learn how to do various tasks of daily life.
- Using VR, students can learn how to navigate around a specific city.
- Using “The NEW Periodic Table of IOS Apps for AR and VR”, shown below,
teachers can specify tasks for students to learn, which will teach them with
virtual real-life experiences (Anderson, 2018).

9
 Ellen Adams
Sarah Dupuis
Kaitlin Jezequel
MEDT 7464
February 14, 2018

(Anderson, 2018)

Assessment for Learning:

- Using virtual reality for assessment could take place in a foreign language
classroom by creating a virtual world in which users, as an avatar, are able to
practice the language being learned without judgement from others.
- There could be continual feedback from users about their pronunciation of the
language being learned while simultaneously having the user immersed in a
virtual world where the language is being used predominantly. For example,
having the user go to a virtual world in Mexico where Spanish is spoken while
they are learning the Spanish language (Lin & Lan, 2015, p. 486-497).

Using a learner-centered instruction approach to education and training, it is clear

that Virtual Reality can be used in a variety of ways to foster learning for students. With
the use of virtual reality in classrooms, schools will likely never be the same again. It
seems as through the role of the teacher, and of the student, will continue to evolve
with the use of more technologies in schools. It is important for teachers to learn how
to appropriately “build technology skills in the context of designing learner-centered
learning activities in their subject areas” as to avoid simply learning about “... ‘cool’
technology tools but…have difficulty applying them for their students’ learning” (An,
2012, p. 800).

5. References

An, Y. (2012). Chapter 58 Learner-Centered Technology Integration. In Encyclopedia of

E-Leadership, Counseling, and Training (Vol. 1, pp. 797-807). Hershey, PA:
Information Science Reference. doi:10.4018/978-1-61350-068-2.ch058
Anderson, M. (2018, January 24). The New Periodic Table of IOS Apps for AR and VR.
Retrieved from https://ictevangelist.com/the-new-periodic-table-of-ios-apps-
forarandvr/?utm_content=buffer87432&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twit
ter.com&utm_campaign=buffer.
Bitstrips Inc. (2018). Retrieved February 10, 2018, from https://www.bitmoji.com/

10
 Ellen Adams
Sarah Dupuis
Kaitlin Jezequel
MEDT 7464
February 14, 2018

Educause. (2017, October). Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality.
Retrieved February 06, 2018, from
https://westga.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/1531923/viewContent/25121243
/View
Ke, F., & Im, T. (2013). Virtual-Reality-Based Social Interaction Training for Children
with High-Functioning Autism. Journal of Educational Research, 106(6), 441-461.
Retrieved Feb 8, 2018, from http://proxygsu-
scob.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=
true&db=fth&AN=90465242&site=eds-live&scope=site
Kugler, L. (2017, August). Why Virtual Reality Will Transform a Workplace Near
You. Communications of the ACM, 60(8), 15-17. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
Lin, T., & Lan, Y. (2015). Language Learning in Virtual Reality Environments: Past,
Present, and Future. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 486-497.
Retrieved February 8, 2018.
Lu, L. (2013). 3D Virtual Worlds as Art Media and Exhibition Arenas: Students'
Responses and Challenges in Contemporary Art Education. Studies in Art
Education, 54(3), 232-245. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
Merriam-Webster. (2018, February 1). Avatar. Retrieved February 10, 2018, from
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avatar
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Virtual Reality. Retrieved February 07, 2018, from
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virtual%20reality
Mitchell, P., Parsons, S., & Leonard, A. (2007). Using Virtual Environments for Teaching
Social Understanding to 6 Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Journal
of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 37(3), 589-600.
Reede, E. and Bailiff, L. (2016, January 23). When Virtual Reality Meets Education. Tech
Crunch. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/23/when-virtual-
reality-meets-education/.
Samsung (Producer). (2018). “Human Nature”: Samsung Brand Philosophy - Do What
You Can’t. [Video File]. Retrieved from
https://www.popisms.com/TelevisionCommercial/146674/Samsung-
Commercial-2018.aspx.

Evaluation Criteria

Criteria Points
1. Definition(s) and Clear, accurate, appropriate citations 15
characteristics

2. 5+ Uses of the given table format, detailed 30

examples/cases descriptions of the applications of the selected
technology in education and training
3. A critique of current Analysis and synthesis of #2 10
uses of the selected
technology

11
 Ellen Adams
Sarah Dupuis
Kaitlin Jezequel
MEDT 7464
February 14, 2018

4. Guidelines Clear, easy to understand, specific guidelines for 40

learner-­­centered technology integration
Creative
Appropriate citations
5. References APA style 5
Total 100

12