Modeling Reality with Virtual Worlds
Virtual worlds can be used in a vast majority of ways in different industries and fields, such as school field trips, home modeling, creative exercises, and entertainment. One specific way it was used was to help treat autism. David Savill, a 22 year old from Gloucester, England, has Asperger's syndrome and used Second Life to create a space called the 'Naughty Auties' where "visitors can practice social interaction and find information about the condition" (CNN). This is a great use of a virtual world that highlights one of the advantages of its existence, but there also are disadvantages.
Some of the disadvantages of virtual worlds include lag times, a lack of acuity, and that it may ignore laws of physics. Lag times make it harder to interact with others and makes the virtual experience difficult, as things may not be sent or processed correctly. The lack of acuity is also a disadvantage due to the fact that if, for example, if someone were to use virtual worlds in replace of a school field trip, the whole experience would not have been felt, since the only sense that can be used in a virtual world is sight.
One major advantage is that virtual worlds foster creativity. Virtual worlds do this by allowing people to visit places and experience things that they otherwise would not have been able to without the technology. This technology can be implemented in classrooms to show students more than what is in a textbook, and actually have them experience it and leave a lasting impression. In an article by Report Newspapers, Joe Earle wrote that "Students remember what they’ve encountered in the virtual world, said AIS’s Maxwell, who studied behavioral neuroscience for her doctorate. 'I can read all I want about how a dinosaur moves,' she said, 'but if I’m walking with one through a virtual forest, it’s very different'" (Earle). This kind of learning not only provides students with a visual reference, but it leaves them thinking even more about the topic at hand than what reading a paragraph in a textbook does.
Virtual worlds looks very promising in the future. I think it will be used for many things in the future that will help reduce costs of just about anything. I believe virtual world like technologies will also be used in our world, such as mirrors that show you how an outfit would look like without having to actually put it on. I see virtual worlds going way beyond the virtual spectrum and being apart of our daily lives in the future.
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/28/sl.autism.irpt/index.html#cnnSTCText
https://www.reporternewspapers.net/2018/09/14/the-virtual-world-moves-into-the-classroom/
Some of the disadvantages of virtual worlds include lag times, a lack of acuity, and that it may ignore laws of physics. Lag times make it harder to interact with others and makes the virtual experience difficult, as things may not be sent or processed correctly. The lack of acuity is also a disadvantage due to the fact that if, for example, if someone were to use virtual worlds in replace of a school field trip, the whole experience would not have been felt, since the only sense that can be used in a virtual world is sight.
One major advantage is that virtual worlds foster creativity. Virtual worlds do this by allowing people to visit places and experience things that they otherwise would not have been able to without the technology. This technology can be implemented in classrooms to show students more than what is in a textbook, and actually have them experience it and leave a lasting impression. In an article by Report Newspapers, Joe Earle wrote that "Students remember what they’ve encountered in the virtual world, said AIS’s Maxwell, who studied behavioral neuroscience for her doctorate. 'I can read all I want about how a dinosaur moves,' she said, 'but if I’m walking with one through a virtual forest, it’s very different'" (Earle). This kind of learning not only provides students with a visual reference, but it leaves them thinking even more about the topic at hand than what reading a paragraph in a textbook does.
Virtual worlds looks very promising in the future. I think it will be used for many things in the future that will help reduce costs of just about anything. I believe virtual world like technologies will also be used in our world, such as mirrors that show you how an outfit would look like without having to actually put it on. I see virtual worlds going way beyond the virtual spectrum and being apart of our daily lives in the future.
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/28/sl.autism.irpt/index.html#cnnSTCText
https://www.reporternewspapers.net/2018/09/14/the-virtual-world-moves-into-the-classroom/
Comments
Post a Comment