Reflection topic: For this week, write a blog entry about whether your knowledge of multimedia as a concept and the theories behind it has changed as a result of the readings and/or discussion. This should be 500-750 words.
Of this week’s assigned readings, I found the Mikropoulos et al. (2011) article to be the most interesting and robust on the topic of virtual reality (VR) in education. Considering that the article was published in 2011, this was an exciting article to discover as it is a honeypot of the foundational elements when utilizing VR in education. Yet, now that another ten years have passed, I would be excited to conduct the same research from 2011 to the present.
Educational Virtual Environments (EVEs), as identified by Mikropoulos et al. (2011) using the seven principles outlined by Jonassen (1994). I have not previously discovered articles by Jonassen, and I am eager to follow that rabbit hole in learning more about the principles presented and how they were identified in the research conducted. I am curious to learn how an article from 1994 could potentially be the foundation in identifying virtual reality technology, as this seems to be a very forward-thinking point of view.
It was reassuring to see that this article also addressed the topics of connection, social presence, and engagement. As the technology for virtual reality continues to rapidly evolve, the learner will benefit from the increased social presence and connection from these EVE experiences. Having these social elements factored into the study sets a foundation for future research on the level of student interaction as it relates to the success of the EVE environment.
Additionally, the research foundation provided included pedagogical components including an emphasis on learning objectives. As educators, we must continue to put learning at the forefront, and not lead with the technology but instead lead with the student learning. By identifying the learning objectives early on within the project development, creators are given a roadmap for what they are to create. Additionally, with measurable learning objectives, the success of the project can be quantified.
Mikropoulos et al. (2011) concluded that both students and teachers have a positive attitude toward VR learning environments, immersion and social presence are important factors of a successful VR environment. The authors also outlined that additional research should be conducted concerning avatars and haptics in VR, as well as additional research on exploiting pedagogy within the VR environment.
Based on this week’s readings, my personal views of multimedia (and specifically the VR modality) have not changed, only strengthened. I feel that the current environment sees virtual reality as new technology. While the technology has more or less come to the forefront in the last few years, as the costs have decreased and accessibility has increased, the technology is not new. The focused article by Mikropoulos et al. (2011) was published ten years ago and pulled citations on relative and foundational concepts and theories from decades prior. While the virtual reality for education is not a new concept, how we proceed with the technology within the education space is still groundbreaking. As I move forward with my own research, I was elated to discover this foundational article for which to build upon.
References
Jonassen, D. H. (1994). Thinking technology: Toward a constructivist design model. Educational Technology, 34(4), 34–37
Mikropoulos, T. A., & Natsis, A. (2011). Educational virtual environments: A ten-year review of empirical research (1999-2009). Computers and Education, 56(3), 769–780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.10.020
