ATTN: Defiance
From: Jade Overkill
Hi Team! I hope you get this message. I enjoyed our session and getting used to this new technology that had been obliterated in 2077. I hope that you are getting your time travel feet settled and are in a groove. I got our next case from General Gravity and hope you received yours as well. I've chosen my video game on the Nintendo Switch called Legend of Zelda. I hope you enjoy your chosen games and I look forward to talking about them.
JO
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ATTN: Jade Overkill
From: Defiance
Let's brainstorm for our project tomorrow. This message will self-destruct in 30 seconds.
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ATTN: Defiance
From: Jade Overkill
Roger.
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Journal entry: We met as groups and talked about our project ideas. We used ConceptBoard to discuss. We have a few ideas going, such as a science fair app and a choose your own adventure maze game for teaching critical thinking skills. We'll need to hash things out a bit more. Gee's writings about all of the various aspects of game design were extremely beneficial and I learned about the various elements of creating good games. I will likely utilize Gee's writings for my final master's project if I choose game-based learning as an instructional strategy. I am excited about designing a game, but a bit nervous as I have been having a lot of computer issues. I haven't been able to download Unity without my computer crashing. That makes life frustrating, and I haven't been able to do all the quests that I had planned, either. Staying in character is challenging when I cannot participate the way I'd like.
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Monday, March 5, 2018
Stardate 2077.10: Final Analysis of Case 2018
ATTN: General Gravity
From: Jade Overkill
Sir,
My Final Analysis
It is my view that Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and the USS Arizona Memorial are excellent cases of education technology integration into an informal learning environment. Because of the somber nature of the memorial, integration of technology at the memorial must be tasteful and done carefully to create enthusiasm for learning and preserving history, while at the same time, honoring the dead. For example, the audio tour could be done by smartphone, but it makes sense to keep it as-is due to the headphones allowing for a quieter atmosphere.
To upgrade the status from excellent to exemplary, a few changes might be made to the current technology. Basic fixes should be implement to ensure that broken equipment is fixed in a timely manner. Touch kiosks might be beneficial at the outdoor exhibits, but care would need to be taken for protection against the elements and keeping with the solemnity of the site.
Realistically, I believe the best choice of resource management would be to fund the development of the virtual reality application further. The groups partnering might do a usability study of the current application and continue the revision process through its continued development. The VR application should be upgraded to include educational and interactive content that could be used from home or in the classroom. Classrooms could visit as a virtual field and the interactive, educational content would only enhance this. It might be integrated in the same fashion as the Acropolis VR application (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rendernet.acropolis) as shown in Image 9:
Image 9: Acropolis VR Application
A VR video or animation might make sense rather than the time-lapse that is currently in the app. It might make a bigger impact on the viewer, rather than showing only photos of the damage. A video would also make the material less clunky and awkward. Sound effects and music could also be incorporated into the app. My recommendation would be to start the app in silence for use at the memorial and have added features that allow the user to choose to turn on the sound in a settings menu. Various settings might include a Narrator On/Off, Sound Effects On/Off, and Video On/Off. This also gives a bit of control to the user.
In McMamay’s article (2017), it was mentioned that interviews might be developed in to the app somehow. This would certainly take ed tech integration to the next level. This link to a TED Talk on history education through VR is an example of what could be possible with story-telling, history, and empathy for learning and understanding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea08yn4emPg. The Pearl Harbor VR app could potentially benefit from this kind of story-telling immensely since the stories are already being told through videos in the museum. The greatest benefit of focusing on the application development is not bringing a new form of technology and wow factor to the museum, rather, it is the capability of bringing the museum, monument and historical experience to the audience, most of whom could never afford to travel to Hawaii to visit these sites in person.
I hope you will agree to allow us to integrate this type of technology into our future cases.
From: Jade Overkill
Sir,
My Final Analysis
It is my view that Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and the USS Arizona Memorial are excellent cases of education technology integration into an informal learning environment. Because of the somber nature of the memorial, integration of technology at the memorial must be tasteful and done carefully to create enthusiasm for learning and preserving history, while at the same time, honoring the dead. For example, the audio tour could be done by smartphone, but it makes sense to keep it as-is due to the headphones allowing for a quieter atmosphere.
To upgrade the status from excellent to exemplary, a few changes might be made to the current technology. Basic fixes should be implement to ensure that broken equipment is fixed in a timely manner. Touch kiosks might be beneficial at the outdoor exhibits, but care would need to be taken for protection against the elements and keeping with the solemnity of the site.
Realistically, I believe the best choice of resource management would be to fund the development of the virtual reality application further. The groups partnering might do a usability study of the current application and continue the revision process through its continued development. The VR application should be upgraded to include educational and interactive content that could be used from home or in the classroom. Classrooms could visit as a virtual field and the interactive, educational content would only enhance this. It might be integrated in the same fashion as the Acropolis VR application (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rendernet.acropolis) as shown in Image 9:
Image 9: Acropolis VR Application
A VR video or animation might make sense rather than the time-lapse that is currently in the app. It might make a bigger impact on the viewer, rather than showing only photos of the damage. A video would also make the material less clunky and awkward. Sound effects and music could also be incorporated into the app. My recommendation would be to start the app in silence for use at the memorial and have added features that allow the user to choose to turn on the sound in a settings menu. Various settings might include a Narrator On/Off, Sound Effects On/Off, and Video On/Off. This also gives a bit of control to the user.
In McMamay’s article (2017), it was mentioned that interviews might be developed in to the app somehow. This would certainly take ed tech integration to the next level. This link to a TED Talk on history education through VR is an example of what could be possible with story-telling, history, and empathy for learning and understanding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea08yn4emPg. The Pearl Harbor VR app could potentially benefit from this kind of story-telling immensely since the stories are already being told through videos in the museum. The greatest benefit of focusing on the application development is not bringing a new form of technology and wow factor to the museum, rather, it is the capability of bringing the museum, monument and historical experience to the audience, most of whom could never afford to travel to Hawaii to visit these sites in person.
I hope you will agree to allow us to integrate this type of technology into our future cases.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Stardate 2077.09: Report to General Gravity
ATTN: 2077 and Informal Learning Case Study Report Conclusion
General Gravity,
There is a ton of technology integrated into the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites. The audio tour plays in 9 different languages and every tour marker I listened to functioned well. I had no issue with sound or static interference, I could easily control my volume, and I found the audio helpful rather than detracting during the visit.
The VR application is where technology integration is showing the most promise and I think we should try to manipulate it in our future endeavors. In Image 1, a map of the USS Arizona is shown. By gazing at the yellow dot, the viewer moves to show you the various parts of the deck. Once on the ship, you can navigate forward and backward as you “walk” on the virtual representation of the Arizona (See Image 2).
Image 1: Map of USS Arizona
Image 2: On the deck of the virtual USS Arizona
Within the app, you can choose to explore the virtual replica of the memorial. Image 3 is the ramp from the boat into the memorial. Image 4 shows a bird’s eye view of the memorial and the outline of the USS Arizona under the water.
Image 3
Image 4
Image 5 shows another viewpoint on the memorial with information from the diver. At each point, you are able to see a panoramic view of Pearl Harbor from the memorial. Image 6 shows a partial, zoomed-in segment of the wall of names. Within this section, you can view the wall all at once or zoom in to read the names more clearly.
Image 5
Image 6
Image 7
Image 8
Here's where we may need to watch out.
While the implementation of technology is thoughtful and enhances the exhibits, there are a few ways in which technology is detrimental to the experience. First, though not the fault of the museum, there is a PokemonGo marker on the actual site of the USS Arizona Memorial. You cannot reach it unless you are physically on the platform. While no one was actively trying to catch virtual Pokemon, it would certainly detract from the experience if some visitors decided to play while at the Memorial. PokemonGo was unfortunately identified as the catalyst that began the destruction of civilized society and we should be avoiding it where possible.*
Second, while the VR application is very interesting, one negative is that there is not a lot of educational value occurring while using it. It is clear from articles and interviews that the eventual goal is to be able to educate through the application, but it is currently missing the mark in that aspect. (McMamay, 2017).
Third, while touring the museums at the Visitor Center, I noticed that several of the screens were not functioning. I went to the museum on two separate days, and both times there were issues with the same screens. If the material that is normally playing on those screens is not duplicated elsewhere, information is not being received by the guest.
*I actually love playing PokemonGo...story line purposes only. ;)
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