Desktop Virtual Reality: A Powerful New Technology for Teaching and Research in Industrial Teacher Education

• Published in: Journal of industrial teacher education Vol. 41; no. 4; pp. 1 - 16
• Main Authors: Ausburn, Lynna J, Ausburn, Floyd B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: National Association of Industrial and Technical Teacher Educators 2004
• Subjects: Classroom Techniques; Computer Simulation; Computer Uses in Education; Educational Equipment; Educational Research; History; Industrial Education; Industrial Training; Teacher Education; Teacher Educators; Technical Education; Technology Uses in Education; Visual Aids
• ISSN: 0022-1864

Virtual Reality has been defined in many different ways and now means different things in various contexts. VR can range from simple environments presented on a desktop computer to fully immersive multisensory environments experienced through complex headgear and bodysuits. In all of its manifestations, VR is basically a way of simulating or replicating an environment and giving the user a sense of being there, taking control, and personally interacting with that environment with his/her own body. In this article, the author discusses the benefits of using visual technologies for teaching and learning in industrial education. Such a technology is virtual reality (VR). The capabilities and possibilities for VR technology may open doors to new vistas in industrial and technical instruction and learning, and the research that supports them. The emergence of desktop VR now makes it possible for industrial educators to add this powerful high-impact technology to their classroom instructional mix, and to build a unique research base in the field. Desktop VR may be a technology whose time has come for both research and practice in industrial education. With recent breakthroughs in technical and cost accessibility, the door to the world of virtual reality is standing wide open. For industrial teacher educators and researchers, it's only a matter of walking through. Furthermore, implications and recommendations for the use of VR technology as a potential tool for technical and industrial training are discussed.