While the idea of virtual reality has been in existence for several decades, it has only recently come to the forefront of public recognition.  According to Wikipedia, virtual reality is defined as “technology which allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment, be it a real or imagined one.” This technology can be divided into two main types.  First, when virtual reality is presented on a computer screen it is referred to as Desktop virtual reality.  An example is a virtual home tour on the internet.  The second type of virtual reality occurs when a viewer wears a head-mounted display (HMD) system.  This is called Total immersion virtual reality.  An example is the headset a student pilot uses during training exercises (Strangman, Hall, & Meyer, 2003).

Virtual reality was first mentioned in the 1950s when Morton Heilig described his vision of an "Experience Theatre" that would envelop all of a viewer’s senses and strengthen the viewer’s onscreen experience.  In 1962, Heilig brought this vision to life when he built a mechanical prototype called the Sensorama and created five films that engaged the viewer’s sense of sight (stereoscopic display), sound (stereo speakers), smell (fans and odor emitters), and touch (a moving chair). This unit could be used by a single user only (Virtual reality, 2007).

In the 1960s head-mounted display systems began to appear.  First, Philco Corporation engineers developed the first HMD called Headsight, which included a helmet with a video screen and tracking system.  Later, Bell Laboratories used an HMD for helicopter pilots to have a clear field of view during night flight.  As well, Ivan Sutherland conducted experiments at MIT using three-dimensional displays.  A few years later, he developed a head mounted display system that surrounded people using three-dimensional displays.  He called this invention The Sword of Damocles, since it hung from a huge mechanical arm from the ceiling and was very heavy to wear.  The viewer was able to see a simple wireframe room when wearing the HMD (Virtual reality, 2007).

In the 1970s and 1980s, the United States began to use virtual reality with its military training.  It was primarily used to train pilots with flight simulators.  In 1977, MIT researchers created the Aspen Movie Map, which was a virtual simulation of Aspen, Colorado.  Viewers were able to see photographs of summer and winter while virtually walking along the streets of Aspen.  As well, there was a three-dimensional model of the city (Virtual reality, 2007).

In the 1980s, Jaron Lanier became recognized as one of the pioneers of virtual reality. Lanier is credited with coining the term virtual reality and built a system of "goggles n' gloves" that many may be familiar with today.  It was not until the late 1980’s that the rest of the world began to investigate the possibility of using virtual reality (Virtual reality, 2007).

Currently, virtual reality has reached the point of being recognized as a disruptive technology, in that it has begun to displace current technology.  Computer games and computer simulations from the past are being rapidly replaced by more life-like characters and scenes.  This is most apparent in military training as reported by Jose Anotnio Vargas (2007) in the Washington Post.  He describes how many of the soldiers’ experiences with life-like war games, like Halo, helped them prepare for combat and have war-like experiences in a way soldiers of the past never dreamed. It is uncertain how far virtual reality will take us in the future.  Some pessimists believe that as virtual reality grows, people will prefer to live in their simulated fantasy worlds rather that the real word (Pew Report, 2006).

Relevance to education

“Virtual reality can work for educators as a tool in assisting students to become immersed in a learning environment where they can participate in their own learning in a technology based environment.” (Shaffer, 2002) In the field of education, virtual reality has been used to simulate real world environments with students having special needs. Some of the studies with special populations have shown promise, but have also lead to more ideas to follow up on. For example, Vogel, J., Bowers C., Meehan, C., Hoeft, R., & Bradley, K., (2004), studied the use of virtual reality to aid deaf students in practicing real-life skills like crossing the street, which is normally very dangerous for them. The program was popular and had promising benefits.

Other uses of virtual reality benefit all children. The JASON Project (2005) is familiar to many teachers and classrooms. This project was started in 1989 by Dr. Robert D. Ballard to stimulate children’s interest in science, math, and technology be offering them real-time multimedia expeditions. Other common tools include NASA's virtual reality educational site, offering online internet explorations like hands-on use of lunar rovers and virtual fieldtrips. As well as, Google Earth offers users a chance to travel the world from a distance and up close.

The majority of virtual reality applications to date have been in the areas of math and science (Strangman, Hall, & Meyer, 2003).  In general, it appears that virtual reality can offer those in education opportunities to work with abstract concepts in a hands-on way.  For example, Froguts.com is a site many students enjoy.  It offers virtual dissections of items like owl pellets, frogs, and squid.  It has 3-D manipulation of tools, audio narrations, quizzes, and other tools that make it an educationally friendly site to both teachers and students.  Another well-utilized site is the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives, which is an online library of hands-on math manipulatives. This site is designed for PreKindergarten-12th grades and covers numbers and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis and probability.

The research has been reviewed by Strangman, Hall, & Meyer (2003) and a summary of results is shown in this paragraph. In general, findings show that effects are still uncertain, but seem to indicate there is a definite student appeal that holds their attention. There have also been studies that showed virtual simulations have the potential to correct students’ misconceptions. As well, students seem to be able to develop fuller conceptual models of math and science concepts when they se virtual reality. As would also be expected using virtual applications can also lead to stronger skill development.

While the benefits of virtual reality definitely lie in its hands-on, attention-getting applications, there are drawbacks as well. It is still very expensive if you are looking at using any headgear, gloves, or other external equipment. At this point, side effects related to the vision-related gear are unknown. A true virtual experience will not happen until scientists discover a way to incorporate the other senses, like touch and smell, as the original inventor of the Sensorama dreamed (see History and Background). In the mean time, while virtual reality cannot infuse all of the senses to date, it does help students gain a better understanding of processes, environments, and lessons in the classroom.

Glossary of Terms

The following is a list of the most common terms associated with virtual reality (VR). The definitions were taken from the GLOSSARY OF VIRTUAL REALITY TERMINOLOGY.  Please refer to the GLOSSARY OF VIRTUAL REALITY TERMINOLOGY source for a complete listing.

Other names for virtual reality.

Tools associated with virtual reality.

Types of virtual reality.

Virtual Reality environments.

Click to continue.