So, this session is about this:
VR.
You've probably seen pictures like this,
so let's get started by talking about what is VR and 360 video.
Well, you can have VR like this,
this is my colleague Karen,
she's got a VR headset,
and she's also got a hand console.
She's actually playing table tennis,
very badly! So, she dropped
the ball, and then hits it, you can look around,
you can look up and down, so it is
a really immersive experience. There's lots of
different games, lots of different sports
that you can play with this kind of headset. different games, lots of different sports
that you can play with this kind of headset.
But, it's not just this expensive
headset, you can also
get this, which I think most of you have got in your hands,
which is Google Cardboard.
You can make your own Virtual Reality set
with the £10 cardboard
- or we've given this one to you free -
and your own device.
So, you need to download the Google Cardboard app,
and then you can find lots of videos which you can watch
in VR, so you can look up, and down, and around.
Like these two people.
But, VR has been around a while,
and you often see these kind of headlines - is it just hype?
So, does VR really do anything different?
Or, is it just a gimmick?
Some of the arguments that people give about VR
for example in this article by Forbes,
is that it's really expensive,
that there's not enough content, and that it's not got
a real purpose. But, in
fact, expensive - yes,
you can get really expensive headsets, but you can also
get really cheap headsets, like the ones you're holding.
So, it is very accessible, you can use your own device,
so cost, really, you can get VR headsets for cheap.
Content,
there's more and more content being made available,
there's a YouTube channel with 360 videos,
VR videos, so you can find lots and lots of content.
How about the last point? Is it just a gimmick?
Well, I'd like to show an example
of how VR is being used in education,
this is in medical education,
does anyone recognise this man?
So, his name is Shafi Ahmed,
He works in a hospital in London,
in a training hospital,
So, he does surgery and often, maybe 15 or 20
medical students watching the surgery
learning, and understanding what he does and how he does it,
so it's a really good training experience
for those students who are in the theatre.
But, obviously, that can only be 15 people.
So, Shafi Ahmed did the first live streaming
VR surgery. I haven't watched it - too squeamish!
So, they set up a camera in the surgery,
a 360 camera, a few cameras around the side,
and then, this is what happened during the surgery.
Instead of 15 people in the room watching it and learning,
over 50,000 people around the world
could take part in the surgery,
they could look, they could watch, they could learn,
and they could understand.
So, clear implications for how VR can really
make learning and teaching more accessible.
This is a medical context,
but there's also examples of this happening in
English language teacher training, so,
Paul Driver has written a lot about this, and
it is well worth a read.
So the key thing, is it a gimmick?
[ooh, sorry!]
Not if you focus on the learning.
So, if you're using VR, think,
what does it do that video doesn't do,
that photos don't do.
If you've got a good reason to do it, then use it.
So, education, lots of different industries,
are using VR,
they're using it in healthcare,
Shafi Ahmed is using it,
they're also using it in lots of situations to
help reduce stress and anxiety
so it's really good, because it feels immersive,
they've used it very effectively.
If you want to practice your IATEFL session
and you're a bit nervous, you can
get a VR app where you can sit and you look at loads of people
and you feel slightly less scared when it happens!
It has also been used for phobias,
to help people get used to and overcome
phobias, and with post traumatic stress disorders as well.
So, what are the implications for ELT?
Well, for us, we make exams, and we know that
for exam situations, the test, sometimes students get
quite nervous, so, for us, we decided
let's try and do something with VR
to help students feel more confident
and feel more relaxed about their test.
And, particularly, speaking. So
we know that speaking is something students get
stressed about - does this reflect your students as well?
OK
and, when you go to a test centre,
for students who've never had a speaking
test before, it's all new.
So, to help prepare,
in your class you might do a mock test,
but if you have an immersive VR video,
then you can get your students to walk through
the speaking test as if they were there.
So, just using the cardboard,
we've made a video - this is Maria,
and we've got a video of her
completing the test, which I'm going to try to show you now.
So, you can, if you have this in your headset,
you can move around,
and you can see what's happening. So, for students,
we found anecdotally
really good feedback - they said they really,
they really liked the experience, helped them
feel more confident about doing their speaking exam.
So, I'd definitely recommend
after the session, you can go to our
stand, and find out about Cambridge
BETA where you can see that video as well.
So, that's one way to use it,
but there's lots of other ways you can use VR
as well, so, has anyone used VR in the class?
Yep!
What have you used it for?
OK, so scenarios, context, where you're
in a context and you have to go and do something.
So yeah, that's ..
that's great, when you have a conversation with someone
and you have to reply. So, like I said,
there's lots of content, and you have to reply. So, like I said,
there's lots of content,
YouTube 360 channel has
loads of videos,
there's lots of content not specifically for
ELT, that you could definitely use.
So, travel websites,
often have videos, so you can have a video
of Visit Scotland, or
if you want something more exciting, you
can go to (Scotland is exciting, of course!)
if you want something more exciting you can go
to National Geographic and go and feed
some lions! S,
for this, same as if you had a
a text about a place or if you students
went on a trip, you can ask your
students to go to
Scotland,
or on the safari,
and then afterwards,
they can ask each other questions about it.
So here, the benefit is,
that the students are probably
more engaged, more interested,
they can look around, so
one way to use content already existing in ELT
- same way as you might use
a trip.
Other apps that you can use,
this is a really interesting
idea - this is a 3D
modelling website,
It's called Sketchfab,
I'm going to try and show you this one too ...
So, this has models of things, and you can
flip them round, turn them round, look at them,
I'll show you this one as an example,
and they have all sorts of different models, so, animals,
Uhh, robots,
uhh, antiques,
so, for this, if you have
something you would like to bring into the class that you can't,
you could use this,
if you think you need more than a
video, or more than a photo.
But, the key thing with all of these, is
how does it help the learning? If you
could do the same thing with a video, you don't need it.
But, if you want something where
you could only do it with VR, then that's going to work.
There's lots of things on this site as well,
so if you're teaching a content subject,
if you're teaching science, geography,
biology,
you'll find lots of models and designs that you can use.
So, two different kinds of apps you can use so far,
one more I'd like to tell you about,
is something called Google Expeditions,
For this one, you have, it's
diffferent to the others, because this one is collaborative.
So, this is also designed for
education, but not specifically for English language teaching.
You need devices for all your students,
when you choose the mission,
you choose to be the guide,
your students choose to lead,
and then you can take them on an expedition,
you can go to NASA, you can go to Mount Everest,
you can go diving,
and you can see where the students are,
and explain what to look at and where to go next.
It might not be possible to use this if
your students don't have devices, but you
can do this where one student looks,
and they explain it to the others.
These are just three examples of how to use VR,
here's another hundred!
So, this is the periodic table of apps,
this is by Mark Banbury and it's
on Twitter handle @VirtualITeach,
If you want some ideas for what to use,
then this is a great place to start.
If it's overwhelming,
then you can also find individual apps reviewed on
sites, so, things like our site
which is The Digital Teacher,
we've got reviews on different apps, and also,
to help you think 'what is a good app'.
Again, not as a gimmick, but
think about the learning. What are you using that app
for, what are you using VR for,
and how does it help improve your learners' prospects?
So,
hopefully, you'll all be set now to use VR with your students,
if you'd like to find out more information
about our speaking test video, then
please have a look at Cambridge BETA,
which is on our website,
or come to our stand and find out more information,
and I hope you have many excellent
adventures with your students through VR!
Thank you very much!
[APPLAUSE]
< Can you just say that Tristan is at the back with these headphones if they'd like to try them?
If you want to try these headsets,
my colleague is at the back and you can
try them with the 360 video in them, so,
at the back of the room!
Thank you!