Zhong Qi

zhongqi@stu2016.jnu.edu.cn

In recent years, Virtual Reality (VR) technology has taken the world by storm as it enables people to explore a seemingly real world. Some educators have noted that such immersive technology stimulates students’ imagination, taking learning to higher levels.

On July 12, the International School of Nanshan Shenzhen (ISNS) hosted a VR art demonstration led by Paige Dansinger and organized by XR Pioneer, an education technology company that aims to bring the power of VR and all of XR, the umbrella term for computer-altered reality, to students at K-12.

Paige Dansinger, Facebook Community Leadership Fellow and founder of the Better World Museum, showed how to draw a VR garden in a demonstration. As a talent in creating VR art historical narratives, Dan singer excels at drawing VR garden programs, which will be included in a future Oculus Quest activity and a series of game narratives and adventures for about four friends inside of Facebook Spaces.

“As I am drawing, I am using different brushes and colors to create bamboo, flowers and much more. This is my hand of infinite opportunities. With it, I have all the options in the world,” Dan singer said when she was creating a wonderful 3-D artwork using Tilt Brush, a room-scale 3-D-painting VR application developed by Google.

ISNS rising grade 5 student Dylan T. and a parent were invited to try and they both managed to draw VR pictures on their first attempt using the device. “It’s easy to handle and more interesting than drawing on paper,” Dylan noted.

As the most immersive type of reality technology, VR allows students to explore in a simulated world.

VR also allows students to think spatially and learn abstract 3-D concepts that are challenging to imagine in traditional media such as textbooks, websites and software programs on 2-D surfaces. For example, using VR, math students can easily interact with and solve 3-D graphs.

In CalcFlow, for learning calculus, students can model, see, and experience the formulas they are using to solve problems to better connect the abstract variables (e.g. x, y, and z) from 3-D models to formulas and vice a versa. “VR helps make these abstract ideas real by giving them definitive form,” said Paola Paulino, chief innovation director at XR Pioneer and president of VR/AR Association Shenzhen. “VR users can move through space while drawing and creating their VR artworks, so it is three-dimensional.”

To make the VR art experiences more accessible to the public, a free VR painting and drawing workshop for students aged 10 to 17 and parents will be offered on August 10 and 11 at XR Pioneer HQ in Shekou. Follow the official WeChat account “XRpioneer深圳欢悦科技有限公司” (WeChat ID: XRpioneer) to sign up and get more information.

Founded in 2002, ISNS provides classes for students from kindergarten to grade 12 of 40+ nationalities to help them think independently and pursue their dreams in an era of technological breakthroughs. “Cooperating with XR Pioneer, ISNS runs a VR Pilot Program which is one of the first K-12 immersive technology programs in Asia that specifically focuses on emerging immersive technologies, empowering students’ creative use of VR in their learning journey,” said Paulino, founder of #isnsVR.