Innovations In Digital Instruction Through Virtual Environments

The implementation of virtual environments in education has been rapidly increasing in frequency after the COVID-19 pandemic. As these technologies rise in popularity, it is essential to understand the roles digital technologies play in fostering connections and learning, the affordances of digital texts and spaces for virtual classroom experiences, the difficulties educators have faced and how these practices have been crafted to meet these challenges, and more. Innovations in Digital Instruction Through Virtual Environments advances knowledge about the pedagogical decisions and lived experiences of researchers and educators both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It features research from those who have worked to sustain and develop digital/media pedagogical practices. Covering topics such as active learning environments, emotional labor, and textual engagements, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for educators and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, pre-service teachers, teacher educators, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

Virtual reality is the next frontier of communication. As technology exponentially evolves, so do the ways in which humans interact and depend upon it. It only follows that to educate and stimulate the next generation of industry leaders, one must use the most innovative tools available. By coupling education with the most immersive technology available, teachers may inspire students in exciting new ways. Emerging Tools and Applications of Virtual Reality in Education explores the potential and practical uses of virtual reality in classrooms with a focus on pedagogical and instructional outcomes and strategies. This title features current experiments in the use of augmented reality in teaching and highlights the effects it had on students. The authors also illustrate the use of technology in teaching the humanities, as students well-rounded in the fields of technology and communication are covetable in the workforce. This book will inspire educators, administrators, librarians, students of education, and virtual reality software developers to push the limits of their craft.

Teaching through Multi-User Virtual Environments: Applying Dynamic Elements to the Modern Classroom highlights the work of educators daring enough to teach in these new frontiers of education. This timely publication is a must-read for all educators and practitioners, of any subject and at any level, who wish to incorporate a dynamic online element to their classroom. It is also meant for researchers of education, computer science, and instructional technologies. Teaching through Multi-User Virtual Environments: Applying Dynamic Elements to the Modern Classroom is a one-stop resource for practices, as well as research activities, within the domain on Multi-User Virtual Environments.

The emergent phenomena of virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality is having an impact on ways people communicate with technology and with each other. Schools and higher education institutions are embracing these emerging technologies and implementing them at a rapid pace. The challenge, however, is to identify well-defined problems where these innovative technologies can support successful solutions and subsequently determine the efficacy of effective virtual learning environments. Emerging Technologies in Virtual Learning Environments is an essential scholarly research publication that provides a deeper look into 3D virtual environments and how they can be developed and applied for the benefit of student learning and teacher training. This book features a wide range of topics in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math to ensure a blend of both science and humanities research. Therefore, it is ideal for curriculum developers, instructional designers, teachers, school administrators, higher education faculty, professionals, researchers, and students studying across all academic disciplines.

New Perspectives on Virtual and Augmented Reality discusses the possibilities of using virtual and augmented reality in the role of innovative pedagogy, where there is an urgent need to find ways to teach and support learning in a transformed learning environment. Technology creates opportunities to learn differently and presents challenges for education. Virtual reality solutions can be exciting, create interest in learning, make learning more accessible and make learning faster. This book analyses the capabilities of virtual, augmented and mixed reality by providing ideas on how to make learning more effective, how existing VR/AR solutions can be used as learning tools and how a learning process can be structured. The virtual reality (VR) solutions can be used successfully for educational purposes as their use can contribute to the construction of knowledge and the development of metacognitive processes. They also contribute to inclusive education by providing access to knowledge that would not otherwise be available. This book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the field of educational technology.

There is a trend to offer courses by virtual means. This approach has definite advantages. For example, virtual programs target professionals who would otherwise have to leave their jobs to pursue the degree. An enormous proportion of universities are in the process of developing courses in a virtual environment. This book deals with virtual environments for teaching and learning. The chapters can be considered to be representative of the many approaches taken and the diversity of applications. The different perspectives and different solutions adopted are the result of intense research in various countries in the area of e-learning. Contents:Use of Virtual Worlds to Teach the Sciences (B M Slator et al.)Traditional vs. Technology-Integrated Distance Education (Z Erlich et al.)Facilitators and Inhibitors of E-Learning (J Liu et al.)Developing and Accessing Adaptive Internet-Based Courses (R M Carro et al.)Towards Intelligent Media-Oriented E-Learning Environments (M Kayama & T Okamoto)An Intelligent Tutoring System for Student Guidance in Web-Based Courses (B Özdemir & F N Alpaslan)Automatic Generation of Problems in Web-Based Tutors (M V Belmonte et al.)The Design of Internet-Based Interactive Learning Models Using Agents and Their Applications (T Ichimura et al.)Supporting Personalization in Distance Education Virtual Communities (E Gaudioso & J G Boticario)An Intelligent System for Capturing Presentation on Desktop Manipulations C Supporting for Video Contents Production (Y Nakamura et al.) Readership: Academics and researchers in education and computer science. Keywords:

This book includes a set of rigorously reviewed world-class manuscripts addressing and detailing state-of-the-art research projects in the areas of Engineering Education, Instructional Technology, Assessment, and E-learning. The book presents selected papers form the conference proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering Education, Instructional Technology, Assessment, and E-learning (EIAE 2006). All aspects of the conference were managed on-line.

Educational systems worldwide are facing an enormous shift as a result of sociocultural, political, economic, and technological changes. The technologies and practices that have developed over the last decade have been heralded as opportunities to transform both online and traditional education systems. While proponents of these new ideas often postulate that they have the potential to address the educational problems facing both students and institutions and that they could provide an opportunity to rethink the ways that education is organized and enacted, there is little evidence of emerging technologies and practices in use in online education. Because researchers and practitioners interested in these possibilities often reside in various disciplines and academic departments the sharing and dissemination of their work across often rigid boundaries is a formidable task. Contributors to Emergence and Innovation in Digital Learning include individuals who are shaping the future of online learning with their innovative applications and investigations on the impact of issues such as openness, analytics, MOOCs, and social media. Building on work first published in Emerging Technologies in Distance Education, the contributors to this collection harness the dispersed knowledge in online education to provide a one-stop locale for work on emergent approaches in the field. Their conclusions will influence the adoption and success of these approaches to education and will enable researchers and practitioners to conceptualize, critique, and enhance their understanding of the foundations and applications of new technologies.