Use of Virtual Worlds or Virtual Reality (VR) 

for Students with Special Needs

The Virtual World:  

What is it?

     A virtual world is a type of online community that is mostly presented as a computer-simulated environment, through which users can interact with each other, and they can also use and create objects. Communication between users in a virtual world ranges from text to graphical icons, visual gesture, sounds and seldom can use touch or voice command.

How can Virtual Worlds

 or Virtual Reality be used in education?

     Virtual Reality (VR) can work for educators as a tool in assisting general education students, as well as students with different disabilities to become absorbed in a learning environment where they can participate in their own learning in a technology based setting. 

     Virtual reality, the world’s most advanced learning technology by now, is an innovative new way to teach by keeping students engaged. It allows students to step through the computer and internet into 3-D, interactive worlds. By putting on a special headset and gloves, students enter a world of educational adventure.

     VR labs extend school boundaries according to our current economic downturn. Schools that could not afford to have science and language labs, now can see their students experimenting and exploring in VR labs at a fraction of the cost of the real labs. Because VR is based on the same PCs already in schools, it is within the means of every school to further increase their students achievement.

Images of     

Virtual Reality equipment...

Classic Virtual Reality equipment.
Head Mounted Device (HMD) with gloves. 

 (Click on photos to enlarge.)


Virtual Reality System Developed by NASA.

A student using VR equipment

in the classroom...

Advantages of using Virtual Reality

for students with special needs:

• The most important benefit of using VR for students with special needs is their possibility to attend classes without having to go in a physical classroom, which could be essential for a student with physical disabilities, or for a student that has trouble socializing with teachers and/or peers (Lanyi, C. S., Geiszt, Z., 2006).
• Many students with special needs have sensory problems. VR isolates specific stimuli from the environment and allows students to control how much they will experience of the virtual world class (Strickland, 1996).
• For the visual learners amongst students with disabilities, VR is very appropriate since it is emphasizing the visual skills of the students (Strickland, Virtual Reality for the Treatment of Autism, 1998).
• Students with visual impairments or blind can also benefit from VR used in their education. Findings of researches "showed that 3D sound alone is enough for the construction of mental structures suggesting that spatial imagery is not dependent purely on visual information." (Lanyi, C. S., Geiszt, Z., 2006).
• Students with disabilities need an individualized treatment, which can be offered to them by continuous fine-tuning of the websites or software used for their VR classes (Strickland, Virtual Reality for the Treatment of Autism, 1998).
• Most of the students with disabilities are very responsive to computer technology, therefore VR is a very effective new approach to education for students with developmental disabilities  (Strickland, Virtual Reality for the Treatment of Autism, 1998).

V-Frog, the first virtual-reality-based frog dissection software, allows biology students to

perform dissections on their computers. (Credit: Image courtesy of University at Buffalo)

(Image & info. source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Disadvantages of using Virtual Reality

for students with special needs:

• Depending on the disability, some students may need someone to help them use the virtual world course.
• Depending on the disability, some students might need special adaptations to using the computer, such as Alternative/Augmentative Communication devices (AAC).

Examples of Virtual Worlds

to educate students with disabilities:

NMG

1.  "Active Worlds:" http://www.activeworlds.com/ - here a teacher can built his/her own virtual world, then use it for teaching students with disabilities.

2.  "Teen Second Life:"  http://teen.secondlife.com/ 

3.  "Small Worlds:" http://www.smallworlds.com/ 

4.  "Kaneva:" http://www.kaneva.com/

5.  "Onverse:" http://www.onverse.com/signup/

Benefits of applying Virtual Reality

to students with disabilities...

     According to John McComas,et al, the benefits that have been used for enhancing the training and skills for children with disabilities range from teaching them how to cross

a street or go shopping without worrying about becoming injured or experiencing embarrassment (1998).  Another worthy example is children who have autism.  Children who suffer from aut

ism become overstimulated even from the slightest sounds, motion, flickering of lights and so on to the point where they go into a "meltdown" or where they become so overly-stimulated and angry that they become "spaced out" and their bodies cannot feel or react to anymore stimulation at that point. ("Autism and Meltdowns," 2010 ).  

     The use of Virtual Environments (VE) can benefit a child with Autism in that the stimuli can be controlled to any degree necessary (McComas, et al., 1998).  Moreover, benefits

have been noted with the use of VE in rehabilitation seetings such as for physical assessments and training of motor or cognitive functioning (McComas, et al., 1998).   Add

itional benefits of VR purports that, along with controlling visual and auditory stimuli functioning in children with neuro-cognitive disabilities or physical impairments, VR allows

children with disabilities or diseases to communicate with each other while focusing more on their own true character and personality rather than their afflictions (McComas, et al, 1998).  Above all, Virtual Reality and Virtual Environments are a good method to motivate students to have more fun learning while motivating and challenging themselves to pursue their educational achievements. (Lányi, et al, 2006).  

Added by:  Norberto  Gaspar

Videos demonstrating Virtual Reality 

 and benefits for young individuals with Autism...

Videos demonstrating Virtual Worlds

for young individuals with learning disabilities...

Information on how Virtual Reality

can be used with students with special needs...

• Virtual classrooms for public school use
• Use of virtual environments in public schools
• http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_vr.html
• http://www.ijvr.org/issues/issue4/7.pdf
• http://teachertube.com/members/viewVideo.php?video_id=130043&title=SL_education_tour 

The Quirky...  

and the Virtual?

Tube vs. Flat Panel?

"Who will decide the fate of our future!"

(Well, I think we all know who won that bet... \^o^/) 

(Added by: Norberto Gaspar)  

References

"Autism and Meltdowns: What it feels like, what happens and why." - Autism and it's World." Autism and it's World INTRODUCTION! - Autism and it's World. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2010. <http://chat1autism.wetpaint.com/page/Autism+and+Meltdowns%3A+What+it+feels+like,+what+happens+and+why 

Lányi, Cecília Sik, Zoltán Geiszt,, Péter Károlyi,, Ádám, Tilinger, and Viktor Magyar. "Virtual Reality in Special Needs Early Education." The International Journal of Virtual Reality, 5.4 (2006): 55-68. http://www.ijvr.org/issues/issue4/7.pdf. Web. 13 May 2010. 

McComas, Joan, Jayne Pivik, and Marc LaFlamme. "Current Uses of Virtual Reality for Children with Disabilities." Virtual Environments in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience NA.NA (1998): NA. http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:SfBsfLCHqhEJ:citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download%3Fdoi%3D10.1.1.46.5570%26rep%3Drep1%26type%3Dpdf+CURRENT+USES+OF+VIRTUAL+REALITY+FOR+CHILDREN+WITH+DISABILITIES&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjWMMDPUdhIKBktl7Ry. Web. 13 May 2010.

Strickland, D. (1996). Brief Report: Two Case Studies Using Virtual Reality as a Learning Tool for Autistic Children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 26 (6), 651-659.

Strickland, D. (1998). Virtual Reality for the Treatment of Autism. Virtual Reality in Neuro-Psycho-Physiology , 1-6.

Images:

http://www.brainline.org/images/uploads/orig/2009/00169.jpg

http://briansrapier.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/virtual-reality.jpg

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/fig/0010320701001.png

http://www.futuretimeline.net/21stcentury/images/2030s_AI_digital_entity.jpg

http://www.futuretimeline.net/21stcentury/images/holographic_wall_screen_2030s.jpg

http://www.futuretimeline.net/21stcentury/images/full_immersion_virtual_reality.jpg

http://gallery.techarena.in/data/516/Virtual_Reality_Helmet.jpg

http://www.geekologie.com/2008/05/22/VR-mask.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~blacksoulscience/My%20Documents/BLACK%20SOUL%20SCIENCE/Portal/images/Matrix%20BLUE%20Room.jpg 

http://hoklife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/virtual-reality-technology-image.jpg

http://www.ijvr.org/issues/issue4/7.pdf

http://www.monochrom.at/english/pictures/060510092605.jpg

http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2008/02/080211215636-large.jpg

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=virtual-reality-military 

http://sl.nmc.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/vrr-demo_003.jpg

Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1O_ugdWWBs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa7WHSbmquk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FNk9zMFzW8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX5IERvL_Jo 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1NEsWYKV20 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gXqHEB564s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iWF5k-4sfo&feature=player_embedded 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9S_lvCYRcY&feature=player_embedded