Virtual Reality

Wow.  The world of virtual reality is creeping up upon us.  I never really considered that it would be a new wave of the future in educational technology but after looking into it, I see how it could definately impact our world.  People can create atavars and visit other virtual environments.  I saw information on attending virtual conferences.  I wonder if this will lead to us never having to leave our homes to attend conferences or such.  I’ve heard of virtual schools and thought that it was a good idea but I feel that there needs to be face-to-face social interaction among students – this is a vital part of the growth and learning process.

I was watching TV a couple of days ago and I can’t remember if it was CSI or Law and Order, but a homicide investigation focused on a virtual reality game where the players created atavars and lived in a virtual world.  It seemed to me that the players created atavars with characteristics and behaviors that were much more exagerated and usually extroverted than their characteristics in real life.   The crime in the show was actually solved by seeing who was playing the game at the actual time of the real homicide.  I watched this show before I looked into virtual reality so after I looked into what the current trends in virtual reality are, I kept flashing back to this show.  I am interested to see how far this phenomenon goes!