The idea behind the proposed virtual reality experience, “Language Immersion”, is to expose students to different parts of the world, and different languages. Students commonly take classes to learn languages, and practice specific words and concepts during class time. A big part of language is how it is used casually with the slang and colloquialisms used within a native speakers daily life. These colloquialisms might not be learned in a classroom setting, because no native speakers may be present. Language Immersion can help students immerse themselves into the natural environment of a language, and learn how it is spoken naturally, and formally. A study was done with the game “Second Life” to see if anonymous online learning would be more helpful in language learning, than a classroom environment. The data did show that it was helpful, and some students appreciated their interactions with native speakers in a way that was casual and without the penalty of failure (Melchor-Couto). Exploring a foreign area with an unfamiliar language is not only educational, but fun.
The target audience for this product are students, and or other individuals that are trying to learn a foreign language. While Language Immersion can be used for personal use, the main idea is to use Language Immersion to increase a students understanding in a language that they are learning, and not solely be taught words, and sentences. While classroom-based learning has the possibility of a student forgetting what was learned by the end of class, Language Immersion will draw its audience in with its simple design; in the foreign environment a student or individual is exposed to, accomplishing daily tasks, and using different methods than traditional classroom and textbook learning, can help them make the leap in learning their desired language.
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
The user will learn foreign languages by being immersed into a foreign environment
The user will learn foreign languages by being immersed in environments where the language is spoken fluently
The user will be exposed to a variety of foreign language scenarios and be able to listen and learn
Uses difficulty levels to introduce a number of different concepts related to language
The user should learn a language in a more casual and practical sense
Language Immersion is educational, because it simulates real world experiences for someone who is learning a new language. Many people learn languages quicker and more effectively when they are immersed in an experience. According to the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, “research finds that immersion students whose first language is not English become more balanced bilinguals and develop higher levels of bilingualism” (carla.unm.edu). If these students are required to use the foreign language, they will be more likely to learn it. Other language applications fail, because they are not practical, or realistic. They are often too structured, and do not allow a user to truly be exposed to a language. These applications teach you how the language works on paper, but are unable to show and immerse a user into an environment surrounding a desired language, failing to accurately teach slang or casual conversation. This is an area that VR immersion excels in. By total immersion into a language, and into an environment that is real and accurate, users will be allowed to feel as if they were away from home, and their native language.
Progress can be assessed by using data that is gathered from the users of the Language Immersion experience. This data can tell us vital information, such as, if a user is passing levels, and increasing their knowledge and fluidity in a certain language. In addition, when applied to a classroom setting, teachers can evaluate the students’ progress before and after using the experience for the time of use, based on the curriculum. For example, a written knowledge base line test could be administered prior to using the Language Immersion VR App, and then after continued use for a week or more, a second test can be administered. This experience can be developed to fit a number of flexible curriculum’s and time frames, but just for an example, a week is appropriate. Scores and results can be shared between institutions, teachers, and the application developer in order to further understand how language learning is being affected by the immersion of VR. A beneficial data collection can also be conducted in the applications early development stages, to test if people are learning from it. This would be similar to focus groups and/or play tests. By utilizing focus groups and play tests, certain aspects of production or development could be revisited, in order to release a more complete application.
User Experience / User Interface
Language Immersion will be usable through Google Cardboard, Galaxy Gear and any of the more advanced virtual reality set ups. Our goal is to reach maximum accessibility, so that it can reach a bigger audience. In it’s simple design, this application will not have too many choices that might overwhelm the audience. An example of this simplicity are the first, four choices presented, including different roads. In the use of the Google Cardboard, each choice can be selected by using the small button on the top of the cardboard. The layout of Language Immersion is similar to a point and click adventurer, but instead of exploring a picture, a user is exploring a 3D immersive virtual space. The first level will take place on a city block, with signs in the foreign language, and people will be walking around. Someone will walk up to the user and ask for directions to a specific place, tasking the user with leading them there. The success of that task will depend on the ability of the user to understand that language, even with background noise and other conversations occurring around them. The best place to film this virtual experience is on a city block in the United States, and build it on actual clues that exist in that area to orient people; this will look very similar to Google Street View.
Implementing would be speaking responses, instead of just pointing and clicking, will be the next step in Language Immersion. In the example of the task of giving directions, to direct the person, a user would have to use their words to guide them to a certain location. The difficulty to implement voice in Language Immersion is unknown, but it would be a massive step not only for the application, but teaching, as well. A similar example of this technology is the built-in microphone in the Duolingo Mobile app, that allows users to speak into the app to answer questions, and prove that they can pronounce each word correctly.
Implementation Strategy
Our teams goal is to market Language Immersion to teachers and schools, as a supplement to language classes. A great way to market this application would be to attend various teaching conventions, and set up demos to try to appeal to this demographic. One conference our team would market at would be the Modern Language Association (MLA) Convention which is held yearly, and in 2018, had an attendance of 6,040 teachers and scholars (Modern Language Association). The MLA convention is an appropriate place to demo at, because there are many language educators that would be interested in the product. Another convention is the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages annual convention, hosted by an organization of more than 12500 language educators and administrators (ACTFL).
Also, Language Immersion will be marketed to regular consumers to use, if they want to learn a language on their own, like Duolingo. It would be downloadable as an app, and used with Google Cardboard, which is fairly accessible. Advertising through Instagram, Reddit and Twitter would be the most successful way, because it needs to appeal to a more tech savvy audience. Additionally, we could send our application to various tech savvy or education-minded internet personalities to test and sponsor our product, if they are interested. Some possible personalities would be the Vlogbrothers, two brothers who cover various topics, but find an interest in talking about education, with 3.1 million subscribers on YouTube, VSauce, a science YouTube brand with 13 Million subscribers on the main channel, and Austin McConnell, an eclectic YouTuber with almost 730,000 subscribers, who covers content such as books, film, weird trivia, and obscure history.
Long Term Vision
The initial prototype is being kept simple, because at this time, our goal is the quality of the application, not how much it can do. In keeping our project focused, we have limited the paths to four, and a few interactions will occur based on a users actions in the application. In a series of applications to come in the next five years, there will be free roam mode, voice interactions, stories, and more chapters. In free roam mode, users will have conversations with people in environments that they find, by either wondering, or picking a location to travel to. With the experience of free roam mode, a user can be even more immersed, because there is no script behind the actions they take.
Voice interactions in and out of free roam mode, will enable a user to talk to the people in the experience, instead of clicking the VR headset. This will make interactions more interesting for the user, including in, hospitals, restaurants, and other areas, not just cities. As the levels increase, the application will memorize who the user meets, and increase the complexity of the conversations based on the difficulty level, including more slang and casual conversation.
Secondary audiences could be immigrants who want to come to the United States, as they often use the world and media around them to learn the language of the country that they move to. This application can help people learn English before they migrate, for it would immerse them into the environment of a specific area they are moving to. The next phase of development will be releasing more languages, and more locations, based on the popularity of languages. Not only would students benefit from the educational value of knowing a second language, but those who are learning for work, and or personal purposes will benefit, also.
Works Cited
Melchor-Couto, Sabela. “Virtual World Anonymity and Foreign Language Oral Interaction.” ReCALL, vol. 30, no. 02, 2018, pp. 232–249., doi:10.1017/s0958344017000398.
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Susan J. Wolfson. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelleys Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus. Pearson Longman, 2007.
N.A. Aziz et al. “Modelling and optimisation of upgradability in the design of multiple life cycle products: a critical review.” Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 112 Part 1, January 2016, pp. 282-290, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652615011671
Frankenstein VR is a Virtual Reality app developed specifically for the Google Cardboard system. This is an interactive game modeled after the classic children’s game-book series “Choose-Your-Own-Adventure” popularized in the 1980’s and 1990’s (Chooseco LLC 2018). This app utilizes the user’s autonomous choices to teach concepts of empathy through the guise of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Players experience the events that unfold in quintessential Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel through the eyes of the Creature, thus literally placing them “in the monster’s shoes”.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a relatively ubiquitous piece of literature across most of Western society. If one has not read it, they are at least familiar with the grotesque image of the green-skinned ghoul with bolts in his neck propagated by early Hollywood. Due to the story’s renown, Frankenstein VR in turn will be popular across two major demographics. The primary audience and main target market for the Frankenstein VR app is students aged 14-20 who are concurrently studying the original text. It is meant to be an educational tool that informs and reinforces the main conflicts the Creature comes across in the novel. In turn, the app brings the larger concept of empathy for the “Others” in society to the forefront of the student’s mind, allowing for an in depth discussion to be facilitated by their professors. The secondary audience for the Frankenstein VR app is the general public with access to a smartphone and Google Cardboard. The purchase of the VR app through the consumer’s preferred App store, will drive revenue, and allow for the further development of an interactive game app that can be experienced without the use of the Google Cardboard. While Frankenstein VR will give the users a unique and thought provoking experience, no matter their age, the primary function is to ultimately instill a better understanding of the importance of empathy via practical application.
Victor Frankenstein’s Creature is an embodiment of the inherent empathy gap that has been ever prevalent in the world. The Creature is regarded as a societal “other”, and thus rebuked from the 19th century world in which he resides, and while we regard the morals of the world 200 years ago as perhaps less evolved, the same prejudices exist under different guises in the 21st century. In fact, a 2010 test designed by the University of Michigan to measure the prevalence of empathy across a wide swath of age gaps reported back a startling figure; “College Students today are 40 percent less empathetic than those who graduated two or three decades ago” (Gasgreen 2010). The main fault in our modern thinking is that the “concept of persona is linked towards a problematic attitude towards human life, derived from theology” (Carpi 2011). This is exemplified in the Creature’s personal struggle and self-identification with the figure of Lucifer in Milton’s Paradise Lost (Shelley 1813). There have always been those who fit into the societal “norm”, and the “others” who do not, but with the invention of the internet, there has been a spike in our overall awareness of those who have been “othered”. Those who do not conform to the glorified image of humans made in the image of an all powerful, perfect God can no longer be shunned and forgotten like in centuries past, and we are forced to confront the fact that our current perception of who is deemed worthy of our empathy is based heavily on their own, predestined physicality. Personhood is thus “characterized by two contrasting modes: it tends to be individual, but also needs to be put in relation with the ‘other’” (Carpi 2011). With the 24 hour media exposure we have become accustomed to, it is important that the upcoming generation of young adults grow, or at least maintain the level of empathy already instilled within them. With this in consideration, another 21st century phenomenon, Virtual Reality, is the perfect avenue to teach empathy. The engaging nature of the game is the key to teaching empathy as “it is unrealistic to expect students to become more empathetic if they aren’t actually committed to the idea” (Gasgreen 2010). Through the avenue of the Frankenstein narrative, the mindset of our youth can be changed, which is especially important because “the educated young people are the people who are going to be changing policies in the future (so), we better be sure they’re empathetic” (Gasgreen 2010).
Learning Outcomes:
The objective of Frankenstein VR game is to enhance empathy in users through directly experiencing and understanding the hardships the Frankenstein Monster had to endure in Mary Shelley’s novel. In this Virtual Reality (VR) game, users are put in the shoes of Frankenstein’s monster, without the player initially knowing that is who they are. Users will interact with characters from the novel who are either in dire help or in fear of the Monster (you, the user). Users will then have varying choices during these interactions. By the end of the experience, the more empathetic choices users make the more empathy points they’ll have scored. Teachers will have access to the scores of each user and will be able to determine their class’s overall empathy percentage.
One common question that people have about educational games, such as this one, is why does it have to be through a VR simulation? Studies investigated by researchers at Stanford University concluded that, “VR perspective-taking tasks may be more effective at improving attitudes towards specific social targets and motivating prosocial behaviors in the form of signed petitions in support of helpful initiatives than traditional and less immersive perspective-taking tasks.” (Herrera, 33). The studies done at Stanford Univ. were specifically geared towards the homeless. Users were put into VR and other less-immersive simulations of a homeless person and then all the data was compared. Of all the tests and simulations, VR was the only simulation that actually inspired users to sign petitions to go out and actually help the homeless.
“Putting on a VR headset… is an act of surrendering the self for the sake of another.” (‘C.T. Casberg’, Granados, 10-11). In this VR game, we aren’t seeking petitions from our users, we rather seek the effectiveness a VR simulation can have in enhancing empathy. “The intensity of VR immersion seems like a natural tool for sparking empathy. It lets you see, hear and, to a limited extent, even feel the same things as its central subject, in some cases allowing users to wander through a world at their own pace.” (Granados, 10). This is exactly what we’ll allow users to have: several different choices in situations that require users to think carefully about their decisions, but they can travel through at their own pace. By the end, certain decisions will give users a score that rates their empathy. Teachers can then gather the data to tally an overall class empathy percentage and begin discussion questions about the simulation to further understand the importance of empathy when it comes to socialization with people they have never met.
User Experience and Interface:
There are other games that have a choice based system put in place, but most of them are not specifically based in Virtual Reality. Detroit: Become Human for example has multiple choice routes, but does not have a VR interface and is restricted to console only. There is a Frankenstein VR game called Frankenstein: Beyond the Time, however, it does not focus on teaching empathy. Instead, it accomplishes something entirely different from our VR app. Frankenstein: Beyond the Time is an open world scavenger hunt game allows the user to explore a virtual world by looking for human body parts to put into a pot in order to assemble Frankenstein’s monster. In contrast, we are focusing on a Frankenstein choice-based adventure game that will teach empathy.
Our game will be accessed via a smartphone app designed for the Google Cardboard due to its affordability and ease of use. Some of the main advantages of using the Google Cardboard are increased mobility and accessibility. It is also more realistic to use in a classroom than other bulkier devices. The Pew Research Institute stated that about 90% of students aged 14 – 20 have cell phones (Pew Research Center 2018). If a student doesn’t have a cell phone then they can borrow a friend’s phone. This is why using Google Cardboards is more convenient and efficient within the age group. Students will be using the Google Cardboard to implement their choices in each of the empathy response inducing situations. By using the white dot in the center, students can move their heads toward the corresponding choice that they want to make, and select it with a button on the side of the device. Within our app, students will watch an interactive choice-based video and different scenes will unfold based on their choices.
Implementation Strategy:
Frankenstein VR is being designed with a focus on affordability and accessibility. The Google Cardboard is the clear option in the affordable VR realm. Not only is it one of the least expensive VR devices on the market, it also has a built in magnet that acts as a button, which fulfills our need for the player to be able to make choices. That being said, there are also many affordable options for external controllers. The simplicity of our game’s mechanics will allow it to be playable on all systems that use a controller for years to come.
In order to reach the public and complete our primary mission, teaching empathy, we will be bring Frankenstein VR to the top educational conferences in the nation. Many of these conferences have international representation as well. This is where thousands of educators go to research and test out new teaching methods, trends, and products. We will offer playable demos of Frankenstein VR at these conferences to the very teachers and professors that will implement it into their classrooms. Offering them a first hand experience will prove to be the best way to reach them. We will also have promotional videos that we will post on social media. Our product will be in high demand in the future based on the fact that “the global virtual reality market in the education sector will grow at a CAGR of over 59% during the forecast period. The increasing need for experiential learning is a major factor driving the market’s growth” (Technavio 2018). Simply put, there is a growing demand for products like ours.
Long Term Vision:
Frankenstein VR has two distinct phases of development to optimize the efficacy of promoting the discussion of empathy. Phase One consists of the development of the VR app for the Google Cardboard Device. Our VR prototype will be a limited release to teachers only, and will be part of a demo packet for the Google Cardboard marketed towards educators. Once feedback has been gathered about the first experiences on the app, it will be debugged/adapted if necessary, and then given to the mass market on Steam, the Google Play store, or the Apple App Store.
After the popularity of the VR app is garnered, Phase Two will be set into motion and, a smartphone app with further plot points from not only Frankenstein, but other popular Gothic novels in the public domain such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Castle of Otranto, and many others will be developed. The app will be updated monthly with new chapters of the stories, and in app purchases will be available. This allows the company to bring on a host of popular digital artists and further their popularity amongst the general online public. The empathy scale will be carried throughout each experience and your empathy score will be cumulative. Following the successful launch of the VR and iPhone apps, we will focus on branding, diversifying art styles within the app, and keeping them consistent with each story, and moving into the convention circuit. We will also look into creation of physical merchandise such as art prints. With the growing market demand for Virtual Reality experiences Frankenstein VR is a prime product and lucrative business venture.
Works Cited:
Beach, Jason1, jbeach@tntech.ed., and Jeremy1, jwendt@tntech.ed. Wendt. “Using Virtual Reality to Help Students with Social Interaction Skills.” Journal of the International Association of Special Education, vol. 16, no. 1, Mar. 2016, pp. 26–33. EBSCOhost,cdcdccezproxy.stevenson.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct =true&db=eue&AN=121404514&site=eds-live&scope=site.
“Demographics of Mobile Device Ownership and Adoption in the United States.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, 5 Feb. 2018, www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/mobile/.
In 2003, an article written for Australian psychologists examined the importance of using humane education programs to increase empathy and prosocial behaviors in children (Thompson and Gullone). Humane education programs utilized introducing children to non-human mammals, so they can better understand the needs of others. The proposed game, “Four Paws: Training a Service Animal”, is a pet-raising virtual reality game based on the concepts behind humane education programs. It’s centered around fostering a puppy who will become a service animal for someone with a physical or mental disability. Users will play as the caretaker of the animal and will have to balance the needs and training of the animal.
It was found in a 2009 study, at Simon Fraser University, that when children play human-animal interactive games, like Nintendogs, there is an increase in empathy and compassion for other people (Y.-F. L. Tsai and Kaufman). The researchers also found in a follow up study in 2014 that when a child is focused on a common goal with the animal, there is an increase in the understanding of the needs of others (Y.-F. (Lily) Tsai and Kaufman). The use of the service animal in this game is to act as a way to connect students to those who may not be similar to themselves. In Denise Gigante’s “Facing the Ugly: The Case of “Frankenstein”, she notes that it was not until the creature came to life that Victor becomes uncomfortable and began obsessing about how different the creature was from humans, although he was made of human parts and had not physically changed since becoming reanimated. It was not until Victor saw the constricted and limited movement of the creature that he began to fear the creature, who was similar to him but was not able bodied. Through this game, children will be given the opportunity to help those unlike themselves and gain altruistic behaviors. The benefits of this type of game can go beyond the classroom community and potentially into the everyday life of the player as they develop the skills to relate to others and their needs.
This products current target market is elementary-school teachers and children ages 6-11. Teachers are the primary audience as this game aims to improve the classroom environment by enhancing student’s ability to be altruistic and care about others in their community. The goals of “Four Paws: Training a Service Animal” are to open the conversation of diversity, teaches responsibility and compassion for others. This game will also help students facilitate the ability to set goals and make inferences from their surroundings. An article published in Inside Higher Ed, titled “Empathizing 101” by Allie Grasgreen, commented on children’s ability to develop empathy. Grasgreen said that the value of understand and perspective-taking will have long lasting effects into adulthood. Through Four Paws, users will have to the opportunity to learn how their actions can affect others around them directly and indirectly. Through simulation, this game allows users to impact on the life of a community member that has additional needs outside of the societal norm. By understanding the needs of another and motivations for raising the animal, the student can gain perspective within a controlled environment.
The secondary audience for Four Paws is children ages 6-11, who will encounter the game outside of the classroom environment. This game aims to promote helpfulness, peer positivity, and responsibility in a fun, virtual experience. The importance of the aims are to improve empathy by increasing the user’s ability to identify and sympathize with the needs of others. Keith Oatley, a novelist and professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, explains how when reading fiction there is an increase in empathy and understanding because readers are being stimulated by a fictional, social world (Oatley). Oatley was quoted in Léa Surugue’s article “Reading books and watching films makes you kinder in real life”, saying that “The most important characteristic of being human is that our lives are social.” He continued to say that “Fiction can augment and help us understand our social experience.” In Four Paws, users will be in a simulated community where their actions impact those also living within the community by giving aid to others. Through the use of this fictional community, a child will be able to take the experiences they gain within the game and apply them to their everyday lives.
Learning outcomes
How is this application educational?
Students will be able to define working animals.
Students will be able to describe the importance of having service animals for people with disabilities.
Students will be able to understand how service animals are trained.
Students will be able to define trust.
Connection to Frankenstein: This application will be educational because we believe the power of empathy to positively transform the teacher and student experience in the classroom. If you’ve been in a school for any length of time, you know that whether you’ve asked for it or not, anything can happen. For example, every day teachers and students are facing difficult and complex situations in school – questions about belonging and forgiving, advantage and ability, conflict and acceptance. Everything seen in school age children now is a theme of learning in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
According to Davis,
“To understand the disabled body, one must return to the concept of the norm, the normal body. So much of writing about disability has focused on the disabled person as the object of study, just as the study of race has focused on the person of color. But as with recent scholarship on race, which has turned its attention to whiteness, I would like to focus not so much on the construction of disability as on the construction of normalcy. I do this because the “problem” is not the person with disabilities; the problem is the way that normalcy is constructed to create the “problem” of the disabled person” (Davis 3).
Students often do not get to see people with disabilities interact in the public which can create false assumptions or stereotypes about disabilities. So, this virtual reality application is educational because it teaches the students to have empathy towards the people who have disabilities, teaches to think about different kinds of people who are different from them, and learn about service animals. Students will gain an understanding of the themes (isolation, health, and perspective) of Frankenstein by learning how to train a service animal.
How will the outcomes be assessed?
The learning outcomes will be assessed through small groups. Students will be discussing answers, sharing thoughts, and justifying their conclusions. The teacher will support and facilitate discussions allowing the students to learn more about service animals. In addition, the teacher will be checking in with each group taking notes that will be used to facilitate the whole group lesson closure. The teacher should be able to see the students’ success by the conversations they will be having in their groups. The teacher will also know when the students come up with multiple strategies and are working together to find the best way to solve the game. Also, the teacher will not be able to see each student actively play “Four Paws: Training a Service Animal”, but the teacher will have the option to record each student play the game to access the students’ progress through the “Options” section. This is very important because it will help the teacher to be able to successfully assess each student by rewatching their games to see if they are understanding the concept of the game. The teacher will be able to locate the collars of the dogs to see which level the students are on.
STANDARDS:MD College and Career-Ready Standards (CCRS); Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
Confirm understanding of a text read aloud, information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Standard 2.0– Digital Citizenship: Demonstrate an understanding of the history of technology and its impact on society, and practice, legal, and responsible use of technology to assure safety.
B. Legal and Ethical Issues
1. Practice responsible and appropriate use of technology systems, software, and information
b) Work cooperatively and collaboratively with others when using technology in the classroom
c) Recognize responsible use of technology systems and software
d) Demonstrate proper care of equipment (such as following lab rules, handling equipment with care)
C. Increase Productivity
1. Use and understand how technology increases productivity
a) Describe ways the selected technology tools are being used to support learning goals and accomplish tasks
LESSON DESIGN / SEQUENCE OF INSTRUCTION / ASSESSMENTS:
ANTICIPATE: Guide students through a picture walk of the book. Read the book, Hanni and Beth: Safe and Sound by Beth Finke. Through class discussion of the book, create a list of the things that Hanni provides for Beth as her working companion (protection, safety, comfort in strange situations, confidence, etc). Create a list of things that Beth provides for Hanni (food, water, a home, care). During the discussion, lead the class to understand that this companion relationship benefits both Hanni and Beth because of trust. Define and discuss trust.
Explain that there are many working animals that humans depend on and trust for their assistance. Ask students to brainstorm what they think “working animals” means, then explain the following definition. Define working animals as animals kept by humans and especially trained to do specific tasks. These animals make the quality of our lives better and benefit all of us. Talk about some of the skills that service animals are taught as students look at the pictures, such as: retrieving various objects, pressing a wheelchair access sign with their paw, and getting on and off a bus.
Discuss why an animal rather than a person may be better suited for a particular job.
To conclude the lesson, show students the Oculus device to play Four Paws inside the classroom.
After playing the game, have the students reflect on what they saw by using the Think, Pair, Share learning strategy, asking students to think about one thing they learned, turn to a neighbor, and share with each other.
User experience
Similar Products:
There are many games that are similar to “Four Paws”, two of them being “Augmented Reality Dragon by Virtual Pet Simulator” and “Dog Hotel: My Dog Boarding Kennel by Simulation”. In AR Dragon players get to create their own AR dragon that will appear as though it is in their room through their phone. Players can play, feed and collect items for their dragon including toys and hats. In Dog Hotel players can board dogs that they will have to feed, clean and entertain during their stay at they hotel. Both of these games are similar to Four Paws but also incredibly different. In “Four Paws: Training a Service Animal” players are immerse in a virtual world via The Samsung Gear VR Powered by Oculus or they can use an app on their mobile phones. This game setting allows students to will foster and train a puppy that will become a service animal. Players will be students in a classroom, or children five to eleven at home and this game can/will be used to teach empathy towards others.
The Gear VR Powered by Oculus-
In the interest of trying to keep access to this game affordable for teachers while still being a virtual gaming experience the Samsung Gear VR Powered by Oculus was our choice of gaming system. This system will use a single hand controller to perform actions in game and will allow for the adaptable use of just using the app without the VR set. This simulated game can be switched from a regular phone app to a VR game with a simple push of a button, the game will display the controls on the screen allowing for everyday use without the Oculus. Students will be simulating training service animals in order to help their community.
Start Page:
Begins outside the Animal Shelter, standing in the front yard. Players will see four options: Start, Load Game, Options, and Help. Start will allow players to begin a new game, here they can customize their avatar in the world and give it a name, it then would proceed onto play the game. Load game would allow players to load their avatar from previous sessions. Options would be available for teacher access only which would allow them to put a time constraint to cut the game into shorter intervals, view their students progress within the game and monitor students interactions with the VR set and the game itself. Lastly, Help would give answers to common questions asked about the game and a customer service number in case of any game related issues. Continuing on from start players will walk through the doors and then be greeted by store owner Bob, he will tell them about how the shelter is looking for volunteers to foster service animals and give students the option to choose between a type of puppy either a dalmatian or golden retriever. Based on the student choice they will train the animals in ways to help someone with a physical or mental disability. The students will then feed, bathe, play, and train their animals while having their level progress monitored by their teacher through the options menu. While training their animals they can build up their pets level, this will be shown by the color collar the animal is wearing as displayed in Figure 1. The length of the session will determine how much the student is able to accomplish with their animal and each session will end with the student having the animal go to bed. For example, in their first session of eight minutes, they will only be able to meet their animal, feed it, bathe it, do some quick training and put it in bed. This is because most of the session will be spent creating the avatar and explaining the purpose of training the animals. Should a student or player get stuck on a level or not understand how to progress, a hint will be in the right hand corner to help guide back into the right direction. In the second session if eight minutes long the student will wake their animal, feed it, play with it/walk it, and do more training exercises. In the sixteen minute session they will be allowed to work on their animals training to earn a new collar. This game will proceed over 6 sessions, the last session ending with giving the animal to the new owner it will be providing a service to.
Session
1
2
3
4
5
6
Level
Trainee
Rookie
Average
Advanced
Pro
Service Animal!
Collar Color
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple
Figure 1: Level Guide
Session One Script
Start page– Four Paws: Training A Service Animal (Start, Load Game, Options, Help)
Start– Begin creating avatar, once done walk into Animal Shelter.
Bob: ”Welcome to Four Paws; a pet store designed to help people find their perfect pet. We are currently looking for foster homes for our service animal program. In this program you foster and train an animal to become a service animal for a member of the community, we started this because it is important to help others and by simply training this animal you can change somebody’s life. Would you like to foster a puppy?”
Options– allow student to pick between dalmation and golden retriever puppy.
Bob: “Wonderful! It makes me so happy when people are willing to foster!What would you like to name your pet?”
Options– Allow student to type pet name and select boy or girl.
Bob: ”(pet name)! Oh that’s the perfect name for this little guy. Well it’s almost time for you to head home but before you go here is a few thing you might need!”
Display– bed, food, toys, and white collar
Bob: “Well it was wonderful to meet you (avatar’s name)! If you have any questions about the animal program please come back to ask! Thanks again and we will see you and (pet name) soon!”
Screen Change– now in players home, animal runs in through front door “Welcome home! This is where you and (pet name) will live. Let’s take a quick tour!” now the student can move around the house to find the pet food, bed and toys. “Here you can feed, clean, play and let your animal sleep.” *animal makes noise* “Oh it sounds like (pet name) is hungry! Why don’t you feed them and get to work on training, if you have any questions on your next job or need help push the three lines in the top right corner. Good luck and happy training!”
Options– Steps will instruct student to feed and bathe their pet.
After bath– “It’s time to head off to training!”
Screen change– “Welcome to Pet Training! Here you’re going to work with (pet name) to train them to be the best service animal they can! Let’s get to work on your first task!”
Options- allow student to pick a task to train and work with their animal on the task a couple times.
After training– “Congratulations! You’ve reached Level 1 Trainee! Place this new red collar on (pet name) to show they are in training! Great job today, make sure you let (pet name) get some rest today.” The game then instructs the student to put the animal in bed and log off from their first session.
Implementation strategy
The implementation of “Four Paws” as a virtual reality game that allows the user to train a service animal in order to help develop empathy for those different from them will be done through a strong catchphrase, marketing towards target populations, and overcoming various barriers.
A strong phrase is what truly draws people in and forces a focus on what is being sold. Having something set to a tune especially a familiar toon, makes it easier to remember, meaning that consumers may come back later to buy the product (Costa-Sanchez). If the game or concept cannot be described in a sentence or less then it will not sell. “Making life easier, one paw at a time” Is a simple and effective way to identify the game and what it aims to accomplish. This will become a part of the marketing campaign to make the game familiar and easy to remember.
The marketing campaign will become effective after the game has went through testing and is functional to the target audience. The game is going to be marketed through television ads at times when children normally watch, for example after school and later evening times after dinner. The channels it could be broadcasted on would be inclusive of Cartoon Network, Nick Jr., and Disney Channel. The game will also be marketed at major gaming conventions such as PAX west and east. These are major game showcases on the west and east coast held every year. This would help to get the word out about the game. As a way to reach our primary audience of teachers, the game would also be brought to teacher conferences and conventions like the Conference on Meaningful Living and Learning in a Digital World, and ConnectED. The reason this will also be marketed on television is to familiarize children with the concept and allow access and visibility of disabled characters and promote understanding outside of a classroom setting. The ability to see and understand disabled people with allow children to be more open and empathetic with them in the future. Early access and awareness of this will help improve the empathy gap and allow for an easier transition in the classroom (Insight).
Potential barriers that can be foreseen for the game include price and time. Many public and even private schools may simply not be able to afford an The Gear VR powered by Oculus system. Baltimore school systems for example can not even afford to heat some of their school buildings, these schools will not be able to use these systems. The solution to this is a cheaper choice of VR headsets. The one chosen cost around $80-120 instead of other more expensive headsets that range from 500-1500 dollars. The headset chosen is the Samsung Gear VR headset with a controller. The headset and controller would be shared with a few students who would take turns, not one headset per student. An alternative to this as well is to use the game on just a mobile device such as a smart phone as a app.
Timing is another factor and is a much easier problem to solve. In job training, employees will have to do modules at a time to get online training for their jobs. By doing modules at a time this will allow for developers to take their time but for teachers and other clients to be able to fit this into their class schedules or syllabus.The goal is for the game to play over the course of six modules, or about 1 session a week. The first module is going and getting the service animal and the subsequent modules after this will be focusing on is training the service animal.
Long Term Goal
For the initial prototype, “Four Paws: Training A Service Animal” will be limited in three major ways. The first limitation will be the animal and service options, as the prototype will only feature two breeds of dog that will aid in stability. By only allowing a few options, users will have the ability to begin playing in the virtual world much quicker while allowing developers to focus on game play. The next limitation is how many options are given to users when they are training their dog. The prototype will have an either/or game play, where there are only two options for game play but only one option allows players to move forward. This limitation is to ensure that the goals of the game can be accurately met and assessments to of the aims can be more focused. The third limitation of the prototype is that players will have very limited options for characterization. Users will have the ability to name their animal and pick out require resources for owning an animal like bowls and pet beds but there will be minimal choices for these items. This limitation has been set to help keep game play time down as well as continue to focus on the aim and goals of the overall game.
The five year plan for “Four Paws: Training A Service Animal” is to add more animals like cats and horses, as they are used currently as service animal. The goal of the service from the animal would also be able to be altered, as now the prototype dog will become a stability service animal. New installments of the game may include smelling, vision, seizure detection and emotional support. As the game continues to develop and needs are being met, this game may be able to become more inclusive for all audiences. This would include having an option for captions to be added for hearing impaired users or remedial level for student users with learning disabilities. Additional expansion packs for the overall game could be “Four Paws: Training a Police Dog”, where the dog could be trained for the K-9 unit, bomb squad, or search and rescue. All installments of the game would include an increase of animal characteristics like breed, bowls, bedding, and potentially weather appropriate clothing and vest.
Works Cited
Costa-Sanchez, Carmen. “Online Video Marketing Strategies. Typology by Business Sector.” Communication & Society, 12 Sept. 2016, pp. 17–38., doi:10.15581/003.30.1.17-38 .
Oatley, Keith. “Fiction: Simulation of Social Worlds.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences, vol. 20, no. 8, Aug. 2016, pp. 618–28. www.cell.com, doi:10.1016/j.tics.2016.06.002.
Thompson, Kelly L. .., and Eleonora Gullone e. gullone@med. monash. edu. a. “Promotion of Empathy and Prosocial Behaviour in Children through Humane Education.” Australian Psychologist, vol. 38, no. 3, Nov. 2003, pp. 175–82.
Tsai, Yueh-Feng (Lily), and David Kaufman. “Interacting with a Computer-Simulated Pet: Factors Influencing Children’s Humane Attitudes and Empathy.” Journal of Educational Computing Research, vol. 51, no. 2, Sept. 2014, p. 145.
Tsai, Yueh-Feng Lily, and David M. Kaufman. “The Socioemotional Effects of a Computer-Simulated Animal on Children’s Empathy and Humane Attitudes.” Journal of Educational Computing Research, vol. 41, no. 1, Jan. 2009, pp. 103–22. Baywood Publishing Company, Inc. 26 Austin Avenue, P.O. Box 337, Amityville, NY 11701. Tel: 800-638-7819; Tel:
