edussold – ENG 151 OM 14

VR in Healthcare and Education

Virtual and augmented reality can and are helping chart a new vision of healthcare. The technology has the ability to make huge changes in patient care for everything from pain management to helping addicts combat cravings to help quell the opioid epidemic. The VR and AR healthcare market will reach five and a half billion by 2025 and show no signs of slowing down. While the tech has made huge changes in patient care, it’s also massively changing the other side of the industry, as a training tool for doctors, nurses and students. “Learners do best by having experience, whether it’s learning how to play a sport, a musical instrument or, in my case, do cardiac surgery,” says Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “The more experience, the more practice, the more hands on opportunities we get the better off we are to deliver high quality, safe, effective and patient-centered care. This center will achieve all of those goals and continue to bring Nebraska to the epicenter of the learning world.”

In 2015, Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California, opened its J and K Virtual Reality Learning Center, becoming the first school in the country for aspiring medical professionals to access medical curriculum using VR technologies. Adding courses that allow students to take tours through the human body via headsets like Oculus Rift, as well as similar devices that contribute to the study of function and motion, has made a huge impact. “Incorporating experiential learning into the curriculum is important,” said UNMC student Cindy Chou, who will graduate in May with both a Doctor of Medicine and doctorate degree. “Studies have shown that with traditional lectures, there is about a 5 percent retention rate of knowledge, whereas if you have hands on practice or immediate application, it increases the rate up to 90 percent. The hope for the new VR and AR technologies is that they will augment traditional teaching techniques by allowing students to more effectively visualize procedures as well as gain hands on experience alongside more traditional teaching techniques, such as lectures.

Virtual Reality Impact on Education

Using virtual reality in an educational setting can have mostly irrefutable impacts on students but can be accompanied with some drawbacks. The specific effects include the ability to connect on a realistic level to a learning environment, engage and explore experiences that show a different perception, and promote collaboration and engagement between student and teachers on a much different level as opposed to traditional teaching. Additionally a couple drawbacks are also prevalent in the use of VR as an educational tool such as cost and technical problems.

The ability to engage and explore experiences with virtual reality shows a different perception and is what makes this a great educational implement. How Virtual Reality Can Create The Ultimate Empathy Machine with Chris Milk was a clear example of showing students other parts of the world and how they go about their daily lives in the refugee camps and war-torn areas of Syria and Jordan. It explored the different environments and allowed you to walk around and stand next to the hosts of the these stories. The story of Sidra, the twelve year-old girl from Syria forced you to merge into their lives and feel how they feel when they go about their everyday struggles of life. It made a connection between the viewer and the host much stronger than watching a fifteen min video on war in the middle east and africa. This connection gave you an understanding and an urge to help whoever was on the opposite end of the VR equipment something not easily done any other viewing way.

Another conclusive effect is the connection on a realistic level to a learning environment. In Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One the main character Wade uses a virtual school to attend his classes. This comes with many benefits and could be used in many cases in which someone has a physical disability or they want to experience school in a way that suits them. In Wade’s case he uses this virtual school as a great alternative because of his low self-esteem and poor social skills: “I didn’t have problem talking to people or making friends. But in the real world, interacting with other people especially kids my own age made me a nervous wreck”(Cline 30). This is a great approach that could be used today with kids that have similar issues. This could promote more engagement in class without without the fear of sparking psychological issues rooted in physical classrooms.

Thirdly, an explicit effect is the promotion of collaboration and engagement between the student and teachers from implementing processes or methods using virtual reality for example a particular math formula or coding example. This is described in an scholarly article by Jelia R. Domingo and Elizabeth G. Bradley in which they highlight that virtual reality is learning tool from the participation of students and teachers in a mostly university setting. “As higher education programs move increasingly to an online format, lack of connection between students, instructors, and learners has become a challenge”(Domingo,Bradley 1). This shows that the connection between virtual reality and the classroom could be of great benefit offering more than just an online course and significantly more than a traditional course. “This simulated environment, along with identification of one’s avatar within that environment, contributes to a sense of presence”(Domingo,Bradley 2). “Thus, those who collaborate within that space have a sense of “being with” each other, rather than simply communicating. The sense of presence, both in the experience of the physical space as well as in interactions with others in the space, is the key to experiencing authentic and satisfying learning activities in the 3D virtual environment” (Domingo, Bradley 2). These meaningful interactions can produce positive and fun experiences from the students wanting them to utilize virtual reality more often which shows a great need for this in the institutional technology for schools.

Lastly, the effect of VR technology comes with some great positives and if used correctly can vastly improve education in all kinds of classes ranging from history, computer science, english, and much more. Along the way cost may be a drawback because of the high cost for some of these products especially if they are to be used in a large setting such as a elementary school or high school but there are cheaper alternatives and the cost does not outweigh the benefit. As with all technology there will also be some technical problems but can be easily maneuvered around and patched. All around using VR as an education tool can promote collaboration and engagement,connection on a realistic level, and show a different perception someone would not have otherwise seen. It is something worth exploring and using and would be a detriment for not integrating into the educational system.

The Modern Brain and Technology

Reading on different types of quality media can improve reading comprehension. However, it can also diminish and reduce the amounts of information that is learned and retained. All students learn at different velocity and have their own learning styles. With education adapting to the digital age it brings together some strengths and weaknesses along with it. Schools should find the perfect balance of applying technology to courses to maximize overall efficiency.

Prior to 1992, most studies concluded that people read slower, less accurately and less comprehensively on screens than on paper. Studies published since the 1990s, however, have produced more inconsistent results (Jabr 4). This by itself is more confusing of a statement as the complexity of these results seem to have gotten further and further away from us as time went on. Other things have come into the world, like LCD screens that are ‘supposed’ to make it easier to see your computer screen or television. In my daily life reading a short story or article on the computer can be easily disrupted by other things I’m doing on the computer as opposed to a physical paperback in my hands holding my attention.

Reading and writing has evolved since 384 A.D. (Farge 1) when novelist and essayist Alberto Manguel saw his teacher, Ambrose, reading silently. Apparently, reading silently was something that seemed abnormal to Manguel. He described a shift in ‘human consciousness,’ when he realized that one could silently read, instead of aloud and still comprehend texts (Farge 1,2). Fast forward to today, where we are attempting to simplify our lives even if it may be with an AI like ‘Alexa’ to reorder my laundry detergent. We have been programmed to multi-task and skim over information as quickly as possible, to try to fit into our busy lives. With this lifestyle in mind, technology has allowed us to retrieve important alerts, specific information, order food ahead of time, and it has also given us the opportunity to connect with other people in less than twelve seconds! Since we are in a fast-paced world, it is hard to gather and disseminate any important information quickly, which makes us multitask, or try to multitask. When we multitask, we attempt to do six things at once as expeditiously as possible. “When we attempt to multitask, we don’t actually do more than one activity at once, but quickly switch between them. And this switching is exhausting. It uses up oxygenated glucose in the brain, running down the same fuel that is needed to focus on a task “(Goldhill 1,2). Once a day is filled with multitasking and the physiological impacts come to a head, it turns you into one tired person! It is much easier to focus on one task a time with frequent breaks, says Levitin in the same article, it also allows one to be more productive. (Goldhill 3)

Additionally, when one is constantly multitasking, it interrupts their work. Gloria Mark, stated, “that when people get interrupted, it typically takes 23 minutes to return back to their work, and most people will do two intervening tasks before going to back to their original project”. “This switching leads up to a buildup of stress, so little wonder people who have high rates of neuroticism, impulsivity, and are more susceptible to stress tend to switch tasks more than others.” (Goldhill 3). With all of this in mind, technology can lead to multitasking, which then makes one more susceptible to higher rates of the above-mentioned diseases and make the day less productive for that person (Goldhill 3). When we are in grade school, we are taught to read out loud and to sound out syllables. Not only does this help every type of student learn from listening, but other students who read out loud, have an opportunity to use their auditory and visual skills as well. This helps to shape an excellent thriving student to a successful future.

In the same article from Goldhill, “Hal Pashler, psychology professor at UCSD, points out that not all attempts at multitasking are equally as draining. If one is completing a task on autopilot, like laundry, it makes perfect sense to read a book at the same time. But attempting to do two challenging tasks at once will lead to a drain in productivity. You can’t do two demanding, even simple tasks, in parallel,” he adds. (Goldhill 3). For young people in the adolescent stages, it is an important time to master the basics of what you learn. Things like washing your hands after bathroom use, respecting elders, and learning to not take things that are not yours, are all important life lessons that should not be bargained with. The less distraction, the better. Also, it would be costly for a school district to have a more digital aged solution to teach students important life lessons, including the curriculum.

To that end, after my recent assignment, I have concluded that adapting education to the digital age would be a brutal detriment, as the studies that were within the articles showed critical contradiction of each other and the findings. From the studies that were discussed in the articles by: Carr, La Farge, Jabr, Davidson, and Goldhill it can be concluded that there is a lot that happens to a person physiologically when they read, on any media, as well as mentally. “There is physicality in reading” (Jabr 5). It can also be concluded that a positive attitude can increase the odds of retaining what one may be reading.

Tangible vs Intangible

Reading on paper and reading on a screen have some key qualities that differ greatly, Farris Jabr along with other contributors show in great detail how the brain reacts to both and why some would say reading on paper is more beneficial. Ferris Jabr’s article “The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens” talks about something that we might not even realize when reading a simple online text or paperback. Ferris is a contributing writer to the New York Times and Scientific American along with a handful of others including Wired, Foreign Policy, New scientist, and The Awl. Ferris has a Masters of Arts in journalism from New York University and a Bachelor’s of Science from Tufts University. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon.

The audience that Ferris targets is this article is essentially anyone but mostly focused on readers of both paperback and e-readers. His first example is of a one-year old who when presented with a paper magazine isn’t sure how to turn the pages and treats it like a tablet. This can be explained in the video and short response by her father, Jean- Louis Constanza “A Magazine Is an iPad That Does Not Work” which shows in some cases everything should work the same way as the technology we’ve used. “Magazines are now useless and impossible to understand, for digital natives” (Jean-Louis Constanza) can be seen a possible explanation for why the one-year old was trying to use the magazine as an I-pad but I think she was just being a curious and touching the pages. Whatever the case, technology has a significant effect on how we learn new things and the experience we take from previous things.

Another focus was on 10th grade students at the University of Stavanger in Norway which showed that students who read the texts on the computers performed a little worse than who read on paper. They were given one narrative and one expository text with about 1500 words in length and were then required to complete reading comprehension tests with multiple choice and short answer questions. “The ease with which you can find out the beginning, end and everything in-between and the constant connection to your path, your progress in the text, might be some way of making it less taxing cognitively, so you have more free capacity for comprehension” (F. Jabr) which shows that students who could hold the text in its entirety could quickly and accurately navigate and absorb the information they were looking for, whereas navigating on a screen was much more tedious and showed a disconnection cognitively.

Reading on screens and reading on paper is relevant to anyone that reads and is an important point to make when discussing how technology changes the way we read. When reading on a computer is feels much more intangible than reading a physical book. The sensory experiences associated with reading are in some cases lost when looking at a screen. The feel of the pages, the satisfaction of completing a chapter, and visually seeing the progress are just a few of the main advantages in reading a paperback. Remembering contextual details and recalling information are also key when reading a book. “Other researchers have suggested that people comprehend less when they read on a screen because screen-based reading is more physically and mentally taxing than reading on paper” (F. Jabr) this shows that ambient light shining directly into people’s faces can cause eyestrain, headaches, and blurred vision making e-reading more taxing in general.

Even though this article was written in late 2013 it still conveys a current and relevant message that shows the unique advantages of reading on paper vs tablets and e-readers. The Scientific American was a good outlet to discuss this argument because of the like-minded articles that make up the website. This genre of technology mixed in with real life studies and personal contributions was well worth reading and made you think of which one I prefer and how has it has affected me in my daily life. Paper books have a clear advantage over e-readers for being cognitively engaging and tangible as opposed to eye strain and making information harder to distinguish and remember.

Literacy Journey

This is my second semester at Stevenson University and so far, it’s been a comfortable and easygoing start to the remainder of my degree. Originally from Louisiana, I moved in 2016 and went straight into Montgomery College taking a couple years to gather credits to transfer to a traditional four-year university. I looked at UMBC at first but then became more interested in Stevenson after looking at the programs they offer. I’m generally a quiet person and pretty introverted and enjoy spending time with friends and family.

My earliest experience of how I learned to read and write started from my mom teaching me the alphabet and numbers before pre-school. She would sit down with me at a large round wooden table and use flashcards for the alphabet and make it into a song that was easy to remember. For numbers she also used flashcards. These flashcards as I remember were shaped like animals and other things so it would be engaging and able to keep the attention of a three-year-old. She also had the alphabet on the wall of the kitchen to help me as well.

The most significant start other than books in middle school was when I was around eleven or ten years old. My mom had introduced a book called Redwall by Brian Jacques to me on my birthday. I was never enthusiastic about reading and had even hated reading up this point in my life. However, this book reeled me in to adventure and excitement that I had never experienced before in a book. I was quickly hooked to this series and read almost all in the twenty plus collection. Looking back now the books were all the same, the classic adventure across an unknown area or land led by a protagonist who was admirable and interesting. Followed by the many twists and turns the author would toss in usually involving deathly danger or war accompanied by the occasional ballad the author would throw in. Of which I never read because of their long and repetitive nature. These books were perfect and always left me wanting more, more adventure, more fighting, more danger.

By the time I was in junior high, I had read lots of books usually involving war or some sort of adventure almost exclusively fictional but with a handful of non-fictions. The ones I can remember include the Road to Arnhem by Donald R. Burgett and All the Way to Berlin by James Magellas. In addition to these I also read a few books that were actually journals taken from different wartimes. I also read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen in a 7th grade English class and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. It was interesting reading these historical fictions and true stories but unfortunately nothing could beat the fictional books that I was reading.

After finishing all the books in the series of Redwall and a few spin-offs of the same author, I moved onto more of the same style of books. The Dragonlance series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman was also full of adventure and fun but which a more mature and darker side than the fictional teenage Redwall series. Originally used for the tabletop setting of D&D role-playing game it was adapted into books. These books involved betrayal, love, war, and gruesome deaths. Although they followed the same path as the Redwall series they also offered a more philosophical and religious approach and asked you to choose the side of good or evil in the journey of the series. These books greatly increased by vocabulary and opened a window to something more than watching tv or playing video games. The satisfaction of completing a book and adding it to my collection also drove my craving for reading.

Around the same time I was reading the Dragonlance series I also was introduced to the Harry Potter series. The Harry Potter series was very entertaining and I continued to read them until the fifth book which seemed to trail off into uninteresting territory so I moved back to the Dragonlance series. I had also found a few books linked to the popular game “Halo” at the time and read the small series that was made about it. These books interested me because video games were and still are a favorite hobby of mine and gave me something to talk about with my friends and siblings.

At the start of high school, I had finished all the books related to the Dragonlance series which were available at the time. This collection has grown to a whopping one-hundred and fifty-two book series but around my freshman year of high school I unfortunately stopped reading altogether and lost interest. The required readings from high school included Macbeth and a few others which naturally to most every kid in high school were very boring. Overall, the combined readings from middle school to the beginning of high school greatly increased my vocabulary and assisted in better grades for both my English and other writing intensive classes I took and that I’m taking now.

Using all the knowledge I’ve learned up to this point in my life I believe it will greatly improve my writing and communication skills. In the IT field I think these skills will be especially useful in communicating clearly and efficiently with employers, co-workers, and customers. The experience I’ve gained from the English classes and the reading I’ve done will be an invaluable asset for the rest of my life.