School and Community Summer 2024

1997

Multigen draws buildings, and textures are applied to give the 3D effect. Photoshop on the Macintosh is used to manipulate and colorize photos. Other worlds being created at MU’s Virtual Environment Instructional Lab are a virtual heart; Paloma World, which recreates an ancient Peruvian village; and terrain visualization, where students travel through different types of topography. Although VR provides an interactive experience that can shorten the learning process, the development of segments is time-consuming and costly. The creation of historical Harlem and the virtual heart are being funded by grants. But the benefits of students being excited about literature or grasping complex material quickly may outweigh the costs. “The more teachers apply for grants, and the more the technology is used, the more the cost will go down.” says Carter.

1999

S tudents in an African-American literature class not only read about Marcus Garvey, an African-American leader in early 20th century Harlem, they also get to see him. They travel back in time to the heart of Harlem in the nation’s first Virtual Environment Instructional Lab at the University of Missouri Columbia. Today’s computer labs may evolve into tomorrow’s virtual reality labs, and when your students say, “Oh, now I see,” they really will see. Here’s how it works at the university lab. The lab is equipped with a motion-based platform and a special curved screen; its computer interface allows users to move through computer generated images in three dimensions. Students are immersed in an educational experience that goes beyond what reading textbooks or looking at pictures can offer. Bryan Carter, assistant professor of African-American literature, says this is the first time virtual reality is being applied in the humanities. Carter is breaking ground by creating the environment that his students read about in their assignments. “It provides a first-hand knowledge base,” he says. “Students can discuss the subject on a whole different level?” For example, after reading about Garvey, students don a head mounted display and grasp a computer-control device. Using these tools, they can virtually “walk” down a Harlem street. Garvey is standing in front of his newspaper, the only African-American newspaper in the country. Besides Garvey, students see some of the notable musicians of the time, such as Dizzy Gillespie, loitering in front of the lounges they performed in. ... Students visit Harlem four times during a semester. “The advantage of this tool is the excitement students get for the subject,” says Carter. “They can relate to what is being discussed.” Carter sees the role of virtual reality (VR) in the classroom as enhancing reading and writing. “VR can’t replace reading and writing, but it’s an effective way to show what students are reading about,” he says. Virtual Harlem was created by the same animation technology used to produce Jurassic Park and Toy Story. “We used a program called Multigen on a Silicon Graphics workstation,” says Carter.

A t the beginning of last year, Peggy Preston, president of the Nixa R-2 CTA, replaced her paper newsletter with e-mail posts when things got hectic around school. Copying and distributing a newsletter to the 186-member organization meant a lot of long hours, and she had no way of knowing if people read the information. "Now, instead of having to drive around to all the schools and hand out paper copies, I can have the message out before the day begins," Preston says. "They know instantly when they need to act. I know they've read it because of the responses I get back." 2000

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