Google Spotlight Stories Shutters

Google's Spotlight Stories is being shut down. The studio was tasked with bringing innovative storytelling to the masses through VR and in its 6 short years produced some stunning 360 animated short films. Some were visual masterpieces that truly showed the potential of the medium like ‘Back to the Moon,’ whilst others were audio visual synaesthesic delights like ‘Sonaria.’ The best of the bunch in my opinion were ‘Pearl’ and ‘Age of Sail,’ both heartfelt and immersive storytelling experiences.

Google Spotlight

I will be sad to see the studio go as it had so much potential but at least we have these amazing 13 short films to enjoy for free. Give them a try, you won't be disappointed.

Perfect- Video Games As Art

Perfect is an immersiveVR experience which allows you to move around and interact with three different environment, during the day and night. The environments are all realistic and the level of detail is pretty good for a download only experience, I say experience as it isn't really a video game but as a learning tool or an exhibition piece it has a lot of uses. We have used it in lessons as a stimulus for writing in English, connecting it to our unit on Kensuke's Kingdom.

Drone Racing: A Sport of the Future?

Drones are everywhere. In the past couple of years the commercial availability of drones has risen whilst their prices have dropped, this has led to this past year being the Year of the Drone, with the gadget high on many people's Christmas list. As a teacher and the Future Technology lead at my school, charged with preparing our pupils for the future and potentially disruptive technology which could change the way we use and think about technology, I have been following the emergence and rise of drones closely and thinking about how they could be used in an educational environment.

As an avid gamer I think it was the game Wipeout which first attracted me to the idea of racing through tech-filled landscapes in futuristic hovering machines in fluorescent colours, it may have been F-Zero on the SNES but Wipeout on the original PlayStation was the game where I was first woken to the possibility of such a sport.

I am obviously not alone as the past year has seen a huge interest in drone racing as a sport, with the Drone Racing League, the National Drone Racing Championships and the Dubai World Drone Prix forming. In fact the Dubai World Drone Prix had a prize winning pot of $1 million, a record for the fledgling sport, which was won by a British 'pilot'. Many entrepreneurs are seeing the potential of the sport and are staking their claim to be the next Bernie Ecclestone whilst others see their chance to make money from their hobby, much like e-sports.

As teachers we should encourage our pupils to take part in whatever interests them and so in this spirit my school purchased 3 Hubsan X4 H107C to develop their basic piloting skills, 2 Hubsan X4 Mini FPV to develop their first person flying skills, 2 Boblov Eachine FPV flight goggles and a few air-gates to practice our skills. The whole package came in at under £500 and was researched to be the most cost effective and accessible way into the sport. 

I have been testing some of the equipment myself over the past few days but tomorrow will be working alongside my colleague to get our Digital Leaders, pupils with an interest in Computing and all things tech, to look through our resources and plan a course of action of starting our own Drone Racing League, with the intention of starting an inter-school competition sometime in the near future.

Flying drones whilst wearing FPV (First Person View) googles is an unsettling, dreamlike experience but once you get used to it truly immersive and engaging. I hope that this sport does take off and by providing our pupils with the resources and skills needed to compete in the sport maybe we will inspire our pupils to engage with the sport and maybe create future pilots.

Resident Evil 7 in VR is a Marvel

As a teacher I've been intrigued by virtual reality for a while and the wonderful possibilities that it holds as a means to engage and excite pupils, however as a gamer there hasn't really been anything released that has appealed to me. All this changed when it was announced that Resident Evil 7 would have VR features, this had me intrigued as I have felt that the series had lost its way by becoming more action orientated, and so I bought it on the day of its release.
I played the first couple of minutes at home in my man-cave at home but it felt wrong, I had the feeling that games like this should be experienced with friends using the old unwritten rules; life, level or up to a save point. Back in the day that's the way I used to play that with my friends and that the way I wanted to play this, so one Friday after school I put up a poster welcoming my colleagues to play the game, only 3 people responded and so in we went, us steadfast four, headfirst into the old Dulvey Mansion, in Louisiana; the setting for this game.
The few gaming teachers and I shared the VR headset and swapped around, as per the rules, but still experienced mostly the same thing as the system was connected to the interactive white board with the super loud speakers. The PSVR really does add a lot to the game and it is a lot more immersive than seeing it played out on the interactive white board but playing the game for long periods in VR is quite disorientating and so swapping regularly helps. 
Being winter it gets dark early and so the stage has been perfectly set for immersing ourselves in this game. The mood whilst playing the game has been one of camaraderie punctuated with moments of on-screen horror and jump-scares that have bonded us in our collective fear.

The game itself is wonderfully claustrophobic and as we are 8 or so hours in I look forward to the rest of the game and whatever surprises it may bring.

I have heard people decrying the game saying that it doesn't feel like a traditional RE game but as a long-time fan of the series with plenty of experience I can tell you that when you have to collect 3 dog head sigils to open a door then you're definitely in old skool RE territory. Friday after school has become RE 7 night and I love it!

Using the PSVR in School

I've spoken recently about how at my school we recently purchased a Playstation 4 and a VR headset. The PSVR headset arrived a couple of weeks ago and there was a sense of excitement amongst the pupils and teachers, although for many of the teachers there was also a sense of trepidation of another thing to learn, another potential 'hot new thing' that would be gone soon. To try to get the teaching staff on board I organised an after-school demo session where they had a chance to experience the technology for themselves. The results were extremely positive and many of the teachers were converted, seeing the possibilities such technology could bring into the classroom to excite and engage the pupils.

I have used the headset with my own class, connecting it up to the interactive white board with relative ease. This way the whole class could see what the individual could see within the VR headset and they could also be part of the experience. VR is here to stay I believe and to get on board it needn't be prohibitively expensive. The PS4 and PSVR cost just under 600 pounds in total and with time I'm sure it will get cheaper, which may make it one of the best ways to immerse children in an interactive and immersive digital world.

A few of the Digital Leaders, children inspired by and advocates of the use of new technologies, researched what software was available and carried out inquiries on how they could be used to be a art of the curriculum. I will be sharing their research and lesson plans here at a later date but what they did find was very intriguing, they saw possibilities of its application in software I hadn't even considered.

Personally I have used the platform to play Resident Evil VII (out of school time obviously and not with any children present) and the game is unnerving and immersive. The experience was unlike any other I have had in VR and has sold me on the possibilities of its use in gaming.

Using PSVR as a Writing Stimulus

At school we recently purchased a Playstation 4 and a VR headset. The PSVR headset just arrived today, after meeting the huge backlog in demand and Christmas rush, but we hope to use it as a contextual hub for learning. I've spoken many times before about how video games can be used as an instrument to hang learning on but with VR you can BE there, in the world.
I have been using the past few weeks since the PS4 purchase to play and record a few games which I feel can be used as a writing stimulus and will be working alongside my colleagues in creating exciting and fun lesson plans based on these soon. Today, with the arrival of the PSVR I played the demo disc, which contained several experiences of varying quality, and again hope to be using these to assist in developing the English curriculum.

VR could be an integral part of education and PSVR seems to be one of the most affordable commercial ways to get in on the ground level. Whether the potential is realised is to be seen but at my school we'll be giving it a good shot!

The PSVR does require a lot of wires.

The headset itself is extremely comfortable and adjustable, even for a glasses wearer like me.

Bjork Digital Exhibition Review

Iconic Icelandic singer Bjork has been making music for over 30 years and in that tine has collaborated with some of the world’s best filmmakers, visual artists and programmers. Bjork Digital is a celebration of her career and the exhibition covers her work right up to the present day.

Bjork Digital is designed to be an immersive experience and through the use of virtual reality (VR) technology takes you into her avant-garde world. There are more conventional screens that show her videos in regular 2D but as a pioneer of new technologies the emphasis is definitely on the new and emerging technologies.

The exhibition is guided for the first four stations and is restricted to about 25 people to ensure that everyone is comfortable in the spaces and that there are enough VR headsets available. The activities are:

Black Lake
The first room in the exhibition is a dark room which contains two widescreen TVs mounted on walls that are facing each other. The video for 'Black Lake' starts and shows two aspects of the same video, so on one screen you see Bjork singing in the Icelandic hillside and in the other you see the view she is seeing, the video constantly swaps around and so you see different aspects of the same video. The sound surrounds and envelops you, the floor vibrates with the bass and the whole effect is immersive.

Virtual Reality
The next two rooms are virtual reality experiences using the Oculus Gear VR and Bowers and Wilkins headphones. Through the use of 360 dome cameras the videos are filmed and stitched together to give you complete 360 degree freedom, this does give you a sense of presence but the downside is that you cannot move forward but only look around.   

Stonemilker
Stonemilker places you in the 360 degree landscape of Grótta beach in Iceland. Bjork sings the song and during the course of the video multiplies, at one time there are three Bjork's singing! The detail is impressive and even though the technology showcased is quite old the effect is wonderful as you feel very close to Bjork physically as she sings and sashays to her lyrics and music. This is the closest most of us will ever get to the pioneering musician.

Mouth Mantra
Mouth Mantra is a VR video again and has the same technical set-up as for Stonemilker but is a very different experience, placing you inside Bjork’s mouth. The VR video shows very white teeth, no fillings and lots of tonsil and tongue... I was fine watching this but I can imagine some people really struggling to watch this.

Notget
This VR experience was the highlight of the exhibition for me. Using a real-time graphics engine the image of a glowing orange mask with decorative lines sings, as the song progresses a body starts to emerge and starts to shoot out neon sparks. It reminded me of the patterns found in a Cave bullet hell shoot'em ups videogame mixed with the visuals of the video game Rez and the entrancing quality of a Sharon Apple concert from Macross Plus. This VR experience shows the potential this medium can have, the music dynamically changing as you moved. This experience really immersed me and I can see the possibilities of VR concerts.

These were the guided and timed part of the exhibition but the rest was available to go through at your own pace. 

The Cinema
Bjork has worked with some of the finest music video directors on the business and this room shows her back catalogue of music videos. People were sitting all over the floor and watching her videos, I entered the room just as the music videos from her last two albums came on. I sat for their duration as I have seem all the others due to the fact I have them on her 2 part DVD collection, Volumen but haven't seen any of her video since. It was wonderful to see how Bjork's music videos had changed over time and I had a chance to appreciate it with my fellow Bjork fans.

Biophilia
In one of the side rooms there were numerous tablets set up with the Biophilia suite. I've spoken about the app before but for the uninitiated Biophilia is an education app that combines music with technology, musicology is you will. The app is excellent and I have used it in class to teach music theory. The fact that it contains a voice-over by one of my favourite humans, Naturalist David Attenborough is an added bonus.

Overall the exhibition is well worth a visit. Fans of Bjork will find much to like and experience and for the uninitiated the VR experiences may convert you into this technology.

Virtual Reality is Virtually There

Few technologies lately can be said to have heralded the future of gaming and immersive entertainment as the Oculus Rift.

It may not look like much, a simple unassuming little black box but this HMD (Head Mounted Display) looks to set the world through it's use of full field 3D vision and precise head tracking through its use of  magnetometers, accelerometers, gyroscopes and external head camera. All these things combine to create a feeling of being immersed and transported into the game world, which is precisely what the Oculus Rift and its peers is all about.

I am hugely excited by any technology that engages and immerses me and having used the Oculus Rift to play intergalactic dog-fighting game Running Strike Suit Zero, several months ago at Virgin Media's Game Space in Blackall Studios, Shoreditch I can say that the device had succeeded in transporting me into that world.

Ghost in the Shell shows a dystopian future where technology has run rampant and what it means to be human is challenged. The Matrix considers the same thing as does pretty much a lot of sci-fi!

The device had the ability of fooling my brain and body into thinking I was somewhere else doing something else but it did take a few minutes to get used to it. I was lucky to try the device out but I know that for most people, Virtual Reality (VR) is still a fringe technology. For many it's the sign of a future dystopian world where people sit with the technology strapped to their faces and ignore each other, connected but not really connected. To allay such fears Google have introduced Cardboard, a do-it-yourself virtual reality kit made out of cardboard!

The Google Cardboard is a good introduction to VR, and importantly it is cheap!

For $25 you get a cardboard housing for a smartphone running Google's Android mobile OS, a lens kit, some magnets, some velcro and a rubber band and an easily programmable Near-Field Communication sticker tag for launching the companion mobile app. For people who are so inclined you can download the schematics and make your own out of an old pizza box. The result is a low key but effective introduction to VR. The cardboard app comes with 7 “experiences”;

  • Youtube lets you watch a selection of Youtube videos on a simulated theater screen.
  • Street Vue lets you wander around in a VR version of street view.
  • “Exhibit” lets you look at a few 3D recreations of objects.
  • Earth Flyover lets you zoom around a city in Google Earth. Push the “button” to start flying forward, push it again to stop.
  • Photo Sphere Viewer lets you look around in pictures you’ve taken using Android’s built-in 360º panoramic feature.
  • Windy Day is a cute, cartoony environment where you can watch animals sneak around as leaves fall.
  • Tour Guide has you explore the Palace of Versailles.

This is all very exciting and as a teacher I hope to make my own Cardboard this week, now that the reports are done and all assessments are handed in this could be something to sink my teeth into in my spare time. I'll let you know how it goes as I think this could really change the way children learn. Imagine Castlerama or Epic Citadel in immersive VR, the writing the children could produce as a result of being engaged and immersed is exciting. 

LINK- Google Cardboard