REVIEW: I think the biggest selling poin…

REVIEW:
I think the biggest selling point of this venture is its ability to create a virtual reality for a low cost, using some of the newer technology available, like low-cost VR headsets and 360 degree webcams. It’s one thing to have students passively watch a live video feed from a far-off place, in which their viewpoint is constrained only to whatever the camera happens to be pointing towards. It is something else entirely to give someone the ability to look around and truly immerse themselves into the chosen environment. As a biology teacher and someone who is fascinated with the natural world, with a specific interest in evolution and Darwin, I proposed a trip to the Galapagos several years ago. The costs were prohibitively expensive, and I was not able to get enough students to sign up, so the trip fell through. If there were instead, a *virtual* trip, using your system, we would have been able to schedule a trip time, and have students ‘plug in’ to ‘visit’ the Galapagos from my school in Vancouver. While the real trip would have cost quite a bit more, there is one major factor that “Let’s Go There!” lacks: interactivity. Yes, students can ‘look around’. But part of the experience of going somewhere with a guide is the ability to ask questions. Perhaps a live ‘chat’ (which could be problematic if done by voice, due to lag issues or multiple participants speaking at once) could work. If students are plugged into headsets it would be tricky to have them type questions (voice-to-text?). Maybe a queued question stream via microphone & tour guide headset could be implemented?