Future-Talk 3D VR
Thoughtful discussions about emerging and high-leverage technology use in education.
November 18, 2019
August 12, 2019
Pricing Failure & VR
We've been talking about “pricing failure.” (See last two posts )
Will a few greedy companies destroy this industry for the rest
of us, before it has a chance to get legs? Just to make a killing? Strike gold?
Since content is king, will content price failures undermine any hoped-for
trajectory for hardware sales? Or will the freemium strategy, now increasing in
frequency, pay off? One thing is for sure: if pricing failures get in the way
of technologies reaching the educational market, then sic transit gloria
mundi—“thus
passes the glory of the world.” Or VR.
August 5, 2019
Pricing Failure (2)
We've been talking about “pricing failure.” (See last post for an introduction.)
The opposite of “pricing success”, a “pricing failure” bursts
on the scene when there isn’t a clear correlation between an item’s cost and
its value/quality. It reminds me of a serious pricing failure, one I witnessed in
the educational marketplace. Yes, I remember it distinctly, during the years of
the initial stereo 3D explosion in film, displays, and projectors. A top-level
manager from the DLP group at Texas Instruments whispered to me the hard truth:
how the pricing set forth by just one or two educational 3D software producers
was so rapacious, that those companies almost brought down the entire 3D
industry/market in education—by steeply overpricing their content. I was there.
I saw the gut-wrenching reaction of educational buyers. The pricing was, well, ridiculous.
And this is still true about many promising technologies in education. Pricing failure is more common than one would think.
Stay tuned for next week's conclusion about the potential for pricing failure in the expanding virtual reality world.
July 29, 2019
Is VR Headed for a Pricing Failure?
The evening weather
was hot and unforgiving, the humidity beyond palpable. Not a great time to be
wearing a suit in Puerto Vallarta, I thought, nevertheless enjoying the
enchanting gourmet meal set out with certain elegance before me. I found myself
here at the well-appointed Hacienda San Angel hotel, on a hilltop above the
beautiful Guadalupe Church, not very far from the connected casitas that hosted
Richard Burton and Liz Taylor in 1964.
The occasion for my
visit was a destination wedding, a joyous gathering for the daughter of
long-time friends and frequent co-travellers. Next to me sat a world-renowned
New York City surgeon, “the” specialist in his field. He had invented and
perfected successful medical procedures that were adopted all across the world.
Yet, he was such a kind and unassuming man.
He softly nodded and asked me:
“What is it that you do?”
I responded: “I work in the field of education, with
a particular emphasis on 3D visualization and virtual reality.”
A pleasant
conversation ensued, but also a whirlwind of discovery. The
conversation led to the use of 3D surgery in his field. He saw 3D surgery as a
laudable development, but one that remained impractical. “Why?” I asked. He
explained carefully and methodically that current medical surgical procedures
were quite effective. He added that 3D surgery did, in fact, offer a number of
incremental advantages and improvements. But the price offered to hospitals
made the decision an easy
one: it wasn’t worth the money to gain some benefits on the margin. The price
for 3D surgical equipment was just too high. It just made no sense to switch to
this nascent and ‘smart’ technology. So everyone in his field, for the most
part, he explained, has stayed with traditional surgical methods. In fact, his
manner changed slightly, as a bit of soft-anger oozed out, oddly contrasting
with his normally calm demeanor.
“They can’t expect us to pay those prices,” he charged.
That, dear readers, is what we call a “pricing failure.” Join us the next two weeks for a look at the
possibility of pricing failure in the flourishing VR world.
July 22, 2019
It's Ironic 7
Educational VR: The Irony of it All
The trendy presence of virtual reality these days
leaves me with a sense of irony. (Please look at previous posts in this series for the context.) I am struck by the incongruity of
the past and the future colliding in an uncomfortable way. I am describing
something we’ve seen before—when we were pushing for 3D visualization tools in
the classroom from 2010 through 2015. Virtual reality is all the rage
today, but in the past, things didn’t look quite so bright. Though the
technologies are really quite similar, something has changed. Here's my last effort at ironic sentiment:
Complaint: Our
3D content won’t run on that other hardware platform.
Educator response to
3D (5 years ago): “Why do I need to buy that type of hardware and not just use
what I’ve got?” “The content is too hardware specific.” “Our district won’t
support that brand of equipment, sorry.”
Educator response to
VR (today ), though VR also lacks unifying standards: “I don’t care—how
can we do it?” “It’s just sexy!” “I’ll find a way.”
Of course, my entire message for this entire series plays on the irony
of the times we are in. Virtual Reality is succeeding in the education market
today, well, because, well, it’s… sexy. How long that will last?
Who knows, but I suspect these questions won’t just go away. For now, here is
how the education market works: over the next year or so, suppliers need to
fill in the missing pieces and answer the unanswered questions or VR will be left
in the backwaters of time and will be replaced by the latest trending
whatchamacallit or gadget. Welcome to education. And P.S.: don’t show this
article to your local VR enthusiast. Why not? Incongruity overly frustrates their sense
of forward progress.
July 15, 2019
It's Ironic 6
Educational VR: The Irony of it All
The stout and trendy presence of virtual reality these days
leaves me with a hefty sense of irony. (Please look at previous posts for the introduction to this series.) I am struck by the incongruity of
the past and the future colliding in an uncomfortable way. I am describing
something we’ve seen before—when we were pushing for 3D visualization tools in
the classroom from 2010 through 2015. Virtual reality is all the rage
today, but in the past, things didn’t look quite so bright. Though the
technologies are really quite similar, something has changed. Here's my next effort at ironic sentiment:
Complaint: I
just can’t find enough 3D content.
Educator response to
3D (5 years ago): “There is not enough academic content to justify our purchase
of this technology.” “Isn’t student-created content too difficult and time
consuming to make?” “I just don’t see the curricular traction, sorry.”
Educator response to
VR (today ), though VR also lacks comprehensive content and is difficult
for students to construct: “I don’t care—this is really innovative, i.e. sexy!”
“Where can I find more free content?”
It's ironic...
July 8, 2019
It's Ironic 5
Educational VR: The Irony of it All (5)
The stout and trendy presence of virtual reality these days leaves me with a hefty sense of irony. (Please look at previous weeks' post for the context to this series.) I am struck by the incongruity of the past and the future colliding in an uncomfortable way. I am describing something we’ve seen before—when we were pushing for 3D visualization tools in the classroom from 2010 through 2015. Virtual reality is all the rage today, but in the past, things didn’t look quite so bright. Though the technologies are really quite similar, something has changed. Here's my fourth effort at ironic sentiment:
Complaint: Laptops, projectors, 3D glasses—how do we manage all this stuff?
Educator response to
3D (5 years ago): “How do we store, disburse, and collect all this
paraphernalia?” “How do we possibly keep the 3D glasses at full charge?” “How
do we switch between 2D and 3D?” “Sorry, this is just too much to handle. I’m a
busy teacher.”
More irony coming next week...
July 1, 2019
It's Ironic 4
Educational VR: The Irony of it All (4)
The stout and trendy presence of virtual reality these days
leaves me with a hefty sense of irony. (Please look at previous weeks' post
for the context to this series.) I am struck by the incongruity of
the past and the future colliding in an uncomfortable way. I am describing
something we’ve seen before—when we were pushing for 3D visualization tools in
the classroom from 2010 through 2015. Virtual reality is all the rage
today, but in the past, things didn’t look quite so bright. Though the
technologies are really quite similar, something has changed. Here's my third effort at ironic sentiment:
Complaint: 3D
glasses can spread lice and diseases easily to children.
Educator response to
3D (5 years ago): “How do you expect us to stop and clean these devices between
each use?” “This just isn’t on my radar, sorry. I’m too busy to be a janitor.”
Educator response to
VR (today ), even though VR headgear offers the same concern: “My, this
is sexy!” “I’ve got to have this for my classroom.” I'm not going to worry
about cleaning them.”
Ain't it ironic?
June 24, 2019
It's Ironic 3
Educational VR: The Irony of it All
The stout and trendy presence of virtual reality these days
leaves me with a hefty sense of irony. (Please look at the last two week's post
for an introduction to this series.) I am struck by the incongruity of
the past and the future colliding in an uncomfortable way. I am describing
something we’ve seen before—when we were pushing for 3D visualization tools in
the classroom from 2010 through 2015. Virtual reality is all the rage
today, but in the past, things didn’t look quite so bright. Though the
technologies are really quite similar, something has changed. Here's my third effort at ironic sentiment:
Complaint: 3D
makes some of my students sick.
Educator response to
3D (5 years ago): “How do you expect me to use a tool that makes students ill?”
“How do we explain this to parents?” “My teachers are getting sick, too.” “We
just can’t do this, sorry.”
Educator response to
VR (today ), although VR makes even stronger visual demands on the
student: “I don’t care, this is so transformational, i.e. really sexy!” “No,
none of my children appear to be sick [even though I haven’t really asked
them].” “Where can I buy this for my school and classroom?”
Ain't it ironic???
June 17, 2019
It's Ironic 2
Educational VR: The Irony of it All
The stout and trendy presence of virtual reality these days
leaves me with a hefty sense of irony. (Please look at last week's post
for the intorduction to this series.) I am struck by the incongruity of
the past and the future colliding in an uncomfortable way. I
am describing something we’ve seen before—when we were pushing for 3D
visualization tools in the classroom from 2010 through 2015. Virtual
reality is all the rage today, but in the past, things didn’t look quite so
bright. Though the technologies are really quite similar, something has
changed. Here's my second effort at ironic sentiment:
Educator response to 3D (5 years ago): “We can’t afford this.” “How do you expect teachers to buy this for each classroom?” “This just isn’t sustainable, sorry.”
Educator response to
VR (today), even though VR costs much more, per student: “Wow, this is
so sexy!” “Where can I get more?” "I'll find a way."
June 10, 2019
It's Ironic Intro
Educational VR: The Irony of it All
I recall the hall of
fame release by the Byrds in 1965, a song that rhythmically and hauntingly
chanted:
To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose, under heaven…A time to build up, a time to break downA time to dance, a time to mournA time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together…
This song aptly
describes some of the emotions I experience while scouting VR at conferences. I am always struck by the incongruity of the past and the
future colliding in an uncomfortable way.
I am describing
something we’ve seen before—when we were pushing for 3D visualization tools in
the classroom from 2010 through 2015. I know this arena well, having led one of
the largest and most successful 3D implementations in U.S. schools, working
closely with stalwart companies like Texas Instruments. Virtual reality is all
the rage today, but in the past, things didn’t look quite so bright. Though the
technologies are really quite similar, something has changed. We’ve morphed, as
the Byrds would suggest, from a time of breaking down, to a period of building
up. What happened? Over the next few posts, let me explain using a few juxtaposed examples. Here's my first example:
Complaint: These
3D glasses are just too heavy and uncomfortable for students.
Educator response to
3D (5 years ago): “They don’t fit the heads of children.” “They don’t work well
for children wearing glasses.” “These just won’t work, sorry.”
Educator response to
VR (today), even though glasses are heavier and more constraining:
“Wow, isn’t this amazing!” “Can I try them on?” “How can I get more for my
classroom?”
Isn't it ironic...?
June 3, 2019
Reality Check Conclusion
Let's pause and reflect on this series. I suppose, if you see the world
pessimistically, the last four posts suggest that the penetration rate for VR as an emerging technology in education is far below the hype levels we all hear about; and if
you view the world with rose-colored glasses, you might instead see this as a fertile
market. [Shaping the Future] The bottom line problems with VR in education are well understood by
educators. [Active] To educators, current VR experiences:
- cover very little of the
written school curriculum
- are not easily managed
in the classroom
- haven’t learned from the
experiences and failures of the 3D in education movement of the last
decade
- haven’t yet convinced
teachers of their instructional merit
No, until virtual reality
experiences can offer all of the requisite 4Es of education (engaging,
effective, efficient, and easy to manage), we have a long way to go. [Immersive] —Len
Scrogan
Remember, I have deliberately embedded words of hope throughout this series, as
seen in the top paragraph, in [bracketed italics]. These are expressions
that literally shout the promise and potential of virtual reality, while
counterbalancing any bad news. These words are not just taken
magically from the air, but consist of actual text snatched from the VR-related
exhibit hall booths and sales literature at a recent ed-tech conference,
‘designer’ phraseology that help sell VR to tech-hungry educators.
May 27, 2019
Reality Check (4)
Little or No Change. In my undergraduate classes at
the University of Colorado-Denver I started a process of surveying
each incoming cohort about their experience with virtual reality. [Building
imagination] The findings thus far from my first two semesters clearly align with my experience
interviewing past cohorts and knowledge of in-practice teachers, as well. Here
are my current findings:
- 42% of UCD students have
tried VR, which is up from 35.7% last year. Of course, that means 58% had
never used it, prior to taking my classes.
- Only 3.5% of my students
have used virtual reality in an way associated with their university
coursework. What happened to the energy of virtual reality in the
educational marketplace? It’s dismal.
- And, oh yeah, about 15.8% of my students get uncomfortably ill when viewing virtual reality. That makes sense, supported by worldwide vision health research. [Education that WOWS]
Remember, in
order to keep our blog readers from falling off the feared precipice of
despair, I have deliberately embedded words of hope throughout this series, as
seen in the top paragraph, in [bracketed italics]. These are expressions
that literally shout the promise and potential of virtual reality, while
counterbalancing the bad news. These words are not just taken
magically from the air, but consist of actual text snatched from the VR-related
exhibit hall booths and sales literature at a recent ed-tech conference,
‘designer’ phraseology that help sell VR to tech-hungry educators.
May 20, 2019
Reality Check (3)
Is VR truly popular in classrooms these days? [Pivotal] Unfortunately, I am seeing too few yeses and too many noes in the conversation. In the recent months, here is even more insightful data I have been wrestling with:
No More? Has Google conquered the
education world, claiming more than 2 million Google
Expedition users worldwide? [Enables exploration] Sounds like real
penetration of the ed market, doesn’t it? Not really. First, their actual
penetration rate is miniscule. UNICEF estimated there are 650 million children
of primary age in the world, and nearly double that if you include secondary
students. Based on these assumptions, Google has only reached 0.003 (less than
a third of 1 percent) of elementary students worldwide, and only 0.0015 of all
students, both primary and secondary. Second, “having used” (just once or a few
times) is much different in schools than “are using” (daily, weekly, monthly,
frequently). Sounds like hype, doesn’t it? You bet.
Only a Bit More. Google conquers the U.K. is
what some people say, with over a half million students having used their
singular Google Expeditions platform. [Builds understanding] But if you
assume in excess of 10 million students in the U.K. at minimum, that converts
into a 0.05 penetration rate. (And, of course, we must still own the “having
used” versus “are using” verbiage.) Translated, more than 95% of UK students
have not used Google Expeditions. Oh well.
Remember, in
order to keep our blog readers from falling off the feared precipice of
despair, I have deliberately embedded words of hope throughout this series, as
seen in the top paragraph, in [bracketed italics]. These are expressions
that literally shout the promise and potential of virtual reality, while
counterbalancing the bad news. These words are not just taken
magically from the air, but consist of actual text snatched from the VR-related
exhibit hall booths and sales literature at a recent ed-tech conference,
‘designer’ phraseology that help sell VR to tech-hungry educators.
May 13, 2019
Reality Check (2)
So, let’s start our VR
reality check, which is based on a recent avalanche of data points occurring in
schools, not in the artificially glorified environments of conferences and expo
halls. [Democratizing education]
Is VR very popular in classrooms?
[Pivotal] Unfortunately, I am seeing too few yeses and too many noes in
the conversation. In the recent months, here is a flood of feedback about
VR I have been receiving from educators or some of the insightful data I have
come across:
No Show. One educator I spoke with told
me how their school leaders, excited by the educational possibilities of using
virtual reality in their public school classrooms, offered a dedicated
break-out session on VR on their first “professional development day” for
teachers. [Learning] Not one
teacher attended the VR session. No one. [Revolutionary]
No Go. In another public school, an
elementary school, a district-level tech expert visited the school to offer a
VR workshop (that, in this case, teachers were required to attend). [Transporting]
According to one attendee, most teachers present at this workshop felt it
wasn’t something immediately useful for them. Fast forward three months. Not a
single teacher had taken up this technology in their classrooms. No takers.
None. Zilch. [Impactful]
No Time. Laura Tickle, a K-5 technology
coordinator at Ben Franklin Academy, a high-performing Charter school in
Colorado, reported that “’zero’ teachers are using VR currently.” [Exciting]
When asked to explain why, she responded: “Time would be the main issue with
not using VR.” Teachers have so little of it. She added “and we do not have any
equipment for it.” [A real turn-on]
No Priority. Joy Vigil, a middle school technology coach at a respected Colorado magnet school, The Academy of Charter Schools, noted that teachers at her school are also not yet using VR in instruction. [Illustrious] She explained, “This is due to lack of equipment and training”. And when schools don’t buy—and don’t train—it’s simply a technology that is not high up on their priority scale. [Powerful]
No Priority. Joy Vigil, a middle school technology coach at a respected Colorado magnet school, The Academy of Charter Schools, noted that teachers at her school are also not yet using VR in instruction. [Illustrious] She explained, “This is due to lack of equipment and training”. And when schools don’t buy—and don’t train—it’s simply a technology that is not high up on their priority scale. [Powerful]
Remember, in
order to keep our blog readers from falling off the feared precipice of
despair, I have deliberately embedded words of hope throughout this series, as
seen in the top paragraph, in [bracketed italics]. These are expressions
that literally shout the promise and potential of virtual reality, while
counterbalancing the bad news. These words are not just taken
magically from the air, but consist of actual text snatched from the VR-related
exhibit hall booths and sales literature at a recent ed-tech conference,
‘designer’ phraseology that help sell VR to tech-hungry educators.
May 6, 2019
Reality Check (1)
There is so much hype surrounding VR in education nowadays, it seems particularly wise to stop and do a reality check, at least once in a great while. [Enticing]
Although I am personally quite
bullish on VR, this will not be another one of those cheerleading series about the potential of VR in education. [Amazing]
No, what I am about to report may prove downright depressing. [Inspiring]
Thus, in order to keep our blog readers
from falling off the feared precipice of despair, I have deliberately embedded
words of hope throughout this series, as seen in the very first paragraph above, in
[bracketed italics].
These are expressions that literally shout the promise and potential of virtual
reality, while counterbalancing the bad news. [Elevating]
These words are not just taken magically from the air, but consist of actual text snatched
from the VR-related exhibit hall booths and sales literature at a recent
ed-tech conference, ‘designer’ phraseology that help sell VR to tech-hungry
educators. [Engaging]
Our in depth reality check begins next week!
April 29, 2019
A Researcher's Reveal
The first reveal is that, at least in higher education, many
educators don’t really know how to fit VR within any curriculum or how to use
it for educational impact.
A second reveal is that most of her higher-ed
interviewees pointed to K-12 educators as doing much more with VR than they
were in their own universities.
Both reveals are not a surprise whatsoever. In
a recent article, I cited a 2017 survey by
Pearson that came to the same conclusion as the first reveal shown above. But I would disagree with the second reveal. I find contrarily that the effective use of VR in K-12 schools
is statistically exaggerated.
April 22, 2019
Fluent Words

April 15, 2019
Actual Reality
Actual Reality is basically a new type of XR.
This Actual Reality video, courtesy of Green.TV has gone viral, plus it’s popular with educators. Take a look. It’s good to laugh at ourselves, at least sometimes.
Actual Reality from Len Scrogan on Vimeo.This Actual Reality video, courtesy of Green.TV has gone viral, plus it’s popular with educators. Take a look. It’s good to laugh at ourselves, at least sometimes.
April 8, 2019
Stuck at First Base
Are you stranded on First Base?
Everywhere I go, teachers are stuck at first
base: using VR for virtual field tips, like this one: Project Pakistan.
This is
certainly a very nice experience, but I can’t wait until educators move on to second base, using
interactive simulations to teach rigorous topics (see SuperChem VR) or third
base, where students begin to create their own VR content. But it’s also
possible to hit a four-bagger, a home run, when kids create their own VRhardware.
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