Videos on VW Research

Battling PTSD with Virtual Reality

From:     Motherboard

(http://motherboard.vice.com/en_ca/read/inside-the-clinic-battling-ptsd-with-virtual-reality?utm_source=mbfbvid)

A short 20 minute documentary video on research and development being carried out by the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) at University of Southern California on the use of immersive virtual reality to treat post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The video includes a section on the use of an immersive simulated battle zone environment to enable PTSD sufferers to re-live traumatic moments from the battle field and to talk through and work through their emotions in real time. In another session there is also a virtual therapist who to the surprise of the veteran at the focus of the documentary draws out details about some deeply held regrets from the veteran’s time of active duty.

While Chinese Island and Virtual Prato cannot hope to reach the levels of sophistication that the Institute has achieved, many of the underlying principles and approaches are similar. One can immediately see how the virtual reality technologies being developed by the Institute could be applied to the learning of foreign languages and cultures. The documentary is an inspiration to us to continue developing our approach with virtual worlds and virtual agents (NPCs) to teaching and learning foreign languages and cultures in our own small way.

Julie Sykes – Synthetic Immersive Environments & Language Learning

Dr Julie Sykes has done ground breaking research on the use of digital games and online 3D multiuser virtual environments (MUVES) for foreign language learning. Through a range of presentations, papers and chapters Dr Sykes has persuasively presented the case for the use of 3D MUVEs or what she specifically calls Synthetic Immersive Environments (SIEs) to bring foreign language learning, and in particular the learning of pragmatic aspects of real life language use, to life with authentic and meaningful communicative tasks in immersive environments that reflect aspects of real life.

The following link is a talk Dr Sykes gave at the University Colorado Boulder in 2010 called “Mulit-User Virtual Environments and L2 Spanish Pragmatics: Do Learners Really Learn?”:

http://altec.colorado.edu/speakers/Sykes-02-2010.shtml

The following is a presentation that Dr Sykes gave at the SLAT International Roundtable Keynote Address – Part 1

 

This is Part 2 of the address:

 

 

This is Part 3 of the address:

 

This  is Part 4 of the address:

 

This is Part 5 of the address:

 

 

Jay Jay Jegathesan – University of Western Australia – 3 Minute Thesis 2013

 

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