Viewing the Future? Virtual Reality In Journalism

Journalism underwent a flurry of virtual reality content creation, production and distribution starting in the final months of 2015. The New York Times distributed more than 1 million cardboard virtual reality viewers and released an app showing a spherical video short about displaced refugees. The Los Angeles Times landed people next to a crater on Mars. USA TODAY took visitors on a ride-along in the "Back to the Future" car on the Universal Studios lot and on a spin through Old Havana in a bright pink '57 Ford. ABC News went to North Korea for a spherical view of a military parade and to Syria to see artifacts threatened by war. The Emblematic Group, a company that creates virtual reality content, followed a woman navigating a gauntlet of anti- abortion demonstrators at a family planning clinic and allowed people to witness a murder-suicide stemming from domestic violence.In short, the period from October 2015 through February 2016 was one of significant experimentation with virtual reality (VR) storytelling. These efforts are part of an initial foray into determining whether VR is a feasible way to present news. The year 2016 is shaping up as a period of further testing and careful monitoring of potential growth in the use of virtual reality among consumers

Digital Food Marketing to Children and Adolescents: Problematic Practices and Policy Interventions

Examines trends in digital marketing to youth that uses "immersive" techniques, social media, behavioral profiling, location targeting and mobile marketing, and neuroscience methods. Recommends principles for regulating inappropriate advertising to youth

Una revisión de apps de realidad virtual para el aprendizaje de idiomas

Research in the area of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) has shown that the use of mobile devices such as smartphones may offer multiple opportunities for supporting foreign language learning. In addition, the development and increasing accessibility of emerging technologies such as virtual reality (VR) has opened new perspectives in the area of MALL, paving the way for a new research field called virtual reality assisted language learning (VRALL). In this context, the present study aims to identify the trends as well as challenges of VRALL by analysing the most popular of the currently available VR apps that can be downloaded from commercial platforms such as Google Play Store and App Store. However, results suggest that most of the retrieved apps are not specifically designed for foreign language learning, although they can be used for such a purpose. Furthermore, very few of the apps explore the real potential of VR, either providing novel teaching and learning approaches and new types of interaction, or offering novel learning scenarios that could allow the learner to experience a greater sense of immersion and thus facilitate the process of language immersion and language acquisition

Si-VirPraJa: Using an Immersive Technology to Learn Prehistoric Sites in Indonesia

Nowadays, studying prehistoric sites in Indonesia has become convenient because of the touch of technology. We no longer need to spend money, time, and energy to visiting the sites in person. Virtual Reality (VR) is the commonly used immersive technology for virtualizing prehistoric sites. Cutting-edge research is utilizing Virtual Reality (VR) technology to construct virtual environments of prehistoric sites, allowing people to learn and enjoy them with flexibility. However, in the context of learning, its use is still quite limited due to general features. Therefore, it is necessary to develop applications with more complete and interactive learning features. The aim of this study is to develop a web-based Si-VirPraJa (Prehistoric Virtual Site) application. We employed research and development (R&D) to achieve the objectives of the research. Furthermore, we used the ADDIE development model, which includes analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. We initiated the research by conducting a needs analysis study of the Si-VirPraJa App as expected by students and teachers. The needs analysis results formed the foundation for designing the application’s initial stage. Learning media experts tested it and provided assessments, suggestions, and comments. The Si-VirPraJa app, refined based on assessment results, suggestions, and comments from media experts, is implemented in a trial class to gather feedback from students and teachers. The findings suggested that students need a virtual tour-based application to study prehistoric sites in Indonesia. This necessary application must also include multiple features that facilitate learning. The findings from validation tests conducted by experts and trials class that the Si-VirPraJa application is viable for use as a learning media. The impact of using this application for learning is evident in students’ enhanced self-learning ability, improved comprehension of the material, and the generation of engaging and meaningful learning experiences

Exploring Campus through Web-Based Immersive Adventures Using Virtual Reality Photography: A Low-Cost Virtual Tour Experience

This study aims to assess the incorporation of virtual reality (VR) photography into the web-based immersive application “virtual interactive campus tour (VICT).” This application offers users an immersive experience, allowing them to virtually explore university campuses and access information about the facilities and services available. The VICT application offers a cost-effective, attractive, and sustainable alternative for universities to display their resources and interact with potential students. Through black box testing, we conducted user acceptance testing (UAT) and functionality testing, confirming the application’s readiness for deployment and its capability to meet institutional and end-user requirements. This study also examined the potential for universities to use VR to meet the expectations of prospective students. The application is compatible with both desktop and mobile devices. The results indicated that the overall average validity score was 0.88, suggesting that the measure is valid. The validation results were thoroughly tested and reliable. This study emphasizes the potential of immersive web-based tours in higher education and aims to bridge the divide between virtual exploration and physical visits. By offering an immersive virtual campus experience, this innovative tool has the potential to revolutionize university marketing strategies, increase student engagement, and transform campus visit approaches

Realidad Virtual y aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras: Análisis de las 6 aplicaciones móviles más populares de Google Play Store y App Store para aprender inglés

Research in the area of mobile assisted language learning (MALL) has shown that smartphones offer multiple opportunities for supporting foreign language learning. The development and increasing accessibility of new tools such as virtual reality technology (VR) has opened new perspectives in the area of MALL, paving the way for a new research field called virtual reality assisted language learning (VRALL). In this context, the current study aims to explore the potential of VRALL by analyzing the 6 most popular VR apps from Google Play Store and App Store to learn English, with a special focus on language contents and the learning approaches provided. Results suggest that although VR technology provides new opportunities for language learning, VRALL is still on the fringes and more research needs to be done in order to take advantage of the real potential of VR.La investigación en el área del aprendizaje de lenguas asistido por dispositivos móviles (MALL) muestra que los teléfonos móviles ofrecen una gran variedad de posibilidades para ayudar a aprender una lengua extranjera. El desarrollo y el fácil acceso a nuevas herramientas como la tecnología de realidad virtual (RV) han abierto nuevos horizontes en el área de MALL, preparando el terreno para un nuevo campo de investigación llamado aprendizaje de lenguas asistido por realidad virtual (VRALL). De este modo, este estudio busca explorar el potencial del VRALL mediante el análisis de las 6 apps de RV más populares en Google Play Store y App Store para aprender inglés, centrándonos en los contenidos lingüísticos y en los enfoques de aprendizaje que proporcionan estas apps. Los resultados indican que, aunque la RV aporta nuevas oportunidades para el aprendizaje de lenguas, el VRALL todavía permanece al margen, y se necesita más investigación sobre el tema para poder aprovechar el verdadero potencial de la RV

Immersive Journalism as Storytelling

"This book sets out cutting-edge new research and examines future prospects on 360-degree video, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) in journalism, analyzing and discussing virtual world experiments from a range of perspectives. Featuring contributions from a diverse range of scholars, Immersive Journalism as Storytelling highlights both the opportunities and the challenges presented by this form of storytelling. The book discusses how immersive journalism has the potential to reach new audiences, change the way stories are told, and provide more interactivity within the news industry. Aside from generating deeper emotional reactions and global perspectives, the book demonstrates how it can also diversify and upskill the news industry. Further contributions address the challenges, examining how immersive storytelling calls for reassessing issues of journalism ethics and truthfulness, transparency, privacy, manipulation, and surveillance, and questioning what it means to cover reality when a story is told in virtual reality. Chapters are grounded in empirical data such as content analyses and expert interviews, alongside insightful case studies that discuss Euronews, Nonny de la Peña’s Project Syria, and The New York Times’ NYTVR application. This book is written for journalism teachers, educators, and students, as well as scholars, politicians, lawmakers, and citizens with an interest in emerging technologies for media practice.