How virtual reality turns students into scientists | Jessica Ochoa Hendrix

翻译人员: Qing Shen 校对人员: Yolanda Zhang

How did you discover your passion

你如何发现自己的兴趣点

or find your career?

或者找到喜欢的职业？

Were you exposed to it?

是它们自己找上门来？

Or was it trial and error?

还是你不断地主动尝试寻找？

As child rights advocate Marian Wright Edelman said,

正如儿童权益拥护者 Marian Wright Edelman 所说：

"You can't be what you can't see."

“你无法变成一个你不了解样子。”

Fortunately, we now live in a time

幸运的是，我们生活在

when emerging technologies may help us to solve this problem.

一个新兴技术可以帮我们 解决此问题的时代。

For the past two years,

在过去的两年里，

I've been developing an extended reality program

我在开发一个扩展现实项目。

that enables middle school students from across the country

它让全国的中学生

to take on the role of a marine biologist --

能够扮演海洋生物学家，

even if they've never seen the ocean.

哪怕它们从来没有见过大海。

As one seventh grader who recently completed our program said,

正如一个七年级的学生 最近完成了我们的项目后说：

"I could see myself as a scientist,

“我可以把自己看作一个科学家，

because I enjoyed this game."

因为我喜欢这个游戏。”

This feedback really excited me,

这一反馈让我十分的激动，

because too few students do see themselves as scientists.

因为很少有学生真的 把他们自己视作科学家。

A 2014 study showed that 57 percent of eighth- and ninth-grade students

一个 2014 年的研究表明， 57% 的八年级和九年级学生认为

said, "Science isn't me."

“科学不适合我。”

Coincidentally, also in 2014,

很巧的是，也是在 2014 年，

I met Mandë Holford, a marine biochemist,

我遇见了一位海洋生物学家， Mandë Holford；

and Lindsay Portnoy, an educational psychologist.

还有一位教育心理学家， Lindsay Portnoy。

The three of us shared a passion

我们三个有一个共同的爱好，

for getting students excited by and comfortable with science.

就是让学生们适应并且爱上科学。

We thought about how we could give children

我们思考如何能给孩子们带来

the most realistic experience of a scientific career.

一个最真实的科学职业体验。

We discussed the research;

我们讨论了这个研究，

it showed that students felt comfortable taking risks when playing games.

它表明学生能够 在玩游戏时很自然地冒险。

So the three of us started an educational games company

所以我们三个成立了 一个教育性质的游戏公司，

to bring science to life.

赋予科学以生命。

Virtual reality seemed like a low-cost way of increasing access.

虚拟现实看起来是个 低成本的扩大受众群体的方式。

In addition, academic research has shown

此外，有学术研究表明，

that virtual reality may lead to increases in learning retention.

虚拟现实或许能增强学习的记忆力。

This was perfect for us, as we wanted to be in schools

这对我们来说再好不过了， 因为我们想在学校里实施，

so that we could reach the most number of students possible,

这样我们就可以接触到 尽可能多的学生，

particularly students who have been underrepresented in science.

尤其是那些很少接触科学的学生。

So, with funding from the National Science Foundation,

在获得了国家科学基金会的支持后，

we began developing our extended reality program

我们开始创办扩展现实项目，

that combined virtual reality

它结合了虚拟现实（VR）

with personalized digital journaling.

和个性化数字日志。

We worked with teachers while developing it

我们在研发过程中 和教师们一起工作，

to ensure that it would fit seamlessly into existing curricula

这样可以保证该项目能和 现有课程的无缝对接，

and empower teachers to use cutting-edge technology in their classroom.

并且老师们能够 在课堂上使用先进的技术。

We designed the virtual reality for Google Cardboard,

我们为 Google Cardboard 设计了虚拟现实体验，

which requires only a smartphone

只需要一部智能手机

and a 10 dollar VR viewer made of cardboard.

和一个成本只有 10 美元， 用硬纸板制成的 VR 查看器。

With this inexpensive headset,

有了这个便宜的装置，

students are transported to an underwater expedition.

学生们参与了一次水下考察。

Students use their digital journal

学生们用电子日志

to write down their notes,

记笔记，

to answer questions,

回答问题 ，

to construct models

构建模型，

and to develop hypotheses.

并提出假说。

Students then go to the virtual world to test their hypotheses

之后，学生们进入 虚拟世界来验证他们的假说，

and see if they're accurate,

看它们是否正确，

much as scientists go to the field

就像科学家们在他们的工作中

in their careers.

去实地考察一样。

When students return to their digital journal,

当学生们回到了电子日志，

they share their observations, claims,

他们会分享自己的观察，主张，

reasoning and evidence.

推理还有证据。

The students' written answers and virtual interactions

学生们写下的答案还有虚拟的互动

are all updated live

都会在一个

in an educator assessment dashboard,

教育评估操作界面被实时更新，

so that teachers can follow their progress

这样老师们就可以监督他们的进度，

and support them as needed.

并在他们需要的时候给予帮助。

To give you a better sense, I'm going to show you

为了使你们有一个更直观的感受， 我下面要向大家展示

a little bit of what students see.

学生们看到的一些东西。

This is the virtual reality when they're underwater

这个虚拟现实片段的内容是， 他们正在水下

observing the flora and fauna.

观察动植物群。

This is the digital journal where they're constructing their models

利用这个电子日志， 他们能根据这些非生物数据

based on this abiotic data to show what they expect to see.

建立模型，来展示 他们希望看到的东西。

Here, they're supporting that with qualitative statements.

这里，他们正用定性的陈述 来支持他们的模型。

And this is the educator dashboard that shows progress

这个是教育操作界面， 能够显示学生的进度，

and enables [teachers] to see the students' answers as they go.

并且让老师们看到 进展过程中学生们的答案。

When we were creating BioDive,

需要强调的是， 当我们设计 BioDive 时，

again, we really wanted to focus on access,

我们想聚焦在访问性上，

so we designed it to require only one phone for every four students.

所以在设计时，让它支持 每四名学生只能用一部手机。

We also knew how collaborative science work is,

我们也知道科学工作多么需要合作，

so we constructed the experience to only be solved

所以我们设计的这些体验

through collaborative teamwork,

只能通过合作完成，

as each student is an expert in a different geographic location.

每个学生在不同的地理位置是名专家。

Given that these children's brains are still developing,

鉴于这些孩子们的大脑仍在发育，

we limited each experience to last a maximum of two minutes.

我们将每次体验的时长 限制在两分钟内。

And finally, because we know the importance of repeated exposure

最后，我们知道反复温习

for internalizing knowledge,

对于内化知识十分重要，

we constructed BioDive to take place over five class periods.

于是设计让 BioDive 延续超过五个课时。

We started piloting BioDive in 2017

我们于 2017 年开始在纽约和新泽西

in 20 schools in New York and New Jersey.

的 20 所学校试验 BioDive。

We wanted to see students as they were using this new technology.

我们想观察学生们使用这项新技术。

In 2019, now,

在 2019，也就是现在，

we are now piloting in 26 states.

我们已经在 26 个州进行试用。

What we have heard from teachers who have taught our program:

我们听教过这个项目的老师们说：

"It was a nice way to show ocean dynamics without the luxury of actually being there

“鉴于我们在俄亥俄州，这是一种 不需要花大价钱就能向学生展示

since we are in Ohio."

海洋动力学的方式。”

(Laughter)

（笑声)

"It's pretty mind-blowing."

“这十分令人兴奋。”

"The students were totally engaged."

“学生们完全参与了进来。”

But what really gives us hope is what we're hearing from students.

但是真正给了我们希望的 是我们从学生那儿听到的话。

"I liked how it felt like I was there."

“我喜欢那种身临其境的感觉。”

"It's interactive and a fun way to learn."

“这是一种互动性 且有趣的学习方式。”

"It really gave me realistic examples of how these organisms appear."

“这给了我一个实例， 让我知道这些生物长什么样子。”

"I could see myself as a scientist because it seems really fun."

“我感觉自己就像科学家， 因为这看起来很有趣。”

Our feedback wasn't always so positive.

不过我们得到的反馈不总是好的。

When we began developing,

我们刚开始研发时，

we started off by asking students

我们从问学生

what they liked,

他们喜欢什么，

what they didn't like

不喜欢什么，

and what they found confusing.

还有他们对什么感到疑惑开始。

Eventually we began asking what they wished they could do.

最后我们问他们： 他们希望自己能干什么。

Their feedback gave us concrete items to build in

他们的回答让我们知道 具体应该在项目中加入什么，

to be sure that we were including student voices in what we were designing.

以保证我们在设计的项目中 融合了学生们的愿望。

Overall, what we have learned is that this is the beginning of a new platform

总的来说，我们了解到 这是一个新平台的开始。

for giving students both voice and ownership

它给学生们发声的机会和所有权

in deciding how they want to have impact

在决定他们如何对自己未来的职业

in their careers.

造成影响。

We focused on science,

我们把精力集中在科学上，

because we know we need scientists

因为我们知道人类需要科学家

to help us solve our current and future challenges.

来解决现有的和未来的挑战。

But virtual reality could support students in any area.

不过，虚拟现实可以 在各个领域帮到学生。

How could we support students in exploring all of their desires

我们如何利用这些 令人大开眼界的经历和

with these eye-opening experiences and chances to learn from primary sources?

从主要资源中学习的机会 来帮助学生探索他们的愿望？

Could we create VR for inexpensive headsets

我们可以为廉价的耳机 添加 VR 功能，

that lets them be immersed in oral literature

让学生们沉浸在口头文学中，

or in critical moments of human history?

或者历史上的重要时刻吗？

Extended reality has the potential to change the trajectory

扩展现实有能力改变孩子们

of our children's lives

生活的方式，

and lead them to careers they never imagined

通过给他们机会 看到自己能成为什么样的人，

by giving them the chance to see what they can be.

带他们体验自己从未想象过的职业。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）