Recorded at Fort Riley Mission Command Center
For my multimedia interview, I chose to investigate avatar and immersion technology used for military training at Fort Riley, Kansas. The Mission Training Center supports a variety of technology tools units can use to enhance training for individuals and groups. In this video I am speaking with Trevor, a trainer and technology facilitator for the Dismounted Soldier Training Simulator (DSTS). This technology immerses the learner in a virtual world where nearly any environment or scenario can be replicated. Most leaders use the facility to prepare for future training in a field environment or to prepare for deployment to a hostile environment. The technology is efficient and exercises mental processes such as problem solving, planning, and strategic maneuvering.
Virtual environments using avatars or simulations are a way for students to experience a realistic environment. "Obvious applications ...are science or medical labs..with simulated equipment or biological entities." (Kearsley, 2000, p. 169) Kearsley predicts in 2000 that avatar technology will be used for airline and military training in the future. He was exactly right. The demonstration in the video is process each Soldier must learn in order to enter the virtual world. one drawback of the technology is a steep learning curve. Based on input from learners, the recommended 2 hour orientation from DSTS designer Intelligent Designs, is not enough to prepare a Soldier to experience effective training. The current program requires each Soldier spend 6-8 hours of orientation prior to participating a scenario based training event supporting a mission task or training environment. Anything less results in students overcoming technology issues rather that tactical challenges.
Kearsley, G. (2000). Online education: Learning and teaching in cyberspace. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson Learning.
OPTEMPO: means Operational Tempo, the speed and workload of an organization through a period of time. Low (Light) usually means there is a lot of time for extreaneous activities at work including reducing personnel for vacations, sports days, and conducting maintenance training. High (Heavy) means even one person on vacation affects the organizational output, mission success depends multi-eschelon events that generate maximum learning effects through combined individual and collective tasks in dynamic environments that include simulations and live resources.
Michael,
ReplyDeleteHow did you do the captioning? Did you have to type each part of the transcript separately? Thanks...Sonnie
Sonnie,
ReplyDeleteYes, I typed the captioning myself and I had to decide where the best transition points were so the speech and text flowed together, but the text would also summarize a point. For the most part I tried to keep text down to two lines. I used moviemaker for the video editing. This program has an easy -to-use captioning feature.
Nice video! I also like that you included captioning for a wider audience. Along those same lines, do you think the virtual avatar technology talked about would also work for those with handicaps or special needs? Would the costs ever be feasible for special education where budgets are often very tight?
ReplyDeleteJanel,
ReplyDeleteThe initial cost is high for this technology. However, avatar-based technology is highly adaptable to your teaching/learning needs. I am heading up a project now that is adapting avatar and immersion video-game based technology originally developed for translation, interrogation, and combat operations into a law enforcement training program that mimics urban landscapes and develops interviewing skills using artificial intelligence. I think it would be very adaptable to special education programs, especially if the training allowed the student to learn at the pace of curiosity and was immersive and interactive.
Dom
Dom,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the video but I encountered technical issues at about the 4 minute mark the picture froze I could still hear the audio, at the 7:15ish point I got some music that stayed on until the I lost it all. I will check back and see if it righted itself. This is a technology that I have read a great deal about and found your information very informative. Good job! Lynn
Dom,
ReplyDeleteI just re-watched your video. WOW how cool to get to see you gear up, I am going to share this with my husband who is geeky for that stuff. Great job.
Lynn
Dom,
ReplyDeleteSo cool! Loved the video. My family is a huge pro-military family and I had to show them this video because I thought it was so fascinating. Great topic. Did you use a new technology or software for editing the video? I have found that the transitions when working on this project were my most difficult task. I thought the guy you interviewed was really interesting and animate. He was fun to listen to and answered the questions capable of an "average" non-military person to understand. It was a really good idea to include the video of the soldier putting on the avatar wear, definitely put things into perspective. Nice work!
Hi Dom:
ReplyDeleteThis was a fantastic video. It was so informative. I did not know anything about avatar-based and immersive technology. It is all so interesting. As I listened to the instructor, Trevor Haddicks extol the virtue of behaviorist instruction (repetition of tasks; skill & drill) I was reminded that certain jobs and careers require this type of instructional strategy. However, I like that he emphasized that live physical training will never go away. Soldiers have to keep their bodies in top physical condition through live actual conditioning and exercise.
What I found most surprising was the condensed learning time associated with virtual reality training. Mr. Haddicks said, "It was possible to learn content material/synthetic battlefield strategy in five minutes in the virtual environment as opposed to one hour in the external real world. The timeline learning curve is condensed so it is less taxing on the brain." I thought that was such as amazing statement. If the cost factor for virtual-base and avatar-based training could be reduced, I think this would be great for the public school system. I could really see the you kids getting into this technology due to its highly interactive and immersive nature. The segment at the end where you were practicing with the technology was wonderful. Thank you for sharing!
~Aja