On 25th April we launched our initial FieldscapeVR app for Android and Google Cardboard. This is very much a teaser for the final Fieldscapes application, but is also potentially a useful tool for tutors and students in its own right as it lets you take a virtual walk (and fly) through and around the Carding Mill Valley in the Long Mynd in Shropshire, England. This valley is heavily used by school groups doing field studies.
We hope that the Virtual Reality tour will be used:
to help them get a better idea of the valley before they go, as a “virtual drone” whilst in the valley to get to places they haven’t time to visit, and to improve their sense of context, during a visitafter the visit to place their analysis in context, and to use as an exam revision aid.The current version has no learning content as such, but this will be in the final version. The application can be used without a VR Headset in a normal "single-screen" mode but we recommend buying an Amazon Cardboard to get the full benefit (and it makes it a lot easier to use out on the ground in bright sunlight!). If you do need a headset, ensure that you get one which has a button or trigger, as that is (currently) required to use the app in VR mode!
To download a copy of the app onto your Android smartphone just search for “fieldscapes" or "fieldscapesvr” on the Play Store.
We’d love to hear how you get on with the app!
Later versions of the application, and the final version, will overlay teacher-defined educational content onto the model, guiding students through a virtual geography or biology field trip, or better understanding the physical or social history of the valley. The desktop version features far better landscape graphics, which we have had to reduce in quality in order to get better performance on standard smartphones.
The application is very much intended as a "beta" of the final product, so we'd be delighted to hear your views.
The web page is at: http://daden.co.uk/conc/trainingscapes/fieldscapes/fieldscapesvr-google-cardboard
The Facebook group is at: https://www.facebook.com/Fieldscapes-907277346045945/
The Support and Discussion forum is at: http://daden.co.uk/phpbb/viewforum.php?f=8
The Support Wiki is at: https://dadenwiki.atlassian.net/wiki/display/FIEL/FieldscapesVR