My goal is to unite people to reinvent our school systems with VR. I need all the input and support of this community and more to help make this happen. I need your help figuring out what the next steps are.
I see no reason why we couldnt make k-12, higher education, and trade schools in VR. Ontop of that we could eventually host them free for download and useable offline. This would offer the highest level of education world wide.
In the right hands we could have free school, all levels, in our homes. In the wrong hands this will be about money (like school currently is) and we all lose.
The plan: Use virtual reality (with touch) to reinvent our school systems. Classes/courses will be 1 on 1, hands on, and top of the line. no need for huge tuition costs or supplies. The capabilities of VR and physics in games as im sure you know are more than adequate for this idea.
Pay for it: if it costs $2m to make a single course, at $50 a download it would take 40,000 downloads to be paid for. At that point we remove the cost. In the US, K-12 costs $12k a student or $620b for 2012-13. College is average $20k x 20m students = another $400b. I feel like the cost of this idea would be minimal compared to our current plans.
My goals:
*reinvent k-12, higher edu, trade schools.
*eventually host them free for download
*majority of the classes can be used offline
*worldwide availability
*open certification centers
*raise the level of educated people everywhere.
Things needed:
*curriculum: education experts on each subject
*programmers out the yingyang (open source project for everyone to contribute?)
*hosting?
*funding: 50$ a download(remove fee once paid for) or donation based?
*maybe a face for this movement?
I am trying to make this dream a reality. Im thinking we need a national collaboration on this. If the right people come together we can make another giant leap for mankind. We should hand down our knowledge to future generations instead of charging them.
I am not trying to make money on this, I simply had an idea that is bigger than I am. I come to you asking for any help or guidance you can offer.
I admire your optimism and vision. Reminds of someone I know… Myself.
Perhaps you could start simple VR Chatroom? Communication is key. Get the multiplayer communication working than expand on it with a Loading webpages on UMG Panels. Then further expand on it with Game Mechanics Interactivity and more. Ultimately, you’re going to have to lead the charge with a Prototype.
Yeah, maybe it is time I learn some kind of programming. Right now im useless for this besides my thinking and optomism. Any guidance on what I should learn to make a prototype?
I use to think I had to build everything from scratch, that is no longer to case today. I would recommend modding a fully functional game with mod support or building with templates and assets from the Marketplace.
Step 1.
If you absolutely want to go the start-from-scratch route, You can get a prototype up and running within UnrealEd with Blueprints, Starter Content Packs, and Free Epic Content & Community Content. I exclusively work in Blueprints. If you do NOT know how to build a simple level in UnrealEd, that is the very first step you should take… Launch UnrealEd and start exploring Epic’s Tutorial to get familiar with it.
Step 2.
Multiplayer would be the next area I recommend investigating. There is Local and Networked Multiplayer. I design my games to use both. Local Multiplayer development is closer to single player development and you can find a good starter tutorial here. Networked Multiplayer should be planned for upfront at the beginning of any project as it affects how you design actor, functions, variables. I found this Tutorial be a great primer on basics, with more advance networking tuts here and here.
Step 3.
UMGUI - Unreal Motion Graphics User Interfaces. You’re going to need GUIs eventually. With UMGUI you can practically create Applications in UE4. VR will need applications.
Step 4.
Once you can build a simple level and put two or more players into it locally/remotely. The first UMG Application should be a Chat App. The Advance Network Tutorial includes a dev’ing a Chat Interface. This will become your first VR Chatroom. Once Chat is working, than you expand on it with a Loading webpages on UMG Panels. Then further expand on it with Game Mechanics Interactivity and more.
I think it’s a worthy cause but I think the real issue is the majority of people aren’t really that interested in learning at all. There are tons of material on the internet on anything we could learn about but most people prefer to waste their time on facebook, social media and quarreling. Some of these instructional materials are even offered by top universities on youtube, for example:
Most people lean towards unproductive leisure activities and detest putting any effort into studying. That’s why usually the most viral videos are stupid or silly things. That is unlikely to change no matter how accessible education becomes; people will have to change their mindset first. Simply put, those who value knowledge will seek it and those who don’t will not; not even when you spoon-feed it to them.
Also in my opinion, real education isn’t about having a piece of paper that says you’re educated. I find that some of the most knowledgeable people are those who are genuinely passionate about a particular subject and have learned through experience.
Wow techlord, that is very well put. Now I know what to do with my free time. Ill work on my first class tool and post it here some day. I guess this means i have an excuse to buy a vr set!
I feel like k-12 homeschool would be a close exception to your lazy rule. I also feel like more people would do higher education if factors like cost, time, schedule, work, kids, were not a factor. With this vr school they wouldnt waste all of those things and they could go at their own pace. I hear you on the lazy though, i have my days too. Once this project is done ill shift focus to neuroscience and fix our lazy/depressed problem. There are three goals: learn more in our limited time, extend our time, unlock the other 90% of our brain. The thought came from games: upgrade the research center so research takes you 15 days instead of 30 days. Right now we skip upgrading how we learn to get the instant gratification of doing cancer research. Ill take the silver lining in your post: where there’s a will there’s a way.