A Brief Investigation into the Potential for Virtual Reality: A Tool for 2nd Language Learning Distance Education in Japan
The emergence of new communications technologies in the 20th century opened up new avenues for sharing information and ideas. Traditional venues for information transfer such as the classroom can now incorporate technologies to expand the scope and sequence of communication beyond face-to-face contact hours. Distance education has leveraged new communications technologies to extend learning opportunities to new places and demographics. Distance education appears to be the future of instruction, but as of 2018 has only seen relatively minor adoption in the Japanese educational system. Some inherent weaknesses with technologies commonly used for online instruction may be the cause of this reception. However, technology continues to evolve and offer new, rich platforms for communication. Virtual reality (VR) allows users to enter and interact with virtual environments using their senses of sight, hearing, and touch. The affordances of VR may make up for the shortcomings of the current distance education model. This paper will explore the potential for VR as a tool in enhancing second language learning distance education, outlining some of its possible affordances and limitations.
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