"To have another language is to possess a second soul” (Charlemagne) This soul is not only apparent in the person, but also in the environment and house which the person lives.
A bilingual house carries many identities and cultures. A group of students in SPAN 621: "Literary and Cultural History of the Spanish Language" has therefore decided to research bilingual Spanish houses in America, which embody both American and Spanish identity in different ways. From their research, the team consisting of Jordan Albrecht, Mercer Brady, Molly Horak, Keri Price & Alexandra Smith have build a bilingual house in virtual reality to create a realistic recreation into the life of a bilingual household in the United States.
The virtual reality system is designed to be an educational tool for middle school aged children. The objective is to allow North American students to get a first hand look at how their bilingual peers live. As more immigrants are moving to the United States it is important to harbor understanding between different cultural groups as their different customs, languages, and attitudes come into contact with each other. By providing this learning tool, USA school children can observe the differences present between their cultures and those of their neighbors. By observing the commonalities present between their cultures, there is a higher likelihood of respect and understanding to be facilitated about the differences in language, food choices, decorations, and media.
In this research experiment the life of a bilingual immigrant family is investigated and portrayed through a virtual reality experience. In order to detail the story of these first and second generation immigrants the innermost details of their portrayed through their bedrooms, kitchen, and living room. By observing the way this family lives one is able to observe both the cultural similarities and differences present in the bilingual household. Furthermore, the research shows the impact of American culture on bilingual children through their choices in media and activities. This virtual reality project will be used to educate USA school children on the lives of bilingual citizens living in the United States with the goal of facilitating communication, cooperation, and collaboration between different cultural groups that are likely to come in contact with each other frequently.
The project has been created using a Insta360 3D camera, taking 3D videos of each of the rooms in the sample bilingual house. The researchers have ensured that each of the strategically-placed items representing the bilingualism clearly appeared in the video frame. After the filming, Insta360 has been used to stitch the video shots into one complete three-dimensional model. The stitched videos were then imported into Adobe Premiere, to re-center the shots, adjust color and brightness and edit out the 3D camera tripod. The edited, stitched videos were then imported into Wonda. The team has then drawn paths between the various video rooms to model the layout of the house and added hotspots to bring interactive elements to life.
The Researchers describe the development process to be "time-consuming and not a productive use of time" due to technical difficulties and lack of experience. As ILC, our goal is to address this problem by building a toolkit in which we bring the knowledge and experience of immersive learning development right in the fingers of the students. Having accessible and understandable information about the theory and technology of immersive learning development students will build, learn, and enjoy immersive learning.
Are you interested in the toolkit and want a demo? Contact us at uncilcollective@gmail.com