Featured picture of post "New feature: Introducing narrated VR images with sequential hotspots"

New feature: Introducing narrated VR images with sequential hotspots

Ulla-Maaria Koivula

360-degree images and videos can help learners develop understanding of real-world environments outside their physical learning space, but trying to successfully setup over twenty headsets for a shared VR experience is not easy. For a while, we have been thinking of an alternative solution, based on the following three assumptions

Screen Shot 2019-04-25 at 12.10.34 PM

  1. A learner benefits from an expert introduction: a teacher guiding a VR tour helps a student pay attention to relevant things.
  2. Shared VR does not have to be live VR. Asynchronous viewing improves accessibility and flexibility.
  3. Students should be able to revisit the experience and explore at their own pace.

 

Our solution: A narrated VR tour with sequential hotspots

The solution we came up with lets anyone record their introduction to a topic and save it in the background of a virtual tour. This also includes being able to define a sequence for informational hotspots that matches with the narration and guides viewers’ attention during a tour.

This new format came from the marriage of two existing ThingLink editor features: background audio and video editing. For lack of a better term, we will refer to it as a narrated VR tour with sequential hotspots. See an example here.

A narrated VR tour with sequential hotspots is an asynchronous shared VR experience that benefits educators and learners in three essential ways:

  1. It takes learning out of the physical space, but keeps the educator guiding the learner. Just like in any other environment, teachers help students to pay attention to the things that are relevant to their learning process. This can include introducing key concepts, giving general instructions for viewing, or inviting the classroom to think about certain questions as they explore the tour.
  2. Narrated VR tours increase accessibility and flexibility in learning. A recorded VR introduction can be explored at any time, on any device, and from any location. This leaves more time for group and individual discussions.
  3. Viewing VR tours in small groups or individually saves money: Not every student needs their own headset. Headsets can be kept clean and shared with multiple students. This makes immersive learning experiences possible for schools with smaller budgets.

 

5 steps for creating your own narrated VR tour  

1. Upload a 360 image to ThingLink or select one from ThingLink image library

2. Record your introduction using a voice memo app on mobile or desktop

3. Open ThingLink editor and add the voice memo file (mp3, m4a) as a background audio to your image

4. Click “Play” to listen to your audio in the background and start adding informational hotspots

5. Adjust duration for tags.

When done, click save and share via LMS or link.

Other posts

Featured picture of post "New feature: Introducing narrated VR images with sequential hotspots"

ThingLink at ISTE 2024

Our team is excited to be back at ISTE, and we look forward to reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones in Denver, Colorado! Here are some topics and ...

Featured picture of post "New feature: Introducing narrated VR images with sequential hotspots"

How to Make a Virtual Escape Room

Can you create an escape room virtually? The answer is yes – and much more easily than you may think! In recent years, physical escape rooms or breakout rooms...

Featured picture of post "New feature: Introducing narrated VR images with sequential hotspots"

Best Interactive Infographics

If you create or provide eLearning courses or workplace training, or you create any type of content marketing, you need to know how to use infographics. Infographics...

Featured picture of post "New feature: Introducing narrated VR images with sequential hotspots"

Five Stages of Design Thinking

In this blog post we look at the five stages of the design thinking process and suggest innovative solutions for making the process as effective as possible.  ...

Featured picture of post "New feature: Introducing narrated VR images with sequential hotspots"

Six Examples of Interactive Maps

Some inspiring examples of interactive maps created by ThingLink users. Thanks to mobile apps like Google maps, we are now all used to using maps every day that...

Avatars of product experts

Meet ThingLink Experts

If you’d like to learn more about what ThingLink can offer to your company, you can schedule an online meeting with one of our product experts below.

Start now
Create unique experiences with ThingLink! It's easier than you think! Start now