Start a conversation about Virtual Reality (VR) in polite society nowadays and chances are you'll either get a blank stare, a response along the lines of "Isn't that something to do with tactile gloves and head mounted gear?" or a sigh accompanied by a wistful look from somebody reflecting on a technology that held so much promise yet seems to have delivered so little.

Well, forget about what you know, or think you know, because VR is being used to try to improve education in Africa. Yes, you're reading correctly. Virtual Reality in African education!

Traditional education methods have been failing Africa's diverse communities. Text-based learning is inherently inefficient in communities where literacy levels were often very low to begin with. Enter VR! Because of its intensely visual (some say game like) nature, VR immerses the user in an environment where natural interactions with objects and tasks can be simulated to such a degree that learning takes on an organic rather than a formulaic character. This bridges language and literacy barriers because text becomes a secondary, supporting mechanism and not the main learning vehicle.

For example, I've come across VR simulations for themes as diverse as bee-keeping, how to build a pit latrine, how to apply proper water conservation in small-scale farming, how water pumps work, HIV/AIDS prevention, how a PC works, etc. What's more, these sims run on fairly standard PC's.

These simulations are now being enhanced into so-called Interactive 3d Learning Objects, or i3dlo's for short. The i3dlo is essentially a small VR simulation that addresses a specific learning objective. However, what makes the i3dlo unique is the fact that it can be "translated" into nearly any language using tools freely available on the web. i3dlo files can be unzipped allowing users to edit sound, picture and text files using tools like Audacity, Gimp, etc. This means that a single i3dlo can be "localised" into many languages extending its usability across Africa. i3dlo's can then be hosted on a website which, over time, can grow into a great resource for educators in Africa!

Erik Kruger is a free lance graphic artist with interests ranging from animation to Virtual Reality. To find out more about VR in African education and i3dlo's visit http://www. naledi3d.com

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