[Date:2005-09-02] Source:Central Electrification Education Center Author: [Font:Large Medium Small]
One of the significant significance of the application of multimedia education
Since entering the nineties, the multimedia technology has been rapidly emerging, booming development, and its application has been all over the national economy and social life. All corners of life, is the way of human production, work and even life style to bring great changes. Especially because multimedia has the characteristics of graphic, text, sound and even active images, so it can provide the most ideal teaching environment, it is bound to have a profound impact on education, teaching process. This profound impact can be summarized in one sentence: multimedia technology will change the teaching mode, teaching content, teaching methods, teaching methods, and ultimately lead to fundamental changes in the entire educational thinking, teaching theory and even the education system. The reason why multimedia technology has such a great significance to the field of education, is because multimedia technology itself has many for education, teaching process is particularly valuable features and functions, these features and functions are other media (such as slides, projections, movies, audio, video, television, etc.) do not have or do not have completely. First of all, it should be noted that the multimedia technology mentioned here is computer-centered multimedia technology. In previous years, some books have been mentioned in the combination of multimedia teaching, the concept of multimedia is not the same, that is only a few media to a simple combination (such as slides, projection, audio, video to be combined). Today's multimedia technology is computer-centered, voice processing technology, image processing technology, audio-visual technology are integrated together, and voice signals, image signals through the analog-to-digital conversion into a unified digital signal, so that after the work, the computer can be very easy to store them, processing, control, editing, transformations, but also can be queried, retrieved. Obviously, this is completely different from the original combination of multiple forms of media together, because it is through the computer to handle several different media information technology integrated together. Integration method is through the analog-to-digital conversion, the whole into digital; and in order to facilitate the processing, easy to transmit, but also for data compression, transmitted to the designated location and then restore, there is a set of complex technology through the computer to achieve. So now the multimedia technology, in fact, is embodied in the multimedia computer, the following I will be from the multimedia computer four aspects of the characteristics and functions to explain the significance of its educational applications.
1, multimedia computer interactivity is conducive to stimulate students' interest in learning and cognitive subjective role
Human-computer interaction, immediate feedback is a significant feature of the computer, is not any other media. Multimedia computers to further the audio-visual function of the television set with the computer's interactive features together, resulting in a new graphic, colorful human-computer interaction, and can be immediately feedback. Such a way of interaction is of great significance to the teaching process, which can effectively stimulate students' interest in learning, make students have a strong desire to learn, and thus form a learning motivation. Interactivity is unique to computers and multimedia computers, it is because of this feature makes the multimedia computer is not only the means and methods of teaching, but also become an important factor in changing the traditional mode of teaching and even teaching ideas.
As we all know, in the traditional teaching process, everything is decided by the teacher. From the teaching content, teaching strategies, teaching methods, teaching steps, and even students to do the exercises are pre-arranged by the teacher, students can only passively participate in the process, that is, in the state of indoctrination. In the multimedia computer such an interactive learning environment students can follow their own learning foundation, learning interest to choose their own learning content, you can choose the exercises suitable for their own level, if the teaching software programmed better, even the teaching mode can be selected, for example, you can use the individualized teaching mode, you can use the mode of negotiation and discussion. So that the computer like a learning partner to discuss and communicate with you. That is to say, students in such an interactive learning environment has the possibility of active participation, rather than everything is organized by the teacher, students can only passively accept. According to the viewpoint of cognitive learning theory, human understanding is not directly given by external stimuli, but the interaction between external stimuli and the internal mental processes of human beings, we must play the initiative of students, enthusiasm, in order to obtain effective cognition, this active participation in the initiative of students, enthusiasm to create good conditions, that is, can truly reflect the cognitive subjective role of the students.
2, multimedia computers provide external stimulation of the diversity of knowledge acquisition and retention
Multimedia computers provide external stimulation is not a single stimulus, but a variety of sensory stimulation. This is very important for both knowledge acquisition and retention. Experimental psychologist Treicher made two famous psychological experiments, one is about the source of human access to information, that is, human access to information in the end through which the main way. He confirmed through a large number of experiments: 83% of the information acquired by human beings comes from vision and 11% from hearing, which add up to 94%. There are also 3.5% from the sense of smell, 1.5% from the sense of touch and 1% from the sense of taste. Multimedia technology can be seen, heard and manipulated by hand. So through a variety of sensory stimulation to obtain the amount of information, than a single teacher to listen to lectures much stronger, information and knowledge are closely related, access to a large amount of information can master a large amount of knowledge. He also conducted another experiment on the retention of knowledge, i.e., the durability of memory. The result is like this: people generally can remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, 50% of what they hear and see, and 70% of what they say during communication. That is to say, if both hear and see, and then through discussion, communication with their own language expression, the retention of knowledge will be greatly superior to the effect of traditional teaching. This shows that multimedia computers used in the teaching process is not only very conducive to the acquisition of knowledge, but also very conducive to the retention of knowledge.
3, Hypertext function can achieve the most effective organization and management of teaching information
Hypertext (Hypertext) is in accordance with the human brain's associative way of thinking non-linearly to organize and manage information of an advanced technology. If the information managed is not only text, but also contains graphics, images, sound and other media information, it becomes a hypermedia system, in other words, hypermedia is multimedia plus hypertext. In fact the vast majority of current multimedia systems use hypertext to organize and manage information. Therefore, in general, it is possible to make no distinction between a hypermedia system and a multimedia system, i.e., to regard hypertext as a unique feature of a multimedia system.
If a book is organized as a hypertext, it is completely different from a traditional document or a printed book, in which the body of the text (an article, a paragraph, or a sentence, a word) is organized into a web of text according to its interconnections. It doesn't matter if the book is the first page or the last page; the reader's will determines which text to start with and what to read next. The choice of the next text is not based on the order or the index, but on the semantic connections between the texts. Research in cognitive psychology shows that human thinking is characterized by association. People often move from one concept or topic to another related concept or topic due to association in the process of reading or thinking. Therefore, comparing the non-linear, reticular way of organizing and managing information according to hypertext and the linear, sequential way of organizing and managing information according to traditional text, the former is more in line with human thinking characteristics and reading habits.
The reason why hypertext has the above superiority is determined by its structural characteristics, the basic structure of hypertext by the node (node) and chain (link) composition. Nodes are used to store a variety of information, node content can be text, voice, graphics, images or a section of the event image; node size can be a window can also be a frame or a number of frames contained in the data, the chain is used to indicate that the nodes (i.e., a variety of information) between the association. There are many different types of nodes and chains, resulting in a variety of different multimedia systems.
Using the hypertext function of multimedia to realize the organization and management of teaching information, its superiority lies in:
(1) According to the requirements of the teaching objectives, the various teaching content containing different media information to form an organic whole. In the traditional printed textbooks, the contents about speech and activity images cannot be composed with the text contents to form an integrated textbook, but can only be published in the form of textbooks, audio tapes and video tapes, each of which is independent. Obviously, the content of such textbooks is bound to be monotonous and boring, and is not comparable to the rich and colorful electronic teaching materials organized in a hypertextual way with pictures, text, sound and images.
(2) According to the requirements of the teaching content, the various teaching materials containing different teaching requirements to form an organic whole. The teaching process of each teaching unit contains texts, exercises, problems, questions, tests, answers to tests and corresponding demonstrations or experiments, the teaching content related to the teaching requirements of different teaching materials organically organized together, undoubtedly for classroom teaching, extracurricular review or self-study are of great benefit. And according to the traditional text of the linear, sequential approach to the organization and management of teaching content is by no means possible to do this.
(3) According to the students' knowledge base and level of the preparatory knowledge of related subjects and broaden the horizons of the supplementary knowledge needed to form an organic whole. Teaching according to the material is one of the important goals of the optimization of the teaching process, but because of the great differences between individual students, to meet the traditional printed textbooks at the same time to meet the poor students, general students and outstanding students on the different needs of the content of the teaching can not be done, but in the multimedia e-textbooks, this is a breeze, as long as the use of hypertext function to set up and the preparatory knowledge of the relevant hotkeys and and the supplemental knowledge of the relevant hotkeys can be used. The hotkeys can be set up using the hypertext function for preparatory knowledge and for additional knowledge.
4, multimedia computers can be used as cognitive tools to realize the most ideal learning environment
From the mid-eighties to the early nineties, computers have been widely used as a tool in the field of education in two ways: first, as a data processing tool (such as a variety of databases and spreadsheets processing software applications); and secondly, as a word processing tool (such as WPS and WORD software). (such as WPS and WORD software). In recent years, a major development in the application of computers as tools in the field of education is as an effective cognitive tool in the teaching and learning process.
It is well known that in the past two decades, the behaviorist learning theory, which emphasizes stimulus-response and views the learner as a passive respondent to external stimuli, i.e., as an object of knowledge inculcation, has given way to the cognitive learning theory, which emphasizes the internal psychological process of the cognitive subject and views the learner as a subject of information processing. With the deepening of psychologists' research on the cognitive laws of the human learning process, an important branch of cognitive learning theory, date constructivist learning theory, has gradually become popular in the West. Due to the multimedia computer and network communication technology has a variety of characteristics particularly suitable for the realization of constructivist learning environment, in other words, multimedia computer and network communication technology can be used as a constructivist learning environment of the ideal cognitive tools that can effectively promote the cognitive development of students, so with the rapid development of multimedia computers and Internet network, constructivist learning theory is
With the rapid development of multimedia computers and Internet networks, the constructivist learning theory is showing more and more its powerful vitality and expanding its influence in the world.
We will start from the meaning of learning (i.e. what is learning) and the method of learning (i.e. how to learn). How to learn"), we will briefly explain the basic content of constructivist learning theory.
(1) Meaning of learning
Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge. According to constructivism, knowledge is not imparted by the teacher, but is acquired by the learner in a certain situation, i.e., in a socio-cultural context, with the help of other people (including the teacher and learning partners), utilizing the necessary learning materials, and through the construction of meaning. Because learning is in a certain situation that is the socio-cultural context, with the help of others that is realized through interpersonal collaborative activities and the process of meaning construction, so the constructivist learning theory that "situation", "collaboration", Therefore, the constructivist theory of learning considers "situation", "collaboration", "conversation" and "meaning construction" to be the four major elements or attributes of the learning environment.
"Scenario": The scenario in the learning environment must be conducive to the construction of meaning by students. This puts forward new requirements for instructional design, that is to say, in the constructivist learning environment, instructional design should not only consider the analysis of teaching objectives, the analysis of the characteristics of the learners and the selection and use of media, but also consider the creation of scenarios conducive to the construction of meaning by students, and the creation of scenarios is considered one of the most important elements of instructional design.
"Collaboration": collaboration occurs throughout the learning process. Collaboration plays an important role in the collection and analysis of learning materials, the formulation and verification of hypotheses, the evaluation of learning outcomes until the final construction of meaning.
"Conversation": conversation is an indispensable part of the collaborative process. Members of the learning group must discuss how to complete the learning task through the conversation plan; In addition, the collaborative learning process is also a conversational process, in which the results of each learner's thinking (wisdom) for the whole learning group **** enjoy, so conversation is one of the important means to achieve the construction of meaning.
"Meaning construction": this is the ultimate goal of the whole learning process. The meaning to be constructed refers to: the nature of things, laws and the intrinsic connection between things. In the learning process to help students construct meaning is to help students to the current learning content reflects the nature of things, the law and the things and other things to achieve a deeper understanding of the intrinsic connection between. This understanding in the brain in the form of long-term storage is about the current learning content of the cognitive structure, also known as "schema".
(2) Methods of Learning
Constructivism advocates learner-centered learning under the guidance of the teacher, that is to say, not only emphasizes the cognitive subjective role of the learner, but also does not ignore the leading role of the teacher. Teachers are the helpers and facilitators of meaning construction, not the providers and instillers of knowledge. Students are the main body of information processing, is the active constructor of meaning, rather than the passive recipient of knowledge and the object of indoctrination.
Students to become the active constructor of meaning, students are required to play a subjective role in the learning process from the following aspects:
①To use the method of exploration and discovery to construct the meaning of knowledge;
②In the process of constructing meaning, students are required to take the initiative to collect and analyze the relevant data and information on the study of the problem of the hypotheses to be put forward and try to verify them.
③ Students are required to connect the things reflected in the current learning content as much as possible with the things they already know, and to think carefully about this connection. "Connecting" and "thinking" are the keys to constructing meaning. If the process of connection and reflection can be combined with the process of negotiation in collaborative learning (i.e., the process of communication and discussion), then students will construct meaning more efficiently and with better quality. There are two kinds of negotiation: "self-negotiation" and "communicative negotiation" (also called "internal negotiation" and "social negotiation"). Self-negotiation refers to debating with oneself about what is right, while social negotiation refers to discussions and debates within the study group.
The teacher is required to play a leading role in the teaching and learning process in the following ways:
①Stimulate students' interest in learning, and help students to form the motivation to learn;
②Help students to construct the meaning of the knowledge they are currently learning through the creation of scenarios in line with the requirements of the content of the teaching and the prompting of clues to the connection between new and old knowledge.
3 In order to make the construction of meaning more effective, the teacher should, where possible, organize collaborative learning (discussion and exchange), and collaborative learning process to guide the development of the direction conducive to the construction of meaning. Guiding methods include: raising appropriate questions to cause students to think and discuss; in the discussion to try to lead the problem step by step in order to deepen students' understanding of the content; to inspire and induce students to find their own laws, to correct and supplement their own wrong or one-sided understanding, do not directly indoctrinate the students.
The following two practical examples illustrate how to use multimedia computers and network communication technology as a cognitive tool to achieve such a learning environment.
Lesson 1: Experiment at the Menny Ponds Central Primary School in Australia
The test class is a sixth grade class of 30 students, taught by Andrea, who is currently teaching about the Olympic Games. As usual, Andrea encouraged her students to formulate a number of topics around the content (such as the history of the Olympic Games and Australia's achievements in previous Olympic Games, among other issues), to determine the role of the media in the process of solving these problems, and asked the students to use multimedia forms of visual and visual representation of their selected problems. After some time in the library and on the Internet, two of the children, Mitchael and Shara, worked together to create a multimedia presentation on the history of the Olympic Games. Before the software was shown to the class, the teacher reminded everyone to observe and analyze the content and characteristics of the presentation. A discussion was held immediately after the playback. One student said that from the timeline of the Olympic Games, he noticed that the Olympic Games were held every four years. Another student suggested differently that this was not always the case, for example, the years 1904, 1906 and 1908 were held every two years. Still other students noted that the Olympics were not held in the years 1916, 1940 and 1944 on the timeline, at which point the teacher asked the question, "Why were the Olympics not held in those years?" , some students answered that it could be that something major happened in those years, others answered that there was a war, and some were more precise and pointed out that the suspension of the Games in 1916 was due to the First World War, and the suspension of the Games in 1940 and 1944 was due to the Second World War. After much discussion and negotiation, it was decided to make two additions to the multimedia software developed by Mitscher and Shara: (i) to explain the impact of World Wars I and II on the hosting of the Olympic Games; and (ii) to provide special explanations for several transitional (biennial) Olympic Games in the early years of Olympic history. At this point one child offered to place a picture of Hitler by scanning it to this point in the timeline in 1940 to show that he started World War II. The teacher asks the rest of the class, "Any disagreements?" Shara raises her hand and replies loudly, "I disagree with using a picture of Hitler; we should use a picture that truly reflects the great devastation that World War II brought to the people (e.g., mass bombings or mass murder of the Jews) in order to stir up hatred for Hitler." The teacher praised Shara's statement.
From the example of the lesson, we can see that the teacher's teaching design for this teaching unit is mainly to let students use multimedia computers to build a scenario about a certain topic of the Olympic Games (e.g., the history of the Olympic Games or Australia's achievements in the previous Olympics), in order to stimulate students' interest in learning and the spirit of active exploration, and then through discussion, to lead to a deeper understanding of the relevant teaching content gradually. In this case, students are always in the cognitive subject position of active exploration, active thinking, and active construction of meaning, but cannot be separated from the teacher's prior, careful teaching design and guidance in the collaborative learning process; the teacher says very little during the whole teaching process, but it is very helpful to the students' construction of meaning, which fully reflects the combination of the teacher's leading role and the students' main role. The whole teaching process around the constructivist situation, collaboration, conversation and meaning construction of these cognitive links naturally unfolded, and from beginning to end in the multimedia computer environment (while the Internet to achieve the information query), so the above example is a multimedia computer and the Internet as a cognitive tool to realize the constructivist learning environment is a very good example.
Example 2: A trial at Weegee-Burke Primary School in Australia
The trial class consisted of a mixture of Year 3 and Year 4 students, and was led by a teacher called Mary, who was teaching about animals in a nature class. Mary's instructional design for the unit focused on creating a scenario that facilitated the construction of the concept of "animal" by having the students design their own multimedia computer-based e-guide to a local zoo. Mary found the scenario very appealing to the students and therefore effective in stimulating their interest in learning. She divided the class into small groups, each of which was responsible for developing a multimedia presentation of one of the zoo's pavilions. Mary let the children choose for themselves: which pavilion they would like to develop, which animal they would like to select, whether they would like to collect relevant animal picture data, or whether they would like to write the corresponding text for the picture data, or whether they would like to use the multimedia tools to create the software directly, all of which were left to their own choices. Then they can form different learning groups on this basis.
In this way, each pavilion becomes an object of study for the students, and the children work hard to collect materials around their own tasks. For example, they went to the corresponding pavilions in the zoo to observe the habits and ecology of the animals in the field, and went to the library and the Internet to look up relevant information in order to obtain pictures of the animals and write descriptions. After the groups completed the assigned tasks, Mary organized the whole experimental class to share and discuss. This self-exploration around a certain scenario of learning, not only greatly promote the self-consciousness of student learning, fully embodies the role of the cognitive subject of the students, and collaborative learning on this basis, as long as the teacher guides the right way will be to deepen students' understanding of the concept, to help students to construct the meaning of the knowledge of an effective way. For example, in the class exchange process demonstrated to the "kangaroo" this animal, Mary to the class put forward a question: "What is a marsupial? Are there any other marsupials besides the kangaroo?" Some students cited "wombat" and "curly-tailed kangaroo". Mary then asked the students to discuss the similarities and differences between these three types of marsupials, thus practicing and developing children's ability to identify and compare things in a relevant context. This is another example of using multimedia computers and Internet networks as cognitive tools to realize a constructivist learning environment, which effectively helps students to complete the construction of meaning for what they are currently learning and promotes the development of their cognitive abilities.
Second, the development trend of multimedia education applications
Comprehensive in recent years, a variety of foreign educational technology magazines (such as ET, ETS, EMI, JRCE, AJDE .....) In recent years, the main papers published in many foreign educational technology magazines (such as ET, ETS, EMI, JRCE, AJDE), as well as the successive "ED_MEDIA" World Conference on Educational Multimediaand Hypermedia (World Conference on Educational Multimediaand Hypermedia, referred to as ED_MEDIA, or ED_MEDIA for short), have been synthesized. ED_MEDIA" World Conference (World Conference on Educational Multimediaand Hypermedia, that is, "Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia" World Conference, referred to as the ED_MEDIA World Conference, which is the largest international conference on multimedia educational applications held once a year on the international views expressed, it can be seen that the current multimedia applications in education have the following noteworthy development trend:
1.
The end of 1995, in the international information community, there is a most noteworthy event, is the United States SUN launched on the Internet, "WWW browser HotJava", which is SUN with the Java language development of a new dynamically executable browser. Its outstanding feature is that it has an animation function, which can provide users with hypertext format graphics, images, voice, animation and cartoons and other media information; and can turn static documents into dynamically executable code, which completely changed the Internet browser can only be used to query and retrieve information on the Internet, the situation for the Internet's educational applications to open up a new broad prospect! This is because HotJava's dynamic executable features are tantamount to empowering users with a remote interactive function. For example, a user can use HotJava to write a section of Java applications to achieve the simulation of chemical reactions page, and other 3W users as long as the use of HotJava browser can not only see the simulation page, but also with the interaction (for example, can change some of the parameters of the chemical reaction process in order to observe the different reaction processes and results). The use of HotJava's dynamic executable characteristics of the user in the retrieval of some important literature or teaching materials, not only can see the static page can also be clicked on an icon or hot key to see the graphic and sound and seemingly real experiments or algorithms to implement the process of intuitive demonstration. Obviously, such an interactive function and the use of the first generation of Internet browsers (such as Mosaic and Netscape) can only watch the static page of the effect is fundamentally different, it is for educational applications (especially long-distance educational applications) has a particularly important significance. It can be said that the emergence of HotJava is not only a major innovation in Internet browsers, but also for the combination of multimedia technology and network communication technology to find the most ideal combination point: from this Internet-based multimedia educational applications on the growing development (held in Boston, USA, in June this year in the ED_MEDIA World Congress, in the 121 General Assembly exchanges of the Multimedia educational application papers based on 3W server and HotJava to realize the combination of multimedia technology and network communication technology educational application papers **** there are seven). At present, not only the developed countries in the West in the vigorous development of Internet-based multimedia educational applications, is Taiwan, Hong Kong and other regions have invested considerable human and material resources in this area (at present, Taiwan's education and technology sector's main forces have been almost all invested in this field of research). This is the application of multimedia education is very worthy of our attention in a new trend, but also the current fastest growing trend, we must catch up to go.
2, multimedia technology and simulation technology
Multimedia computers and simulation technology can produce a strong combination of hallucination, so that the person in which the whole body and mind into the current virtual reality world, and its authenticity does not have the slightest doubt, usually referred to as "virtual reality" (Virtual Reality). This technology is usually called "Virtual Reality" (VirtualReality, abbreviated as VR). In other words, virtual reality is an interactive artificial world generated by combining multimedia technology and simulation technology, in which an immersive and completely realistic feeling can be created. To enter a virtual reality environment you usually need to wear a special headset (head_mounted display), which allows you to see and feel the entire artificial world generated by the computer. In order to interact with the virtual environment, it is also necessary to wear a pair of data gloves - which allow the wearer to not only perceive but also manipulate various objects in the virtual world.
Because of the expensive equipment, VR technology is still mainly used in a few difficult military and medical simulation training, as well as some research departments, but in the field of education and training VR technology has irreplaceable and very encouraging prospects for the application of the development of this trend should also attract our attention. For example, Dartmouth Medical School has developed an "interactive multimedia virtual reality system" that allows medical workers to experience and learn how to respond to a variety of field medical realities. Interns utilizing the system can experience a computer simulation of various casualty and patient hazards, and can select a procedure from the system to treat the current casualty and immediately see the consequences of that treatment. In order to provide the intern with a deeper experience, the system can also simulate a variety of surgical procedures, ranging from general incision to complex organ replacement. This virtual environment allows medical students to repeatedly practice a variety of practical operations in the ward without risking any medical errors, and to try to choose different technical treatment options to test their judgment is correct, and to carry out some kind of skills training.
Another example of the use of VR technology in education is the creation of a virtual physics laboratory. Physics, by its very nature, poses many "what if ......" questions that are best explored by directly observing the effects of physical forces on various objects. Researchers at the University of Houston and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Johnson Space Center have built a system called the "Virtual Physics Laboratory" that allows for the visual study of physical phenomena such as gravity and inertia. Students using the system can perform a variety of experiments, including the law of gravity, and can control and observe the phenomena that result from changing the magnitude and direction of gravity, as well as its effect on acceleration. In this way, students can gain first-hand perceptual material (direct experience) and thus achieve a deeper understanding of physical concepts and laws of physics.
VR technology has also achieved remarkable results in chemistry teaching. Scientists at the University of North Carolina have developed a VR system that allows users to manipulate the movement of molecules by hand. Users wearing a helmet and feedback control via a data glove can make molecules bind together in a certain way. It is easy to see that this VR system is not only important in teaching (for example, the molecular structure of proteins can be directly observed), but also has great value in scientific research, because the molecular structure of the molecules that are combined together in a new way is likely to be a new drug for treating a certain disease, or a special material that is needed for industrial purposes.
With the in-depth study of multimedia technology and simulation technology, the theoretical method of realizing "virtual reality" has also developed greatly. The original application of VR can not be separated from the expensive specialized hardware or auxiliary equipment (such as helmets, data gloves, high-resolution graphic workstations, etc.), in recent years this situation has begun to change. For example, at the ED-MEDIA World Congress held in June this year, a new system called "QTVR" (Quick Virtualization) appeared. This system has already been used in the design and planning of Learning Cities, and its excellent price/performance ratio is amazing! QTVR technology is very different from ordinary VR technology in the simulation principles used: instead of using hardware such as helmets and datagloves to generate illusions, it uses high-quality images captured using 360-degree panoramic photography technology to generate realistic virtual scenarios. This allows users to experience the same virtual reality as in VR technology by using only a mouse and a keyboard (without a helmet or data gloves) on an ordinary microcomputer (without the need for a high-end graphic workstation) under the operating system support of a Windows operating system or a Macintosh microcomputer.
Students studying urban design and planning can use the QTVR system to create a realistic virtual city, and when they change the view of the city scene (e.g., to the left or to the right, looking up or down, moving the camera head closer to or farther away from the target, etc.), the scene being observed is still correctly maintained and can create the real illusion of browsing and sightseeing around the city. At the same time, various physical entities in the city (e.g., buildings, roads, bridges, trees, vehicles, terrain, etc.) can be picked up and manipulated at will with the mouse (e.g., rotated to allow viewing from different angles, and accessed to various rooms inside the building).
What's even more incredible is that, thanks to advanced image compression algorithms, the QTVR system has the capacity to store high-quality, 360-degree panoramic photographs that characterize a virtual scene of the city
This is the first time that the QTVR system has been used in the world for a long time.