A virtual reality tool I developed is helping Indigenous people connect with Country |
“It makes me feel like I am right there on Country”.
This was the response of a student after they used a new virtual reality (VR) tool I codeveloped to help Indigenous people around Australia learn on Country.
Learning on Country is the way in which Indigenous people teach and learn about Indigenous knowledge systems and culture – and the new VR tool, known as 360 On-Country, makes it more accessible than ever.
It not only brings Country to the classroom, but it also has the potential to bring Country to one of our most vulnerable populations who need it the most – our Elders.
Indigenous knowledge is intricately linked to the natural environment.
It is a knowledge system taught by being present with the changing environment and observing the changing colours of the land, the moving position of stars, the changing availability of food and water. It’s based on interactions with the environment made over thousands of years and is embedded........