Virtual Explorer (Game/Simulation) [show prizes]
Title: Virtual Explorer
Author: The Doughboy Foundation
Abstract: The Virtual Explorer is a smartphone application designed to provide a remote visitor experience for those who cannot visit the National World War I Memorial in person. Users can take a virtual field trip to the Memorial from the comfort of their own home, school, or other remote location using VR technology to ‘place’ a scale model of the entire 1.8-acre Memorial around them. Once placed, the user can walk around and explore the site as if they were at the Memorial itself. The virtual site is filled with features including 3D stories and 51 videos integrated into the virtual space. The app offers access to the “How WWI Changed America” educational resources and to World War I Virtual Remembrances. “How WWI Changed America” allows users to view 51 short videos covering social aspects of World War I and how the War that Changed the World transformed every aspect of American life. The videos feature prominent World War I historians, archival footage, period photos and newspaper headlines to explore subjects such as Native Americans in WWI, Citizenship in WWI, or the Homefront. Virtual Remembrances allow users to explore hundreds of Stories of Service -- stories about World War I veterans, nurses, ambulance drivers, Red Cross volunteers, local heroes and even about the users’ own ancestors previously submitted to The Doughboy Foundation. These stories are turned into profiles with pictures, text, and speech that can be read or listened to by users
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://doughboy.org/apps
Primary URL Description: Webpage on The Doughboy Foundation's website explaining the app and directing users to the appropriate app stores for download.
Access Model: Available for free download from Google Play and the Apple App Store
Programming Language/Platform: Unreal Engine 4
Source Available?: No

Visitor Guide (Game/Simulation)
Title: Visitor Guide
Author: The Doughboy Foundation
Abstract: The Visitor Guide is a smartphone application for onsite visitors to the National World War I Memorial in Washington, DC. With the app's augmented reality technology, users can interact with and explore features around the park, and can access educational and commemorative materials. Educationally, the app allows visitors to learn more about the history of the war through 51 short (1 to 5 minutes) documentary vignettes about the American experience in the war presented by prominent WWI historians, as well as fully-rendered scale models of iconic WWI vehicles and a fully-rendered and populated 3D timeline of the war’s major milestones. In terms of commemoration, the Visitor Guide allows users to access individual stories of service members, drawing from a large archive of previously submitted “Stories of Service.” This feature gives visitors the opportunity for a unique and personalized experience. If they have previously submitted a story of their ancestor, the app can create a virtual plinth with said story on it -- visitors can read about their ancestor in the very park honoring their service. And, if they have not previously submitted a story, the app allows them to do so.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://doughboy.org/apps
Primary URL Description: Webpage on The Doughboy Foundation's website explaining the app and directing users to the appropriate app stores for download.
Access Model: Available for free download from Google Play and the Apple App Store
Programming Language/Platform: Unreal Engine 4
Source Available?: No

Virtual Explorer on VILHQ (Web Resource)
Title: Virtual Explorer on VILHQ
Author: The Doughboy Foundation
Abstract: In cooperation with Verizon, The Doughboy Foundation has published the Virtual Explorer app on Verizon Innovative Learning HQ, a free online education portal that empowers educators to help bring new ways of learning and next-gen tech into the learning experience. The Doughboy Foundation’s collection available through Verizon Innovative Learning HQ includes: ● A 20-page “The United States in WWI” history eBook; ● A series of video documentaries called “How WWI Changed America;” ● Augmented reality apps for smartphones and tablets; ● Additional primary sources; ● Teacher guides; and ● Student worksheets. Created for use in history or civic classes in grades 7–12, the Doughboy Foundation’s WWI teaching and learning resources are standards-driven and flexible. Teachers can use the materials to plan and deliver lessons about WWI for as little as a single day or as long as a full school week or more.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://www.verizon.com/learning/ar-vr-apps/The-WWI-Memorial-Virtual-Explorer/60
Primary URL Description: The webpage for The WWI Memorial "Virtual Explorer" and associated educational resources on the Verizon Innovative Learning HQ portal.

Permalink: https://apps.neh.gov/publicquery/products.aspx?gn=MN-277099-21