IMAXed Attention and Immersion in Learning and Entertainment
How many of you were ever taken to a mega screen IMAX or full dome theater at a museum as a kid or teen? Do you remember the feeling of awe at being surrounded by the beauty of the ocean or the story of dinosaurs? Time felt irrelevant and nonexistent. Fully immersed in the wonderful and incredible pictures around you... Now imagine bringing that experience to the kiddos in the back seats.
In a parent's review of an IMAX film about Greece, the author recounts the awe she felt and the experience of looking over to her son who was equally as enthralled.
" This was my first IMAX experience, so perhaps I was exceptionally thrilled by the cinematic technology, which lets you feel as if you are soaring over the sparkling waters surrounding Greece and the Greek Islands. But I glanced over at my 11-year-old son, who has seen IMAX films before, and he was equally enthralled." (Seattle’s Child, 2015)
The way that IMAX makes learning and engagement immersive is something that fascinates me. I would quite possible go to educational IMAX movies about any and every topic if possible. In that environment, all I care about is what is on the screen and the information im learning. The poster of the review mentions the moment of collective awe when a computer generated reconstruction of the Parthenon was experienced.
" The highlight of the movie comes in the travels to Athens. A computer generated Parthenon is reconstructed and brought back to its original splendor, as is the 40-foot ivory and gold statue of Athena that once stood inside. Statues along the Parthenon’s rooftops are recreated and colored in a way that we may never have imagined when we look at the plain white marble that still survives today. My son and I were amazed at the recreation, as was the rest of the audience, as evidenced by the collective “Wow!”" (Seattle’s Child, 2015)
Imagine if your back seat passenger could learn about the ancient history of Greece or Rome or dinosaurs or the ocean from the back seat in the same awe filled way they would at a museum. What if they had access to fully immersive learning of a range of topics including meditation and stress regulation?
References
CBS8. (n.d.). Fleet Science Center celebrates 48th anniversary of world’s first IMAX dome theater. CBS8. https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/fleet-science-center-celebrates-48th-anniversary-of-worlds-first-imax-dome-theater/509-9a40aaa7-8b2c-46fc-b2d4-39e6f9623944
Seattle’s Child. (2015). A parent’s review: Greece – Secrets of the Past [IMAX film review]. Seattle’s Child. https://www.seattleschild.com/a-parents-review-greece-secrets-of-the-past-imax-film/
