Imagine being able to experience any place in this world without actually going there. No extremely high plane costs, or expensive hotel rooms. Just you and your own personal world. With Virtual reality, we can experience places we’ve never gone to before. Virtual reality is defined as “the computer-generated interactive simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment.” It is unbelievable to think that this new technology can have us clearly see the Great Barrier Reef or the Taj Mahal without actually hopping on a plane and going.
Recently in my ECI 201 class, we took a field trip to the VR studio on campus to learn more about virtual reality devices and how we can incorporate them into a classroom setting. In the studio, we were allowed to experiment with various VR equipment to further our learning. The first thing we were able to try were the VR headsets and google cardboard. With these headsets you could virtually transport yourself to national parks, museums, aquariums, and more from the comfort of our own seats. With the VR headsets, you were fully able to take In your surroundings as if you were actually there. The next class in the VR studio, we went further into virtual reality and got to use the head sets and corresponding joy sticks to dive into games and other virtual reality applications like Google Tilt Brush, Google Earth, Minecraft, and more. This was an out of body and mind experience where you physically became apart of the game, and engaged in the world around you. As the instructors were going over all the different applications for virtual reality, I found myself immersed with the idea of Google Tilt Brush. Google Tilt Brush allows you to unleash your creativity through painting 3D in space. As a child, I would dream of painting the walls and living in my own world of art. Ten years later as an eighteen year old, I got to live my childhood dream. (See attached photos below photos of my in class experiences)
After we tried out the equipment for ourselves, we discussed how we can use it in our future classrooms. At first, I was hesitant about using virtual reality and even more concerned at the idea of integrating this technology into the classroom, but once I got to experience it for myself I realized that if it can be properly integrated into a lesson plan, it can be extremely beneficial to keeping students engaged while learning.
How Can we Incorporate This in Education?
Introducing virtual reality into education could open so many new doors for educators of the future. Since Early education is all about learning through experience, virtual reality could be extremely beneficial. One way in which I learned to bring standard curriculum to life is to take students on virtual expeditions. For instance, when teaching my kids about the solar system during a science period, I could take them on a virtual expedition to see all of the planets and their characteristics. I could have my students write down what they observe about each planet and we could bring it into a class discussion. Another way I could use VR is when I am teaching the class about different ecosystems or biomes. I could gather students into small groups and assign them each a different ecosystem and have them explore what each one is like. This allows the students to experience these places first hand and get a better understanding of what these places are really like.
If you’re a fellow teacher interested in including these expeditions into your own curriculum or even just want to know more, Google Expedition linked right here is the best resource. Google Expedition provides a wide range of places students can explore.
Virtual Reality becoming the future:
Virtual Reality made its breakthrough in 2016, and day by day virtual reality is covering more ground. Last weekend I went home to New Jersey for my mom’s birthday. During my trip home, I took my brother to the mall to buy him an outfit for Thanksgiving. While browsing the stores, I came across a whole store filled with virtual reality equipment and VR games for kids. Turns out this place was where parents would pay to drop their kids off while shopping. Not to mention there were even stands throughout the mall where you could test out this equipment in virtual reality skiing, surfing, sports, and so on. Therefore, it is clear to see that virtual reality is increasing in today’s society, and it is up to us to decide if we are with it or against it.
To see how Virtual Reality can shape the future watch the attached video below:
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