I want to start this blog post by saying that, I had no idea all of the thing that you can do with virtual reality, when it comes to learning and using it in the classroom. I think that the use of these tools, apps and lesson plans that I will provide in this blog are great tools for teachers to use inside of the classroom, to break up the daily routines of learning.
What is VR?
It is an artificial environment that is created with software and presented to the user in such a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real environment. But when we put this into context in the classroom, we can see that it does far more than that for children. It takes them to places that they would not have been to before all of this. Virtual reality is not just playing video games, and watching shows, it is giving students the ability to explore things they will never be able to in their lives.
VR in the Classroom
There are many different applications and lessons that you can use, but I am going to focus on the ones that google provides, because I feel as though those are the most relevant when it comes to what is used in the elementary classrooms.
VR Expeditions
There are not many things that you need in order to go on a VR expedition, and these are expeditions that google is providing to you in order to use there application and VR’s.
You are going to need:
Expeditions app
Mobile device or Chrome OS
Optional: Cardboard or Daydream viewer
In this google document that google provides to you, it gives you over 900 different places that your students and you can go virtually, and it seems as though the options are endless! I will attach the website here.
Why in the Classroom?
To have VR in the classroom opens up so many different avenues for you and your students, and in order to explore a world that has not been discovered before. Not only will this let students explore different places they have not explored yet, but it also brings a completely different type of journey into the classroom.
Helps Students to Focus
Many students have ADD or ADHD and the numbers keep increasing, this VR world can really help them to refocus on tasks, and get more out of their education by constantly moving around and staying active, which helps them focus.
Helps Social Skills
This can also help students who struggle with the basic social skills, and problem solving. This has been a primary concern for K-12 educators, because we are realizing the severity of it all. This can also help the autistic to learn how to talk and walk in society and how to cope.
Overall
Overall I think that the use of VR is something that all students can and will benefit from. They are already introduced to technology at home at a young age, and that is what they will learn how to do. So why not make it apart of their everyday school life. This gives students more and more out of their education, and changes the “norm” of education.
Works Cited
Zimmerman, E., Eli, Eli, Eli, & University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill School of Journalism. (2019, June 5). AR/VR in K–12: Schools Use Immersive Technology for Assistive Learning. Retrieved from https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2019/08/arvr-k-12-schools-use-immersive-technology-assistive-learning-perfcon