People learn best through experience. If someone were to explain how to properly sew a shirt, you would most likely still not be able to do it on your own. VR has the potential to fix this dilemma, by bringing students directly into what they’re learning about. It brings the abstract to reality, allowing students to live through events that would otherwise be impossible, and therefore creating lasting memories. 

ENGAGE is one company aiming to make this program accessible to educators around the world. They have created a platform where students can explore the sinking of the Titanic, legendary battles, or even the Apollo moon landing. Such adventures are ones that ordinary people are not likely to ever have, yet students can feel as though they are truly experiencing them. 

VR technology can also be notably useful in the field of medicine. One university teamed up with ENGAGE to create a free game for aspiring surgeons, in which they must make the decisions about how to help a patient. Medical students can be involved in the high-stress situation without actually putting a person at risk, but with more emotion than reading a textbook’s scenario.

ENGAGE also has the astounding potential for teachers to be able to create their own lesson plans using provided templates. They are endeavoring to make this function as simple as making a PowerPoint, and the ability for educators to design digital lessons is a marvelous one. 

The possibilities of VR are endless. Students can attend classes given by educators around the world or visit other countries within seconds. And, it does not have to break the school’s budget, as it is easy to make cardboard VR sets or to purchase them for a reasonable price. They are compatible with many games on the App Store, and services such as ENGAGE are striving to be affordable as the service becomes more widespread. 

As a global educator, VR is unquestionably a tool to keep in your toolbox. It offers real, life-changing experiences, all within the confines of the classroom. By undergoing situations in a seemingly real environment, students are fully able to comprehend and retain the information. Engagement becomes inescapable, and students will be deceived into learning under the premise of a video game. VR is undoubtedly a technology of the future and one that I hope to employ in my own ways. 

This video showcases in-depth the various uses of ENGAGE:

And, here is an example of a lesson plan utilizing VR. One aspect of global collaboration includes understanding the issues in the world, one of which is natural disasters. Natural disasters can have a major impact on countries, and this lesson would increase students’ understanding of the implications of such disasters.