The Use of Virtual Reality in the Classroom

As a future elementary school teacher, I plan on using Augmented and Virtual reality in my classroom to engage my students and create successful global collaborations. To start, the terms VR and AR get thrown around a lot, and are often confused with one another.

For starters, Virtual Reality completely takes over your vision, and gives you the sense that you are somewhere else. The headsets look like this image below, and there are many games that go along with it like Oculus Quest. The headset is completely wireless and allows you to feel like you are in the game. This headset below is the Oculus virtual reality software.

In contrast, Augmented Reality doesn’t take over your vision, it adds to it. “AR devices, such as the Microsoft HoloLens and various enterprise-level “smart glasses,” are transparent, letting you see everything in front of you as if you are wearing a weak pair of sunglasses”(Greenwald, 2021). These smart glasses and headsets have to be paired with a tablet or smart phone in order for it to work, unlike the VR headsets. So depending on the size of the screen you are using it on, you might only get to see a small image of what you are trying to display. Below is an image of the Microsoft HoloLens.

I think both uses can be extremely beneficial in the classroom and it all really depends on what you think will work best with your students!

One great VR tool I found is the Google Cardboard. It is an inexpensive way to engage the kids in experiencing a virtual outlet. These are foldable cardboard viewers that require you to insert a smartphone to be able to view something. Ranging from $9-$15, it is a great inexpensive tool that can be used to engage the students! Another idea is to try and create one of these together as a class! There are so many sites that give step by step directions on how we can build our own, and it would be a great way to get the class involved and collaborating!

The Smartphone goes right into the back, and the student is able to see into a virtual setting.
This great short video shows us exactly how it works, and even shows us some people’s reactions when using it for the first time!

There are so many great apps that can be used with this, ranging from the Cardboard Camera, which gives you the chance to relive your own photo memories. This app gives you the chance to relive the picture in your virtual reality, how cool! Another great app is the Youtube 360 videos, where you can experience a 360 degree view of any video content. This can be so useful in the class, we can see the video as if we are living in that moment!

The Google Cardboard website below has so many great AR/VR apps that you can check out. As a future teacher, I can’t wait to incorporate these great features into my curriculum and get my students collaborating globally and seeing the outside world as if we were there in real time!

https://arvr.google.com/cardboard/apps/

Check out this amazing 360 video of a lion cub named Gibson and his mother, you will feel like you are face to face with them!

References:

Greenwald, W. (2021, March 31). Augmented Reality (AR) vs. Virtual Reality (VR): What’s the Difference? PCMAG. https://www.pcmag.com/news/augmented-reality-ar-vs-virtual-reality-vr-whats-the-difference. 

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