Living in a connected world, virtual reality has changed the face of education and has opened up the avenue to global collaboration in the K-12 classroom that has never before been considered. Tools such as Veative, Nearpod, and YouTube 360 videos provide the immersive experiences for students, making it possible for them to collaborate globally with other peers in ways they have never imagined. This blog will continue with how VR tools create global collaborations, highlight a practical classroom application, and provide resources to get started.

The Power of Virtual Reality in Education
Virtual reality is revolutionary in education because it makes faraway lands, cultures, and ideas directly available inside classrooms. This technology offers a common virtual environment where students from different countries can study a subject together, thus enhancing cross-cultural understanding and cooperation. In so doing, their learning experience becomes rich, and they are also prepared for a globalization perspective.

Veative: Bridging Immersive Learning Distances
Veative targets education specifically, with a library of interactives in many subjects. It is highly collaborative and, hence, very good for global projects. For instance, US and Indian students might work together on a renewable energy project, using Veative to explore wind farms and solar panels in VR among other sources.

Nearpod: Real-Time Collaboration Across Continents

Nearpod takes it to the next level: teachers can create VR-enabled lessons that students can access in real time. Visualize a geography class where students from Japan and France explore the Amazon Rainforest together, discussing the most important ways of conservation in live sessions. The quizzes, polls, and collaboration boards within the platform ensure active participation and engagement.

Practical Application: A Global Heritage Project
Here would be a lesson idea using VR to enable global collaboration:

Lesson Title:

Exploring Global Heritage Through Virtual Reality

Objectives:

1. VR tools will enable students to visit cultural heritage sites.
2. Students will be working in cooperation with other students from another country in order to compare and contrast their cultural landmarks.
3. Students will prepare a presentation that deals with how cultural preservation enhances global understanding.

Tools Needed:

Veative or YouTube 360 videos for VR exploration.
Google Meet or Zoom for live collaboration.

• Google Slides for joint presentations.

Steps:

1. Students at each location select a heritage site such as the Taj Mahal or the Eiffel Tower.
2. Using VR to explore their selected site and bring back key information.
3. Students reach out to their global partners and share the findings with each other, discussing cultural significance.
4. From there, they can make a joint presentation that displays similarities and differences of heritage sites, followed by methods to promote cultural preservation.

Resources:

• Veative Educational VR
• Nearpod VR Training
• YouTube 360 Videos https://www.youtube.com/360
• AR/VR in Education Blog by Jamie Donnally

The Role of Teachers

Teachers are the linchpins that make these collaborations work. Through designing meaningful projects, guiding them, and encouraging curiosity, they make sure students learn about world cultures, develop empathy, and learn to work in teams.