VIRTUAL REALITY IN EDUCATION

WHAT IS VIRTUAL REALITY?

• "Virtual reality (VR) refers to computer-generated environments that simulate the physical presence of people and/or objects and realistic sensory experiences" (Adams Becker, Freeman, Giesinger Hall, Cummins, & Yuhnke, 2016).

What is virtual reality continued...

Originally virtual reality was solely used for military training. However as technology advances, virtual reality is becoming more mainstream. It's use has broadened and can now be found in video games, and in the classroom.

HOW CAN VR BE USED IN THE CLASSROOM?

VR IN THE CLASSROOM

VR IN THE CLASSROOM

"The goal is to expose students to places they wouldn’t be able to see otherwise" (Hansman, 2016).

What do you need to use VR in the classroom?

-VR Headset like Oculus Rift or HTC Vive
-Smartphone...if using Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR
-Lesson platform such as Nearpod or ClassVR

"Sometimes it is easier to see and hear something than have it explained to you, and occasionally students just need to be taken out of a classroom environment and dropped into an immersive world; where they can watch dinosaurs walk around them, experience a performance at a West End theatre or in a concert hall, or live stream with other students around the world in VR social spaces. The list of apps being generated is dramatically and quickly growing, and with every new piece of software, another avenue for learners opens up" (Laurie, 2016).

REFERENCES

• Adams Becker, S., Freeman, A., Giesinger Hall, C., Cummins, M., and Yuhnke, B. (2016). NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2016 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium
• Hansman, H. (2016, February 3). How Can Schools Use Virtual Reality? Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-can-schools-use-virtual-realit...
• Lawrie, G. (2017, January 23). How our school is using Virtual Reality to prepare pupils for a future dominated by technology . Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2017/01/23/school-using-virtual-realit...