VR in Education
WHY: Educational theory in recent times has tended to skew towards constructivism. Constructivism, as a theory, refers to knowledge that is built upon experiences and the reflection of those experiences. If that is the case, we should want our students "experiencing" in our classroom rather than gathering. Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality, is the gateway to experiencing in a new way! The traditional way of learning did offer "experience" in other ways, no doubt, but our students are changing because of the massive shift in information and entertainment in the greater society.
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WHAT: Virtual Reality in Education offers educators the opportunity to help students experience, mostly through vision at this point, in the classroom that were unattainable before. For example, Geography students can view land features from anywhere in the world through a first person view rather than second person view. VR in the classroom does not have to mean "gaming," although it can. Gaming does have a role in education, and it is changing dramatically, but VR can be quick and easy too.
CONSIDER: There are many options for hardware and software when considering virtual reality. Just like the tech boom a decade or two ago, it has become obvious that the smarter companies are investing in software and applications first, and then hardware. Google led the way with this through their Google Cardboard Program.
options
There are more hardware options for virtual reality every week. However, there are a few leaders that have established themselves as the best so far.
Where education is concerned, high-end hardware specs are not feasible at this point. In reality, some of the cheaper options are the best, although within a 3 year period this will change as education begins to embrace the concept of VR.
Google Cardboard was the first mainstream VR experience for the common person. Google went software first on this, making any smartphone a screen for VR through the CardBoard program. Cardboard continues to grow at an amazing rate. One of the easiest immersion experiences with Cardboard is through Google Maps and StreetView.
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Mattel ViewMaster
Mattel partnered with Google Cardboard and reimagined their popular ViewMaster. Now you can utilize Cardboard apps with the ViewMaster. Mattel tried to create their own augmented reality apps along with their The big plus that Mattel brought though is hardware.
Samsung blew the field up with their Gear VR. They took the Oculus Software and put it on their phone, the same that Google did with Cardboard. This was a game-changer! The biggest difference between Cardboard and Gear VR was the 3D factor and the frame rate. Gear VR was the first easily accesible, real-life system for the common person. The only problem, they have dabbled mostly in games because of the profit issue. Still, the future is bright here, because they showed that true virtual reality can begin coming.
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HTC Vive - HTC, one of the best hardware makers ever, teamed with Oculus to create the Vive. This was to the Gear VR what the Gear VR was to the Cardboard. Vive is much heavier than the other VR systems. Steam VR has teamed with HTC in this regard, and this could be another game changer.
360 Camera
At the same time that Oculus and Gear VR were starting to think about going mainstream, Google undercut everyone again by releasing the 360 Channel to YouTube (link). The 360 Channel allows anyone with the technology to create a 360 video to be uploaded to YouTube, the most easily accessible video site on Earth! Above is a picture of one of the first editions of cameras used to create 360 videos.
360 Cameras have now hit mainstream! These are very affordable options to take 360 photos and videos, and Facebook and Youtube support 360 photo and video. Imagine how these will change photography. Imagine how these will change the learning process.
What about the middle ground?
The biggest hardware producer, or maybe just the best (arguably) has remained silent on the VR issue. Apple's iPad has become a staple in many educational settings, yet they are not taking up the cause yet, right? Well, there are some applications that do make use of augmented reality with the iPad. Look through some of the Apps at the following site and think about how this will incorporate into the classroom.
iPad LINK to VR apps |