3rd Entry: Where Classrooms Stand in the VR World.
Greetings to all on this fine morning. Thank you to all who responded to my 1st entry, I appreciate the feedback and the questions. This week I plan to dive a bit further into the idea of incorporating VR into the classroom by exploring some learning environments that are already utilizing this technology.
We all know that every state, district, school, and even classroom functions very differently. While my son, a high school sophomore, is currently on a full distance learning requirement, students from the neighboring district are in a blended format where they are in-class and online equally. My son was able to transition to online learning quite easily as his district issues laptops to all students, and he already had his. My brother, who works as a a principal in Las Vegas, faced much larger challenges as his students had no such luxury. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our learning environments across the board. From preschool to terminal degree university programs, everyone has had to adjust.
Computers, proper software, and internet connectivity can present challenges to students in online learning environments. While many may not have the ability to sit in a digital classroom on a laptop, they may be able to snap their smartphone into a VR headset and "sit" in class. Many classrooms were utilizing this tech prior to the pandemic, such as Melinda Lohan's in Medfield, Massachusetts. Her high school classroom has been using VR tech since early 2018. Feel free to click here for more info on Melinda's classroom: https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/01/11/making-virtual-reality-a-reality-in-todays-classrooms.aspx .
Steven King (not that one) is a professor at the University of North Carolina who has, since the pandemic, constructed an entirely virtual version of his classroom that allows his students to move about, sit in groups, and even interact with one another and objects in the classroom. Professor King's work can be further read about here: https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2020/04/virtual-reality-classroom-0407.
While we are far from the level of interactivity displayed in films like Ready Player One, we are much closer than we think. VR in classroom settings has previously been used in the classroom as an educational enhancement tool, but as of late, we are starting to see many educators exploring how to bring their students back together safely, through the use of fully virtual classrooms.
-Donny
Donny,
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that we had that level of tech, to just in a cell phone and enter a VR classroom. I am excited about that. My son is suffering through zoom and as I watched him today, every little thing distracted him from his teacher, the flowers on the table, my wife getting water from the fridge, his own nose... Maybe in the VR class room he will be able to focus more on the lesson and actually learn something. This distance Zoom class, in my opinion, is not conducive for his age. Maybe this VR class room would be a better filler until they get back to school.
Andy D.
Andy,
DeleteYep, those little ones can be tough to handle in an actual classroom, let alone through a stationary camera with all of their own personal distraction around them. VR may be a good fit to counter the struggles we are experiencing in our distanced world. If kids could virtually enter their classrooms where teachers can instruct them in a closer fashion to in-person, it may alleviate some of the problems. Now you just have to make sure your kids don't run into too many walls during "VR recess"! Thanks for the response Andy.
-Donny
Donny,
ReplyDeleteGreat find in regards to the article about Stephen King. I read it and thought wow that's amazing. It shows the possibilities of VR. However, with it being Stephen's passion, he puts in the work to make it possible. Is this something a school could afford if it was a requirement? And to tie it to what Andy is blogging about with SCORM, is there a set standard for the technology being used? I did a little research myself to see and found no standard. Since it is still relatively new most companies are just trying to figure out what works. If you know of a standard please share.
Donny,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I'm glad you placed not that one in parenthesis. I was about to say, I did not know that he went into education. That would actually be pretty interesting, specially since you are talking about virtual reality, I can only imagine.
The fact that certain areas are taking advantage of technology and using it to teach. I think that the only reason it has not expanded is because it cost money that most schools have not budgeted. We may think students can just use their smartphones, but not all student or families for that matter are in the same financial situation. Most school boards have to ensure that all students have the same ability and opportunity for education. These are just some of the challenges that schools may face moving forward into VR education.
I think this is a course that would be worth the deeper look and the investment. Time will only tell how we as a nation take advantage of the tools given to use. It is interesting to see how we compare to other countries in the use of VR for education.
Walt
Donny,
ReplyDeleteThat is a pretty awesome story of Professor King leveraging VR to facilitate a safe environment for his students. It is interesting that his students are saying that it is "more sociable than zoom." I would have loved to see and participate in something like this. It truly does sound interesting and I applaud Professor King for paving the way for others.