As AR, VR, and Mixed Realities evolve and become more accessible, how can they be used in education to enhance students’ experiences in school?
Introduction
As technology advances at the consumer level, so, too, does technology in the classroom.
Students are exposed to more and more technology including robots, drones, and virtual reality
immersive experiences outside the classroom. They can purchase an Oculus Rift at the local
Walmart for around $400 to have an ultimate virtual reality experience right inside the comfort
of their homes. If it weren't for the price, every student would have one. The idea of being
transported to different worlds and gaming in 3D is very appealing to young and old alike. In her book,
Virtual and Mixed Reality for All Classrooms, Donally (2018) asserts that students are eager to use
new technology “because it’s part of their culture.” (p. 9) Martinez and Stager (2013) state “the time is
coming when students will demand that schools live up to the standards of learning they have come to
expect via their home computers.” (p. 55). As immersive technologies become more widely used in
business, entertainment, and the arts, the demand for greater access for all will increase. This blog
post sets out to explore exactly what immersive technologies are, how we might find them in our
everyday lives, and the applicability to educational settings.
Students are exposed to more and more technology including robots, drones, and virtual reality
immersive experiences outside the classroom. They can purchase an Oculus Rift at the local
 |
| Screenshot of Oculus Rift retrieved from https://www.oculus.com/rift/#oui-csl-rift-games=robo-recall |
Walmart for around $400 to have an ultimate virtual reality experience right inside the comfort
of their homes. If it weren't for the price, every student would have one. The idea of being
transported to different worlds and gaming in 3D is very appealing to young and old alike. In her book,
new technology “because it’s part of their culture.” (p. 9) Martinez and Stager (2013) state “the time is
coming when students will demand that schools live up to the standards of learning they have come to
expect via their home computers.” (p. 55). As immersive technologies become more widely used in
business, entertainment, and the arts, the demand for greater access for all will increase. This blog
post sets out to explore exactly what immersive technologies are, how we might find them in our
everyday lives, and the applicability to educational settings.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality (AR) is a way of combining the real world as viewed through a digital lens with animation or something else added to improve it or “augment” the experience. ARexperiences may be free or cost very little. They can be accessible through a Smartphone
or tablet. Examples of everyday use of this technology include Pokemon Go, Jurassic World
Alive and Snapchat. School age students and Generation Xers alike have made AR apps
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| Screenshot of Jurassic World Alive retrieved from https://vimeo.com/272680901 |
popular. Tran (2018) studied parental perceptions of the game Pokemon Go and how learning can occur around the game. She found that parents used the game as a way to get active
outside and connect with their children. Parents of younger children tended to research ways to improve game playing while parents of older children and teenagers tended to exchange
information obtained seperately. While the study had a small pool of research subjects,
she observed that both parents and their children engaged in informal learning that was game
based and interest driven. The implications of this study reverberated into the field of education.
As AR evolves and more applications are created, using this technology can be a powerful tool
to engage student interest and encourage informal learning.
Virtual Reality
VR or virtual reality is "a way to immerse users in an entirely digital world" (Gardino, 2017). Typically, the user would wear a headset and might use paddles or, in some cases, sit in a chair that simulates conditions within the virtual world. This type of technology has been around for many years. Price points for consumer level VR vary from hundreds of dollars for the Oculus Rift above to $20 for Google cardboard goggles or Discovery VR goggles.
The lower-priced goggles require a lens through which to view digital images; usually, a
smartphone with a WiFi connection will work. Viewing platforms such as YouTube have
360 degree videos of things such as riding a roller coaster or going to the edge of space.
The ability to look in every direction enhances the experience, but isn’t truly virtual
without the feeling of being completely immersed into the environment (Gardonio, smartphone with a WiFi connection will work. Viewing platforms such as YouTube have
360 degree videos of things such as riding a roller coaster or going to the edge of space.
The ability to look in every direction enhances the experience, but isn’t truly virtual
2017).
In order for technology to be truly VR, it should include the ability to engage
all 5 senses and the user should be able to move freely. Gardino (2017) describes
the 360 degree environment as a combined X, Y, and Z axis. In this environment, the user
should be able to move forward, backwards, side to side, and be able to look in the same
directions as well as up and down. For someone to be able to access sounds, headsets
with audio are available. The world of VR is in its infancy; as the field grows so will the
number and variety of apps and devices to access the technology.
Mixed Reality
Mixed Reality or MR is a combination of AR and MR. The digital element is included in
the media so that it seems to be interacting in some way with the environment it's
dropped into (Gardino, 2017). The US military is using this technology to enhance training
and collaborate with service members far away.
the media so that it seems to be interacting in some way with the environment it's
dropped into (Gardino, 2017). The US military is using this technology to enhance training
and collaborate with service members far away.
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| Screenshot of a soldier interacting with an avatar retrieved from http://www.doncio.navy.mil/CHIPS/ArticleDetails.aspx?ID=9312 |
Other examples of this kind of technology can be photos of something that are superimposed
in another photo and interacting in that environment in some way. An example would be the
goat in the photo below.
in another photo and interacting in that environment in some way. An example would be the
goat in the photo below.
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| Screenshot retrieved from https://www.iotforall.com/difference-between-vr-ar-mr-360/ |
Immersive Experiences in Practice
The field of immersive technologies is growing and changing rapidly. Consumer demandand applications in the fields of business, medicine, and education drive innovation.
Realtors are able to show potential buyers homes in a 360 degree tour format. New home
buyers can save time and the expense of traveling by viewing whole rooms instead of just
the most perfectly staged shot of a room. Doctors are starting to be able to train and mentor
distant colleagues improving the health and quality of life for people all over the world,
especially in vulnerable places such as war zones.
The benefits of using immersive technology in the classroom go beyond just piquing student
interest. Immersive technologies can help provide authentic learning experiences when
budgets shrink or distances prohibit field trips. Students studying art history can take a
virtual tour of the Louvre in Paris to see famous pieces of art, or they can stand on the top of
Mt. Everest in a Google Expedition. Language barriers become less of an issue for English
Language Learners when “the experience speaks for itself” (Donally, 2018, p.11).
Background knowledge and vocabulary acquisition can still occur no matter how well
students speak the language. Additionally, some companies are creating AR experiences
that help support communication. ARtutor is an app that allows users to add videos and 3D
images to PDF versions of books creating the first ever virtual pop up books (Lytridis &
Tsinakos, 2018). Students can also collaborate with experts or tutors outside of the
classroom using Vuforia Chalk. Using this app and website, a photograph can be taken of
something that a user wants to discuss. The user can share the photo and circle areas in
the picture that they want to examine. Someone else at a distance can interact with the
photo so that a remote expert can give an opinion in real time.
Google is becoming a leader in bringing VR to classrooms all over the world. In
2016, Google committed training and devices to one million students in the UK (Heathman, 2016).
Smartphones can be put into Google cardboard goggles allowing the user to experience a 360
degree view of places previously only accessible through video or print media. Technology
companies are pushing themselves forward into greater innovation that allows for a better
experience for the consumer. As VR headsets become more comfortable, cheaper, and easier
to use, they become more tempting to add to a classroom. However, even with product support
and price structure supporting use in public education, teachers have to be confident using the
technology in their classrooms. They have to see a practical application that is tied to their district
learning standards and outcomes. Companies such as Nearpod are making this happen by
providing a platform with existing lessons and the ability to create your own lessons tailored to
your needs.
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Screenshot retrieved from http://www.schrockguide.net/samr.html |
It is possible, at the consumer level, to create virtual worlds such as the one created for the
Maine International Film Festival 2018 using Google’s Tilt Brush and a device such as Oculus
Rift. However, the cost of the device is currently prohibitive for it to be widely used in a public
school setting without grants or outside funding. Not only that, but if students were to take
their own photos, it would require the use of a 360 degree or panoramic camera. While high
school and middle school level students may have Smartphones with panoramic cameras in
them, almost all elementary school aged students do not. Imagine if elementary school age
students could create their own worlds based on their own narrative writing; or, if they could
use Google’s Tour Creator to showcase places, things, events, or people that they have
studied? What if that handwritten report about a famous Revolutionary War battle could
actually be re-imagined as a Mixed Reality Tour of Bunker Hill?
While it can be argued that education is serious business, Donally (2018, p.13) says,
"students will always expect fun instead of practical learning. In most cases, if we had
a problem with students having too much fun in school, wouldn't we also not face the
challenge of student dropout, behavioral problems at school, and lack of attention? Our
issue with fun in the classroom is a result of our own issue to adapt to our students'
needs for their greatest opportunity for success." A child's primary job (no matter
how old the child is) is to learn through play. If the learning experiences they have in school
mimic play while preparing them for 21st century jobs, we, as educators, can be confident we
are providing them with a 21st century education.
Conclusion
Immersive technologies are becoming more and more commonplace in our consumer
culture. As a result, students will expect that these experiences become embedded into
their educational experience. This is especially true as prices drop and devices become
more accessible. If students are able to expand their knowledge about people and places
beyond their daily experiences, they will start to see people different from them in a more
favorable light. Students will start to feel connected to the world at large and develop a
greater sense of empathy towards others. In his TedTalk “How Virtual Reality Created the
Ultimate Empathy Machine”, Chris Milk says that when he created a 360 degree video of
a young Syrian refugee fleeing civil war in her country and showed it to members of a
multinational decision making body, he was surprised by the result. He realized that a
digital technology opened up a new world for people who live a different experience. He
said that the video caused the people in powerful decision making positions to feel deeply
about the young girl’s plight. It was then that he realized that machines can make us more
human. When digital technology can stimulate our senses, connect us to others, and allow us
to share our creations with others, we feel something; not just about ourselves, but about
others. That is the ultimate human experience.
culture. As a result, students will expect that these experiences become embedded into
their educational experience. This is especially true as prices drop and devices become
more accessible. If students are able to expand their knowledge about people and places
beyond their daily experiences, they will start to see people different from them in a more
favorable light. Students will start to feel connected to the world at large and develop a
greater sense of empathy towards others. In his TedTalk “How Virtual Reality Created the
Ultimate Empathy Machine”, Chris Milk says that when he created a 360 degree video of
a young Syrian refugee fleeing civil war in her country and showed it to members of a
multinational decision making body, he was surprised by the result. He realized that a
digital technology opened up a new world for people who live a different experience. He
said that the video caused the people in powerful decision making positions to feel deeply
about the young girl’s plight. It was then that he realized that machines can make us more
human. When digital technology can stimulate our senses, connect us to others, and allow us
to share our creations with others, we feel something; not just about ourselves, but about
others. That is the ultimate human experience.
References
Donally, J. (2018). Learning Transported: Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality for All
Classrooms. Washington, D.C.: ISTE.
Heathman, A. (2016). Google is bringing VR to one million UK school children. Retrieved from
Lytridis, C. & Tsinakos, A. (2018). Evaluation of the ARTutor augmented reality educational
platform in tertiary education. Smart Learning Environments 5(6), 1-15.
https://slejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40561-018-0058-x
Martinez, S.L., & Stager, G. (2013). Invent to learn: Making, tinkering, and engineering in the
classroom. Torrance, CA: Constructing Modern Knowledge Press.
Milk, C. [TEDTALK]. (2015, March). How virtual reality can create the ultimate empathy
machine. [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_milk_how_virtual_reality_can_create_the_ultimate
_empathy_machine?language=en
Tran, K. (2018). Families, resources, and learning around Pokemon Go. Sage 15(3), 113-127. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2042753018761166?journalCode=ldma
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