As strange as it may seem to think about the future of this newly developed emerging trend in education, there are still some aspects that have yet to be explored. In my previous post, I discussed what Virtual Reality was currently being used in the classrooms and how it is easy to implement and cost effective. Now, it is time to delve into the possibilities of how Virtual Reality can change education for the better.
When I became a Science Teacher, I always wondered what the future would hold for the science classroom. My education through the science curriculum was mainly focused on the aspects of lab activities with science text based readings. To think of what science education can become is absolutely stunning. We are encouraged to follow the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) practices in our curriculum, but what does that actually mean? Delaware has just recently adopted the Next Generation Science Standards which has a focus on STEM practices; however, very little is done in kit training to implement these resources. I can't think of a better resource to implement for STEM than Virtual Reality. Students will be able to virtually practice engineering in designing of buildings and bridges.
The above picture is of a construction site in a Virtual Reality world. Students won't just read about what it takes to become an engineer, but they can actually BECOME an engineer. This is what the future will hold for Virtual Reality. Instead of reading about all the great things people are able to do, they will be able to become the individuals they strive to be. This is an amazing concept. Who would've thought 10 years ago that education could have these technologies implemented. Imagine what these Virtual Reality sites can do for the NASA program!
The science classroom is ever expanding and Virtual Reality will revolutionize the experience within the classroom. There are many challenges that the world will face in the future and it is up to future generations to face these challenges head on. Some challenges we are unaware of currently, and Virtual Reality in the science classroom can prepare students to tackle these challenges head on. I'm beyond excited for what VR can do for not only the science classroom, but the future of humanity.
The above video demonstrates the many different challenges we may face as humanity and how VR can help solve some of our problems.
Virtual reality has great potential in education. As you shared, it allows students to actually perform the things they are learning about. This is great for labs and experiments, but can also make a story or historical time period come to life for learners. It engages them in the lessons and leaves a lasting impression. For our visual and kinesthetic learners VR allows them to fully immerse themselves in the lesson and apply the knowledge and concepts. Teachers joining students in the virtual world and guiding them through lessons as the Ted Talk video explained is incredible! I am excited to see what the future of VR holds in the world of education.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many opportunities that students will have by using this technology. The fact that it can be applied to all core disciplines is amazing, so you could actually have a Virtual Reality lab in the school that all the teachers would be able to bring their classes to. Obviously, this would be expensive and would take time to implement, but if it is done right then I believe our students would benefit greatly.
ReplyDeleteYou made some great points about how much VR can be help to science and engineering. I especially liked what you said about STEM because you are right currently it is very difficult to incorporate what the state is asking into the curriculum and VR could very easily be the solution to this problem. My favorite thing about VR though is that it allows the student to fail and see the consequences of their actions but without anyone actually getting hurt. I think this will be a valuable tool to education moving forward! Thanks for the post!
ReplyDelete~Ron