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Four Ways Augmented and Virtual Reality Can Transform Your Lesson Plan

Our personal and professional lives are becoming intertwined with the digital environment that is evolving around us. So, it makes sense that educators are working to bring technology into classrooms and schools that mirrors our everyday lives.

The latest technology focus is on virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications for the classroom, immersive technology that can engages students more with the educational content. Here are some ways that AR and VR can transform the learning that goes on in your classroom with your students.

A class without borders
Imagine being able to walk in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong on the moon, or walk through the battlefield trenches of World War I with other soldiers. Students can expand their physical world with immersive technology that can, for example, transport them to a different time and place. Teachers can then create a much deeper and enhanced learning experience that can help the content rise off the page.

Textbooks brought to life
VR and AR can take what were once abstract textbook concepts and explain these ideas in new and exciting ways. Immersive technology, for example, can take students inside the human body and show scientific processes at work. VR can also give students practice using virtual materials (for example, car parts to build an engine) that are expensive and/or dangerous that they might only be able to read about or watch in a video.

The impact of gamification
Gamification has had a big impact in educational technology. It helps all students, even those who are struggling, get excited about the content to be covered. Gamification is used in many VR apps and can be used to increase engagement, provide feedback, encourage students to think differently about the content, and accelerate learning.

What about cost?
There are certain costs associated with immersive technology that is used in the classroom, whether it’s smartphones, tablets, and head-mounted displays that are the basic equipment teachers and students use, or gloves and other accessories that enhance the experience even further. Vendors are working on providing educators with low-cost options to introduce immersive technology in the classroom, and prices are likely to fall as the technology gets more sophisticated and people understand the value of VR and AR in schools.

Source: sSchoolNews