In this week’s readings, I had the opportunity to examine various situations at the international level where new technologies are being implemented in an education setting. Some of these stories provided valuable lessons for what could happen if decisions are made quickly, without taking sufficient time to critically analyze the situation or technology. In an effort to end things on a positive note, I was given the freedom to explore other stories from around the world where the application of educational technology was not only successful, but also provided useful insight on how to implement it effectively. After some careful thought, I decided to research the evolving role that virtual reality (VR) is playing in education. While this concept was already discussed in one of our readings, it’s something that I’ve been personally interested in for a few years, but have never taken the time to meaningfully explore. Initially I became interested in the concept of utilizing virtual reality in my classroom around three years ago when I first read about Google Cardboard when I was planning a Breakout EDU for my students. At the time, I was really excited about the prospect of bringing VR into my classroom and even took the time to build my own cardboard using the template provided by Google. Unfortunately, my interest quickly fizzled, as there weren’t enough effective educational apps at the time to make this a practical addition into my teaching. However, recently the notion of educational VR seems to be becoming more popular as stories about the implementation in schools are more prevalent on twitter and in the media than ever before. In fact, I recently attended the CUE Conference in Palm Springs and Educational VR was a hot topic with many presenters and companies. After doing some research, I came across a great article by Ashley McCann titled "10 Reasons to Use Virtual Reality in a Classroom". In this article, McCann uses an info graphic created by Sylvia Duckworth (who's other work you may recognize from an earlier unit in this class) to break down the most important reasons educators should incorporate VR into their pedagogy. While she explains all ten of the reasons in depth, I've selected the five the resonated with me the most to explore along with their practical classroom applications: Travel to and explore places all over the world without leaving the classroom:
While VR is still in the relatively early stages of classroom integration, a few different schools and divisions are on the forefront of the successful utilization of this tool. One example can be found In Nova Scotia, where earlier this year the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development decided to include 17 schools throughout the province in a VR pilot program for Grade 7 and 8 students. According to the article, "Nova Scotia looking to use more virtual reality in the classroom", the project is focusing first on integrating VR into Science classes as they have partnered with “Ocean School” (a free resource created by the National Film Board) in an effort to provide authentic learning experiences for students. When comparing this situation to that of the iPads in Los Angeles from our readings, it appears that Nova Scotia is avoiding many of the mistakes that were previously made. In Los Angeles, the school district decided to implement the new technology into all grades and schools at the exact same time, which left them with no time to collect data, or learn from possible issues that may arise - such as students hacking their iPads. In Nova Scotia however, they have decided to introduce VR into a select few schools for the time being, which will allow them to explore the process of implementing this technology into schools and problem solve any potential issues on a much smaller scale.
In the end, VR in it's current iteration is far more accessible and practical than it was a few years ago. The low cost of simplistic VR, such as the Google Cardboard, in combination with a plethora of free resources, make this type of technology easier than ever to introduce into classrooms. Couple this with the obvious benefits of providing students with in-class experiential learning, and it's not hard to see why school divisions like the Nova Scotia Education Department are willing to open their doors (and wallets) to this new technology.
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Matt BrescianiI'm a middle years teacher in Regina, Saskatchewan, working towards a Masters Degree in Education. Archives
April 2019
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