10 years ago, Virtual Reality (VR) & Augmented Reality (AR) were seen as the big trend for consumer applications (gaming and entertainment), but in response to COVID-19 related travel on-site work restrictions , enterprises are adopting VR twice as fast as consumers, (Forbes, 2020). AR is increasingly being used for training, meetings and customer service and VR for conferences and events. This video gives you an overview of these technologies and how they were developed:
For several years now, VR and Educational Virtual Reality Games (EVRGs) have been used as a teaching and learning support tool but it will be interesting to see the development of AR/VR applications as an widespread alternative to face-to-face teaching during periods of school closure. Volumetric video streaming and AR technology could make the distance learning environment more personal and engaging although the instructional effectiveness of Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) does not necessarily help students perform better in testing. There is however, a significant increase in student interest and confidence (Parong & Mayer, 2018). AR applications which operate off a smart phone are more likely to become widely used.
Access to technology is still a huge issue in education. Considering that the German government is only now racing to equip many public schools with basic ICT devices so that it can continue distance learning, I have my doubts as to whether schools will be able to afford VR headsets for every pupil. The era of virtual or augmented reality has the potential to increase the already damaging digital divide in education – but this is where dedicated spaces such as libraries and makerspaces can become hubs of collaboration and creativity and providers of a new level of digital literacy (Craig, 2020).
In makerspaces, Learning and Innovation Technology (LIT) is being used to support collaborative learning and informal STEM education. VR aligns well with constructivist theory (Oyelere et al. 2020) and the application of AR has the power to transform “tinkering” into a way of teaching students normally invisible concepts, such as electricity and sound, through visualization and interaction (Schneider & Radu, 2018).
The attendant risks of using VR and AR for teaching young children relate to the psychological effect or “presence”, the sensation of being located in a media event (Bowman & McMahan, 2007) and whether children can differentiate between a representation of reality and reality itself.
The use of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) needs to be carefully considered to determine the appropriateness of this technology in the teaching of young children (Bailey & Bailenson, 2017), who experience IVR differently to adults. A specific pedagogy for VR in the classroom is a necessity in order to benefit from the affordances of VR in the classroom.
References:
Bailey, J. O., & Bailenson, J. N. (2018). Immersive virtual reality and the developing child. In Fran C. Blumberg & Patricia J. Brooks (Eds.) Development in Digital Contexts (pp.181-200). Academic Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809481-5.00009-2
Bonner, E. & Lege, R. (2018). The state of virtual reality in education. The Language and Media Learning Research Center Annual Report. (Report No. 2017). 149-156. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328781017_The_State_of_Virtual_Reality_in_Education
Bowman, D. A., & McMahan, R. P. (2007). Virtual reality: How much immersion is enough? Computer, 40(7), 36–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/MC.2007.257.
Craig, E. (2018). How we can prevent a digital divide 2.0 as virtual reality expands. EdTech. https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2018/04/how-we-can-prevent-digital-divide-20-virtual-reality-expands
Oyelere, S.S., Bouali, N., Kaliisa, R. et al.(2020). Exploring the trends of educational virtual reality games: a systematic review of empirical studies. Smart Learning Environment 7(31). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-020-00142-7
Parong, J., & Mayer, R. E. (2018). Learning science in immersive virtual reality. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110(6), 785–797. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000241
Schneider, B. & Radu, I. [Data Bytes] (August 28, 2018). Using augmented reality to promote making with understanding. Educause Review. https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2018/8/using-augmented-reality-to-promote-making-with-understanding