Week 10: Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality and K-12 Education
Virtual reality is often associated with video gaming and science fiction, but its applications have increased in specific areas of education over the past few years. For the most part their use has been limited to the medical and aeronautical fields, but they are beginning to edge their way into other areas. Research is currently being done to investigate the effectiveness of VR in the present school curriculum. This is being done to integrate the learning environment of the school with the everyday environment of our students. It would allow students to experiment with ideas without experiencing real world repercussions. Students would learn by doing (Dickey, 2005)

The current educational setting in most schools is based on a traditional format which is primarily lecture based. Students sit idly by as teachers initiate a new idea or concept with no possibility of allowing the student to engage in a more meaningful understanding. Virtual reality gives students the opportunity to explore new concepts which would allow them to develop a deeper meaning of how something is used or applied (Sykes, 1999). It would individualize a students learning environment by allowing them to branch out into their area of interest and become a part of what they are learning.

Schools would no longer have boundaries. Things like the solar system, dinosaurs, and earthquakes could be investigated and explored by students in new ways. The learning environment would be focused on discovery, and teachers would be the guides or facilitators of the students. Learning would be diverse and self-paced. It would be hands-on, and students with disabilities could have many of the same opportunities as those without disabilities. Lessons could extend themselves beyond the basic understanding of a concept for those students that are able to move ahead, and the only restriction would be the imagination of the student.

That being said, there are a number of main concerns surrounding the use of virtual reality in the education practice. One is the idea of immersion illness where students become addicted to the virtual world, and they alienate themselves from the real-world. This has not been a large problem as of yet because of our limited audio and visual developments, but it is a possibility as we see kids that are engrossed in the video gaming world. Another area of concern is the time factor; the creation of these environments takes time which is already limited, and until, the complexity of developing these technologies is reduced time limits will continue to be a roadblock.

Technical support and compatibility are also key factors in implementing these technologies in the classroom. A schools available computer lab can sometimes be used, but the cost of the additional hardware and software needed for the virtual environment is quite expensive. Also, the cost of training technical support personnel and staff in its use is a main concern. With the bang for buck ideology of school districts, it would be a difficult task to implement virtual reality into any school district.

It is easy to get caught up in how and where to implement virtual reality and other cutting edge technologies in the classroom. But, the reality is time and money will be the two main factors which restrict the implementation of anything new into our education system, and until, they are improved things will remain the same.




References:
Dickey, M. (2005, January 1). Brave New (Interactive) Worlds: A Review of the Design Affordances and Constraints of Two 3D Virtual Worlds as Interactive Learning Environments. Interactive Learning Environments, 13, 121-137. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ719398) Retrieved November 26, 2008, from ERIC database.

Sykes, W., & Reid, R. (1999, February). Virtual Reality In Schools: The Ultimate Educational Technology. THE Journal, 26(7), 61. Retrieved November 26, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database.