DOES AR/VR BELONG IN THE CLASSROOM? _ CHOICE ACTIVITY _ REFLECTION#1

Reflection #1
CHOICE ACTIVITY

DOES AR/VR BELONG IN THE CLASSROOM?

I have really enjoyed learning about the several tech tools over these past couples of weeks. While recovering from leg surgery, I had to be on bed rest, so I had a lot of time to read about AR/VR and how it’s used in different countries not just the United States.

As an international student on campus, I was really interested in learning more about AR/VR in the classroom as my developing the country is still far away from using this new technology in classrooms and my goal is to figure out how we could import it at a cost-effective for school.

Technology has become a key component of today’s classroom and is here to stay. A recent study highlighted the prevalence of tech in the classroom, as 71% of primary schools and 76% of secondary schools have tablets in the classroom, according to BESA.

Tablets and laptops have unlocked opportunities for students to explore and continue learning in exciting new ways. Implementing tech in the classroom is not only having a profound impact on learning, but it’s also equipping students with much-needed digital skills to succeed and thrive beyond the classroom. (Mather, 2018).

I have put together a list of useful VR Apps that I have shared on my wakelet and that that can be used in schools and that can be used by just using a phone and making a google VR bundle. According to tech tools, these are the best AR/VR apps to be used in classrooms

Crews (2018) argues that educators are constantly challenged to find ways to keep kids’ attention in class when, outside of school, their world is full of all kinds of highly compelling and visually stimulating media. Many educators find that gamifying learning keeps students engaged. Also, there are many resources on teachthaught.com, virtual reality in classrooms is a growing field of technology where real life is modified and enhanced by computer-generated sights and sounds. The most common use of AR can be seen through mobile apps. Teachers and students can simply point their device’s camera at something that the app recognizes, and it will generated a 3D animation or video superimposed over whatever is on your camera’s screen. The effect makes the computer-generated item appear like it’s really there.

AR/VR  has been used in different classrooms across the United States. Yvonne Rodriguez, an elementary teacher in Texas, argues that augmented reality tools reduce the time and effort required to set up gaming activities while allowing teachers to break through the noise and engage students with the type of immersive content they find in their daily lives.

What I also liked about ARVR is that when creating virtual experiences, teachers can easily add multiple choice and open-ended questions, characters and speech bubbles, web pages and Snapchat-like filters and also embed YouTube videos. They can require students to take photos of objects to demonstrate their understanding of the material or allow them to access content with an inexpensive VR viewer like Google Cardboard. Platforms like Metaverse also have hundreds of ready-to-use, free learning experiences, with thousands of teachers collaborating on creating additional content. (Crews,2018).

References:

Beyerle, C. (n.d.). Augmented Reality for Education (42 tools). Retrieved from https://edshelf.com/shelf/cbeyerle-augmented-reality-for-education/

Crews, J. (2018, December 27). Five Ways Teachers Can Use-and Create-Augmented Reality Experiences - EdSurge News. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-01-22-five-ways-teachers-can-use-and-create-augmented-reality-experiences

Why does AR belong in the classroom? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://edtechnology.co.uk/Blog/why-does-ar-belong-in-the-classroom/