In March of 2014, FaceBook purchased Oculus VR
for $2 billion. FaceBook founder Mark Zuckerberg sees the Oculus as a “new
communications platform.” The article suggests educational uses for the virtual
reality device. Some uses include virtual field trips, immersive learning games
and simulations, therapeutic experiences for special needs students, and
science experiments. The Oculus VR company has made technology breakthroughs to
lower the device cost from $10,000 to $350. The dual-screen goggles have less movement blur, better resolution, and lower latency (input delay). One special education
teacher has already tried the device with his special needs students and
reported success with meditation and relaxation through virtual-reality apps. One of
these, called Titans of Space, gives a tour of planets and stars. Another
company, YouVisit, is doing virtual campus tours to introduce high school
students to potential colleges.
Some observers are not convinced. Virtual
reality technology hit mainstream public awareness in the 1990s and the early
2000s, but did not sustain its momentum due to technology barriers. These
naysayers see the Oculus cashing in through commercial gaming.
Some proponents see the virtual-reality
offerings by Oculus (Oculus VR), Sony (Project Morpheus), and Google
(Cardboard) quickly finding a place in education because, as Jeffrey Jacobson
says, “there will be a few things they do better than everything else.”
I agree that we are headed to a future where VR
is a part of education, but I think implementation is several years away. The
technology will not be ubiquitous, even at $350 per unit, because of cost. It
has been suggested that schools would receive the Oculus hardware for free, but
having the computer to run that hardware remains a challenge.
In my district the infrastructure does not yet
exist to implement VR technology. Also, I have not seen an application for my
instructional area of math. If virtual field trips were to be created that allowed students to see the
inside and outside of construction and engineering and biology and history then I see more than just our school jumping on board.
I'm just not buying this technology as a tool for education. I have to say that part of me is just put off at the thought of putting them on myself, as I am pretty sure that they would make me nauseous...haha! And I may just be getting old but there is still something to be said for seeing things in person. You may argue that, you can't take a whole class to Paris (for example) but I say, get on YouTube and find a video, or find a pen pal and Skype/Hangout/FaceTime. Not much of a difference in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteI am thinking that this may end up being bigger than the two of you think.
ReplyDeleteBut, I have been wrong before.
We wanted to try something like this a couple years ago-we borrowed these special glasses (I can't remember the brand name) from Metamora that a student would wear and it was supposed to monitor his reading. It would show where his eyes were going-left to right etc. We could never get it to work with our equipment down here in Congerville, but it would have been interesting to see the results. I do agree with Amy. It does seem like there are other (way cheaper) venues/ways to go on a virtual field trip etc But I would like to try it out myself and see what is available and how it is different!
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