This article claims that virtual reality can be used as a learning tool in classrooms today. After reading the article "Virtual Reality Learns How to Get Into the Classroom" do you think virtual reality could be all the author claims it could be in a classroom setting? Would you consider using it in any of the ways mentioned in the article? Can you think of other ways it might be incorporated into K-12 education?
19 comments:
I think virtual reality is hyped up, but i do think it is everything the author claims it to be in a classroom setting. I agree that it can be a great advantage in academics. Students are already using tablets and laptops, i am positive that they would be eager to try a new technology. Especially in grades 7-12. Would i consider using it in my classroom? I would definitely try it. I like the idea of trying something new, and not just having the students read and learn from the textbook. Especially in history and social studies, students can use virtual reality to view specific moments in history, such as significant war scenes or historical sites. They won't be just learning history, but will become historians in the process. Virtual reality is said to make the students more engaged and motivated to learn, especially since most of todays teenagers have cellphones, and they never forget their cellphones. Or the students are playing video games at home, which is already a form of virtual reality. Some other ways virtual reality may be incorporated into classrooms is in science. Students can see volcanos erupting, lab experiments, outer space, the layers of the earth or rock . In english, students can view scenes from books if they are movies. In guidance offices, senior students can view campuses of schools that they are interested in to get them more motivated to go into higher education. However, it is not just the students that have to learn the new technology, the teachers and all faculty have to prepare and specialize in the technology as well. It is not replacing the teachers lesson plans, but adding visuals to it. I like that students can explore a new learning modality, and it is apt to students of different needs and learning styles.
Virtual Reality in the classroom is an interesting concept that has developed in most recent years. As far as technology already existing in the classroom, the ability to use the SmartBoard and use SmartNotebook has given students the ability to see what life is like outside of the classroom in a land foreign to them. It can be argued, that the ability to see historical geography, witness events first hand at the touch of their fingertips is beneficial. As education continues to move forward and make improvements in terms of strategies and the use of new tools around them, technology is a concept that must be met in the classroom. Some positives that can be argued about Virtual Reality, is that it can give students the ability to witness events and travel to places of study in their classrooms, enriching them academically. As we live in a technological world, the ability to use Virtual Reality in the classroom may be the tool that is able to hook the students into something new and, literally, seeing something in a new perspective. For the audio/visual learners, this undoubtedly can be a tool to grab their interest, while also grabbing the interest of students of all academic levels of ability. This can be a tool to motivate students and perhaps push them to the next level of higher education and enrichment.
On the other end of the spectrum, as a teacher, I can see Virtual Reality posing a small issue combating with classroom behavior. One can argue that Virtual Reality can become distracting to students and for students who are already hooked on the use of computers and video games, they could possibly become too reliant on this tool presented before them.
Despite this however, in my opinion, the positives outweigh the negatives. The ability to give students the chance to witness events the have learned about, take them to past lands and territories as well as geography that have learned about, whether Science, Social Studies, or using the land involved in a Math equation, is a chance not to pass up. Students can use these tools in the classroom as well as for self enrichment when they wish to see for themselves what history really is and have that unfold in front of them. This would most certainly be a tool that I would incorporate in my classroom, whenever the opportunity presents itself.
In response to Shana's comment, I definitely agree with the idea that this adds to the teaching repertoire instead of hindering it. This is not a tool meant to replace teachers and lesson plans, but instead add to it and have it be another tool in the arsenal of a teacher to help them prepare students, teach them content, sharpen their skills and help them reach a higher level of academic success.
According to the article virtual reality is ready to be implemented into the classroom. The idea behind this is instead of requiring schools to invest heavily in headsets and other hardware, Nearpod’s approach relies on students using their own devices or district-supplied electronics. Working in an inner city school, I know this is next to impossible at this time in many if not most schools. Many schools do not have computers or tablets for every student or classroom to use let alone have money to spend on virtual reality. Although I think that we are far off from using virtual reality in the NYC school system I think that eventually it would be a great resource. It could give students the ability to witness events and travel to places of study in their classrooms, enriching them academically. Allowing the students the ability to view the world and events in their classrooms is a great learning opportunity. Given time and more access to basic technology I believe that virtual reality will be a great resource. If given the opportunity I would definitely try to bring virtual reality technology into my classroom. Allow me students to visit places that we discuss and view the world changing up close and personal.
In response to Shanna's comment: I agree that given the correct materials and access for all students virtual reality would be a great addition to the classroom. What better way to learn about Earth's changing surface , than actually experiencing the different parts of the world for yourself rather than reading about it in a textbook.
I think virtual reality can absolutely contribute as much as the author of the article says it can. I would be thrilled to be able to provide my students with technology that can expand their knowledge and understanding of a topic. I believe that virtual reality can only increase a students' appreciation of a topic if they are able to see something with your own eyes, especially a place far away that a class would not be able to simply take a field trip to. This kind of technology can also greatly benefit the visual learner and keep them engaged in a lesson. It is one thing to simply talk about a place such as the Sahara Desert or the Great Wall of China, but another thing entirely to give students the opportunity to view the location as though they are actually there. I believe using virtual reality would fascinate students and their overall enthusiasm to participate in a lesson would grow. I think in the future, it could very well become the norm for a classroom to provide students with access to virtual reality. Hopefully, distributors will be able to find a way for schools with smaller budgets to afford the privilege to use this technology.
I believe that technology can only ever add to a teachers' lesson, provided they use it correctly and effectively. In response to Christopher Russo, it also occurred to me that a teacher could run into difficulties in the classroom if students become distracted by the visuals. A teacher using virtual reality should have a concrete plan in when/how/what the students will use the technology and hopefully be able to avoid behavior issues.
Technology has come a long way and has helped many students in the classroom in a positive way. I think that virtual reality could be all the author claims it could be in a classroom setting. Virtual reality can engage students on a completely different level that may be new and excited to the students.
I would definitely use virtual reality in my classroom because it gives the students an opportunity to see what is outside of the classroom or even across the world where they don’t necessarily have access to. This can also help with giving the students interactive experience and witness events that they have not seen before or maybe wasn’t even alive for some of these events.
Within the article they stated that, ͞Mr. Mendribil’s class used Nearpod’s virtual reality lesson to complete a scavenger hunt.͟ I love this idea because students are usually excited when going on field trips, I think that giving the students an opportunity of virtual reality while being on the field trip can make it even more engaging and memorable. I think one other way virtual reality may be incorporated into K-12 education is virtual game based activities may increase the students interest and motivation. I think instead of having written quizzes on paper, maybe try the virtual reality to sometimes assess the students. Virtual reality is most likely our future and may really enhance the learning of our students and the way they view education.
At first glance, virtual reality in the classroom seemed close to impossible to incorporate in the classroom. However, as the article continues to provide further information, it could become a vital tool in education.The author's claims not only prove to be possible, but much closer to implementing this method of learning in the near future.
I know my students would benefit from Virtual Reality because it gives them the ability to view things from a different perspective and develop into lifelong learners.The majority of my students are Deaf and often have difficulty understanding a lesson without visual cues and full descriptions. Virtual reality would be extremely beneficial in my classroom setting. Students are able to step into history, seeing historical figures and important events that provide a rememberable learning experience that they will not just know but understand.Students will be given the opportunity to take "field trips" all over the world without an exorbitant price. Incorporating this technology into k-12 education will have students learning about history, culture around the world, and so much more!
In today's day in age, technology has continued to become apart of individuals lives both educationally and socially. As the article claims that virtual reality can be used a learning tool in the classroom setting, I definitely have to agree with the claims that the author has made within the actual article. The claim within the article that serves the most value in my opinion, has to do with the fact that virtual reality plays a significant role in the way students have become more engaged in their learning. Students will stay motivated in the classroom when they are able to relate their knowledge to a real life setting, whether they take a virtual journey through a different country, or to outer space. In the article, it states one way to use virtual reality within the classroom in which I would have to do the same in my own classroom. The author makes the claim that virtual reality technology can be used for "field trips" when a location is too far. I think this is a great way to use this technology because it allows students to not only read and understand about this specific location that they are learning about, but also allows them to apply their knowledge to a virtual real world setting, where the students actually feel like they are experiencing the setting or environment in their own way. I would also use this technology while reading literature with specific settings that may be hard to explain or imagine on their own. They would be able to read the story and take a look at the reality of it and where it took place to paint a better image in their head and further help their understanding of what they just read. This goes the same for history lessons with historical individuals who made an impact on society, in addition to certain wars or battles that were fought in which elementary school students would be able to understand and first-hand witness.
In response to Victoria Bardin, I have to agree that students would be able to benefit from virtual reality as they are able to view things from a different perspective. Similar to Victoria, I have students in my classroom who have a disability that affects their overall learning. So understanding certain contents and subject areas are a little more challenging for these students, than to other students, therefore, using virtual reality might better explain and visually represent material that these students would not be able to understand verbally in the classroom.
I think that virtual reality could be all that the author claimed within the article, as long as it is explored and used properly by teachers and students. I believe that teachers must be open to the idea of the incorporation of virtual reality in their classrooms, in order to effectively enhance their student’s learning and engagement. I do understand teacher’s concerns when it comes to the incorporation of technology within the classroom for financial reasons, as well as feeling as if these technological advances will replace their lesson plans. However, I agree that these tools can add visual elements to traditional lesson plans that will ultimately increase student’s engagement during instruction.
I would definitely consider incorporating virtual reality in my classroom, specifically in the way that Mr. Mendribil used Nearpod’s virtual reality lesson plan to allow his students to experience a field trip at a Paris Museum, right from the classroom. As a future childhood teacher, I believe this is an effective way for students to be imaginative, as well as expand their experiences outside the classroom that they would not normally be able to see otherwise. The incorporation of virtual reality, and more specifically virtual field trips, would be an effective way to expand K-12 education within all content areas.
In response to Shannon Gioello’s comment: I completely agree that this specific kind of technology would be an effective way to meet the needs of visual learners, as well as allow for student’s motivation and participation to increase during the lesson.
I do think that virtual reality could be all that the author claims it could be in the classroom setting, as technology has come so far in recent years. I think that because technology has become so relevant in the world today, virtual reality will increase children’s engagement in school more than ever. I would use virtual reality in my classroom, as I believe that it will increase student participation and engagement throughout lessons. The lesson mentioned in the article about a scavenger hunt in a museum gave me many ideas for different lessons I would incorporate virtual reality into. Another way I think that would help students in K-12 education would be with mathematics; I think that children may enjoy the subject more if they were up and moving during a lesson. I agree with Briana, I think it is a great idea to use virtual reality during a quiz or test as an assessment tool.
I am all for trying new things in my classroom and virtual reality is definitely something that i would consider. In todays world, kids are already so familiar with technology based things. With that being said, i think it would be fairly easy for them to apply their knowledge to the nearpods and explore with it. I think the nearpod would be a great aspect of learning especially when learning about places that are too far to visit, or certain parts of history. Im a visual learner and i think seeing images in the nearpod it can help visuals learners process some difficult history lessons. Nearpods would definitely help all students grasp a better understanding for any kind of lesson. It gives students a break from the textbook or lecture based learning, and gives them a chance to explore images while learning from them.
I don’t think that virtual reality is all the the author claims it to be in the article. I think that it is a bit of a fad. There are definitely some aspects of this technology that keeps students engaged and allows them to see and “experience” things outside of the textbook, however, I think that there are other ways to do this in a classroom. I think that it takes aways from discussions in the classroom. I will be working in a high school one day where the periods will typically be forty minutes long. This is not a lot of time to teach students a new lesson. I think that virtual reality may cause students to get a bit distracted. I am not against virtual reality, and I think that in some scenarios it can promote more discussion than the discussion that would have taken place otherwise, however, I don’t believe that it is necessary for most classrooms.
There weren’t examples in the article that I can see myself using virtual reality in my classroom. I will be a math teacher and most of the article related more closely with ideas that can be used by Social Studies teachers or teachers of foreign languages. These ideas were interesting though and did seem to engage students.
A way to incorporate virtual reality into a Kindergarten classroom can be when teaching the students about months, or seasons. The students can be able to see what each season looks like in order to grasp the concept. A way to incorporate virtual reality into a high school math class may be to see the height of a plane and be able to see and understand the angle that it is from a specific point on the ground.
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I think that Nicolette has a great point when she said that virtual reality can be an excellent way for visual learners to grasp concepts. Some students need to see with their own eyes what the teacher is talking about in order to fully understand and learn.
I agree with the author. I believe virtual reality would be an amazing opportunity for students. It gives them a chance to see parts of the world that they might never get to. I would use it for virtual field trips. In social studies, I am teaching my 5th graders about the different climates in North America. With virtual reality, I would be able to show my students different examples and have them motivated to continue with the lesson. Virtual reality could also be incorporated into education by have the students see what the world was like many years ago. Students can put themselves in the birds eye view of a soldier in WWII or the king of England centuries ago.
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I agree with Claire. Technology is extremely advanced today. It is important to use technology within the classroom, and hopefully soon to be able to use virtual reality on an everyday basis.
The article was an interesting read. The author claims that virtual reality can be used as a learning tool in classrooms today. After reading the article "Virtual Reality Learns How to Get Into the Classroom" I don't think virtual reality could be all the author claims it could be in a classroom setting. Yes, its interesting and entertaining and it can help with some lessons taught in the classroom but I agree with Alyssa how it's more of like a fad. And I also agree with Nicolette on how it can be a great tool for visual learners, but so are videos and power points/presentations. I can't really think on how I could incorporate this in my classroom as I plan to teach H.S students (Spanish/ESL) but I can see how social studies teachers can get great use of it. As described in the article the device would be a great add on tool for a history lesson to give kids a bigger visual/better idea of that specific time period being taught in class.
I do believe that virtual reality could be all the author claims it could be in a classroom. If schools are able to supply the instruments and internet access necessary to use this technology I could see this being a really cool and extremely engaging part of any lesson.
I would 100% use virtual reality in the way it was mentioned in the article. as a future Social Studies teacher the idea of bringing students to far away places in miles and years is very exciting to me. Students will be able to make better connections to these far away lands and historic periods.
Other ways this technology could possibly be used is maybe as evaluation. Students can navigate through an area and answer questions along the way. I am not sure how I would use virtual reality differently at this time.
reply to Jennifer Molina;
I do not agree with your thoughts on virtual reality not being all that the author claims it could be. As we see with the case of the students in San Francisco they were able to see works of art as they are in Paris without having to travel to France. Students were more engaged and more likely to get their work done.
While I think virtual reality is a great concept with a bunch of potential benefits, I’m not sure it’s all the author claims it to be. There has always been this lure about virtual reality and how prevalent it could become, how people can be transported to different places right from the comfort of their own homes. If a teacher was teaching a social studies lesson, it could be used to take the students right to the location in history they are learning about, which would make for an expansive and engrossing lesson. However, it never seems to reach that point and strikes me as more of something that could be used in certain instances rather than something that is widely used throughout schools. It could be an assistance for visual learners or an aspect of a lesson but I don’t think it will ever be as widely used as the author suggests. As a potential social studies teacher, I would definitely try to integrate it as much as I could because it would be a tool to get students engaged in a lesson. In summary, while virtual reality is an exciting technological advancement that can be utilized in the classroom, I’m not sure it will ever be used in the widespread, encompassing manner suggested by the author.
After reading this article, I do believe Virtual-Reality could be used in the classroom. Technology in and outside of the classroom is growing and many students come to class already knowing how to use the computer, SmartBoard, and various tablets. The argument in the article is that instead of requiring schools to invest heavily in headsets and other hardware, they would just have to rely on students using their own Virtual-Reality devices or direct-supplied electronics. I think using Virtual-Reality is a great way to keep students engaged and helps provide an interacting and memorable lesson for the students. Having student’s use Virtual-Reality software could allow them to experience different events in history or different topics that they are learning about, rather then them just read about it in a textbook or see pictures. I also think that it could be greatly benefits students with special needs by creating engaging and interacting lessons in any discipline. I would consider using it like the example in the article with the art example, because it allows the students to not only view the art in the Legion of Honor, but in its home location in Paris. By doing this, students are able to experience the art in a different way and then use what they learn and complete a writing assignment. If I had this in my own classroom, I would envision using it for teaching History by showing students various events in history or even museums, in Science showing students different experiments, outer space, and laboratories around the world, and even in Mathematics by showing different manipulatives and ways to solve various problems. However, this can also be a problem for students and teachers if it is not implemented correctly. To help this I think it would be vital that the teachers are well informed and are taught how to correctly use the Virtual-Reality software and how to implement it in the classroom. I also believe that teachers need to implement in the classroom at the right time so it does not become a distraction or a problem for students. This strategy might also not be the right fit for every learner, such as when we have kinesthetic or auditory learners in the classroom and the teacher needs to know which students would best benefit from this.
In response to Lauren, I completely agree that using Virtual-Reality could allow students to make better connections to far away lands and historic periods. I also liked your idea about using it as an evaluation. Many computers games are formatted similar where students have to answer one question correctly to move on to something else and implementing that in Virtual-Reality software could definitely be a way to engage students.
The importance of virtual reality in a classroom is somewhat vital in today's classrooms. It is upcoming but should be embraced just as technology has been over the years. Some teachers may not be too keen on this idea but it is important for students because they are able to see things first hand that they're textbooks may not be able to do. This allows the student the opportunity to have it all at their fingertips. This is extremely useful for teachers who are teaching social studies and the arts because it allows students to visualize anything, anywhere regardless of the time period. They argue that instead of having hearing devices teachers should allow virtual reality into their classrooms because it allows students to picture it instead of being taught orally which can sometimes be a bore for most students.
This also gives students the opportunity to move around instead of being forced to stay seated for most of their day, allowing them to be more engaged into the lesson. I am into trying new ways to teach and I believe that I will one day use virtual reality in my classroom as well.
According to the the author, Georgia Wells, technology such as Virtual Reality (VR), can enhance an educator's approach to teaching in the classroom. The VR system can provide students an outlet outside of their “boring” books, and immerse themselves in different places around the world, and even other planets in our solar system. If my school had the financial means to purchase the VR system, I would definitely incorporate it into my teaching approach. It takes them to a different “world” where they would might not be able to visit places, like museums, cities across the country, and other continents. It would allow my students, of almost all learning styles (including visual, auditory, kinesthetic), to learn their core subjects (math, science, social studies, English).
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