During one of the sessions at the Wyoming Innovations in Learning conference, Rebecca Velikaneye of Wheatland Middle School explained how she was using virtual reality (VR) with her students. VR is a technology that is on the rise in education.
Velikaneye began her presentation by showing a presentation of VR in the classroom. She also handed out Google Cardboard VR viewers for us to examine.
Bringing ‘Whoa!’ to the Classroom
Why Virtual Reality?
- Limited resources
- Distance
- Powerful engagement
- Student-led trips
“We can understand better when we can see it.”
VR can be found in virtually every discipline and is well suited for:
- Literature backgrounds
- Art museums
- Science
- Historical places
- Concert halls
- Career expeditions
- Foreign language trips
Google Expeditions
Velikaneye demonstrated how Google Cardboard works in conjunction with Google Expeditions.
Google Expeditions is free and there are approximately 850 expeditions already created. To get it to work in a school setting, it must be allowed on the router. Best Buy has a Google VR kit that comes with its own router.
VR Apps
Google Expeditions Tutorial
The Best VR (Virtual Reality) Headsets of 2017
This session was a lot of fun and very informative. There is a lot of potential for using VR in the classrooms. It is possible to take an entire class on a virtual field trip.
Read more
- Educause – Extended Reality
- 20 Top Virtual Reality Apps that are Changing Education
- Virtual World Field Trips
- Virtual Worlds