Installation of VR in the ‘Triple E’
Spike founds his approach to using VR in the ‘Triple E’ framework, an educational model developed in 2011 by Liz Kolb, a Clinical Associate Professor of Education and Learning Technologies at the University of Michigan. It measures how technology used in a lesson helps students achieve learning goals.
The framework focuses on three components: commitment to learning objectives, improving learning objectives, and expanding learning objectives. It provides a benchmark to help educators add a technological tool to learning.
How VR Technology Can Boost Student Engagement
Engagement is an area of learning and teaching where technology goes well with that where students focus their time and energy. Today’s students are digital natives, after all, so it’s not surprising that VR technology offers a means to better immerse students in their learning.
During his presentation, Spike made recommendations for VR-controlled applications that educators can use to encourage student engagement. He divided them into the following categories: collaborative VR learning, communication and collaboration, narration, puzzles, and mindfulness.
For example, the “Talk and Nobody Explodes” app, which he demonstrated at the beginning of his presentation, tests students’ puzzle solving and communication skills. How does it work? A student takes on the role of the bomb disposer Spike played in his demonstration with his VR headset. In the meantime, a small team of students take on the role of experts who must guide the defuser using a manual by deactivating all modules of the bomb before the timer expires.
MORE ABOUT EDTECH: Discover how K-12 schools are using immersive technologies like VR for supportive learning.
VR brings “added value” to improving learning
Spike went through different categories of VR apps that educators can use to enhance student learning, such as: B. Collaborative design, VR creation, storytelling, and even public speaking.
These types of apps in particular add value to learning by allowing students to explore, create, solve problems, and evaluate their work, ultimately allowing them to have a broader understanding of the content, rather than just memorizing facts .
One VR creation app Spike talked about was the Google Tour Creator, which allows students to create and publish their own immersive 360-degree tours. Users can upload their own panoramic photos or find one in Google Street View and highlight points of interest for their viewers. The app also works with the Google Cardboard headset and existing VR excursions in Google’s Expeditions app.
He also discussed the “Virtual Language” app, which allows students to practice their soft skills in virtual environments such as seminar rooms and auditoriums. The app, which is compatible with multiple headsets such as the Oculus Quest and Vive Focus, also gives students feedback on their presentation by collecting behavioral data.
CONTINUE READING: Find out how VR finds its way into physical education.
With VR it is possible to combine learning with the authentic world
One of the benefits of VR technology is that students can see the world outside of their classroom without ever leaving. VR extends the reach of education to all areas where teachers imagine wanting to take their students with them.
To do this, teachers can use shared Spike apps, broken down by topics such as biology and space, art and culture, and news and media. Google offers the Art and Culture VR app, which includes works of art curated by over 1,200 museums and archives around the world that students can explore on a virtual reality tour. Even the New York Times has a VR app with impressive films on topics ranging from exploring Antarctica to the refugee crisis that educators can incorporate into their curriculum.
The hardware needed to run VR-controlled apps
Spike also made it clear that educators have a ton of VR content available to them. The other need for those looking to immerse themselves in the VR world is the hardware that is required to run these apps.
Fortunately, there are a variety of price points that suit school district VR needs across the budget, offering either three degrees of freedom or six degrees of freedom within the apps. Here are Spike’s recommendations, listed from lowest to most expensive:
- The Google Daydream View is an easy-to-use and lightweight headset. It is designed for mobile phones and already contains apps and hundreds of thousands of amazing videos. There is also a foldable cardboard version priced at $ 10-15.
- Oculus Go and Quest headsets are mid-range VR headsets that offer a range of interactive options, such as: B. immersive movies, games and apps. The Oculus Go is equipped with a controller with three degrees of freedom that allows tracking of rotational movements, while the Quest is equipped with two controllers with six degrees of freedom to aid in orientation and position tracking.
- With six degrees of freedom, the HTC Vive fits well in virtual reality labs where students can take detailed, 3D-rendered journeys and experience innovation in STEM learning.
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