I just got back from the FETC (Future of Education Technology Conference) in Orlando Florida and the big buzz is using Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in the classroom.
Augmented Reality is when technology is superimposed on the user's view of the real world. Examples you might be familiar with include heads up displays, Google glasses, and the newspapers in Harry Potter where the images become animated. AR allows students and teachers to expand the physical world around them. Click here for an excellent AR presentation from FETC by Maureen Yoder that is full of excellent AR resources. Virtual Reality is a computer simulated environment that is fully immersive for the user. Virtual Reality is a single user experience, whereas with Augmented Reality people can still interact with each other. Take a look at the video below to learn more about how each of these technologies is and will be impacting education. |
Middle School Virtual Reality History Project
This technology is not new to ACDS. For the past couple of years our 7th and 8th graders have been making Virtual Reality tours in history class with Mr. Girard. They take the information they gather and use ThingLink and Teleport 360 app to create a multi-media Virtual Reality tour. This type of tour enables users to look around at the site (360 degree view), move around from one place to another and see related photos, videos, maps, etc. Not only is it educational and engaging for the student who creates the tour, but also for the people who watch it. Take a look at the two examples below. The experience is best if you have a 360 VR Viewer. When you wear one, you can simply turn your head to see all around you. Not to worry if you don't have one, you can simply drag the image to rotate the view.
This technology is not new to ACDS. For the past couple of years our 7th and 8th graders have been making Virtual Reality tours in history class with Mr. Girard. They take the information they gather and use ThingLink and Teleport 360 app to create a multi-media Virtual Reality tour. This type of tour enables users to look around at the site (360 degree view), move around from one place to another and see related photos, videos, maps, etc. Not only is it educational and engaging for the student who creates the tour, but also for the people who watch it. Take a look at the two examples below. The experience is best if you have a 360 VR Viewer. When you wear one, you can simply turn your head to see all around you. Not to worry if you don't have one, you can simply drag the image to rotate the view.
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Lower School Virtual Reality Research
This year the Festival of Learning is on the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. The Fourth Graders are using Virtual Reality to learn more about the sites. They will swim around the Great Barrier reef using Google Earth where they will be able to see the coral and fish close-up. They will be using 360 VR videos to stand at the base and see the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, peer over the edge of Victoria Falls while seeing and hearing the rush of water, and diving into the water to swim with the fish around the Great Barrier Reef. Virtual Reality gives students a real sense of being there and exploring. They can look up, down, and behind them. They will use VRPlayer app to view the 360 VR videos.
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See for yourself! Just drag the video to see around you.
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