Education has a long and sad legacy of being decades behind in technology. Innovative technologies such as coding, robotics, web design, media creation and more are simply seen at best as an unnecessary extra and at worst just for fun or a distraction. Many students and parents rely upon clubs and afterschool programs to experience these “extras”. Technology in many schools is reduced to Google, PowerPoint and repeat. I believe it is not a matter of “if” but “when” this technology is part of our everyday lives, how long can we close the schoolhouse doors and try to remain immune? One of the limitations of educational adoption is a lack of easy to use creation software. Until that is available there are some amazing creation tools available that allow educators to start off with AR in a relevant and rigorous way. I had the opportunity to use Z-Space as part of the FETC conference this past January. I have to say that putting on those glasses was one of the most amazing educational experiences ever! You are able to dissect, examine and co-create interactive experiences in front of your eyes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd2tgj6KBGs and https://zspace.com/. Another amazing app that allows for teachers to create and annotate content is EON AVR. Teachers have the ability to create and customize their own lessons and you can switch between AR and VR with the click of a button. https://www.eonreality.com/eon-experience-avr/
Ready to make Chemistry and Anatomy come to life… well your students are going to LOVE Anatomy 4D and Elements 4D. Imagine taking paper cubes with the periodic table of elements and putting them together to create chemical reactions in front of your eyes!
Finally if you have not had a chance to explore Merge VR well you are missing out. While it is coming onto the scene as an entertainment platform we are seeing an explosion of potential educational content. This amazing tool puts learning literally at your fingertips!
AR/VR technology has the potential to transform teaching and learning, and I believe will become a powerful assistive technology for many students allowing them to learn in ways never before possible. AR and VR will only remain missing from education if we allow it to.
Trish