"There's plenty of excitement surrounding virtual reality's applications in education.
Teachers and administrators attending the ISTE 2016 Conference and Expo, for instance, flocked to the Samsung Gear VR and Google Expeditions displays to try their hand at the companies' respective VR teaching tools.
Despite the interest, VR hasn't yet found a home in most schools. According to statistics cited in a recent Samsung infographic, only 2 percent of teachers use VR content in their classrooms. The data comes from a 2016 survey of more than 1,000 K-12 teachers.
Survey results also indicate that educators would like to use VR to complement coursework in a variety of subjects, particularly science, history and social studies. Eight-three percent of teachers believe the technology could help improve student outcomes in those and other areas."
"Last month, TIME and Felix & Paul Studios launched VR cameras to the International Space Station (ISS) in a new project to bring viewers an intimate look aboard one of the most exclusive places in human existence.
Dubbed The ISS Experience, over the course of the next year VR cameras will provide what the makers call "unprecedented access to a participatory experience-one that will culminate with the first-ever filming of a spacewalk in cinematic virtual reality."
The year-long project was announced at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah this weekend. The project's first VR scene was filmed on Friday, January 25th."
"With Pokemon Go, Google Cardboard and Google Expeditions making virtual reality the hottest thing in tech, teachers may be wondering how they can capitalize on the trend in the classroom. Imagine studying underwater ecosystems and taking the whole class scuba diving with just a smartphone and a $6 headset.
The benefits of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) include increased engagement, appeal to visual learners and shared experience among students. Although the immersive experience is enhanced with a headset, the 360-degree experience is still worth exploring. Teachers can take advantage of many of the VR apps using the individual laptops, iPads or smartboards already in the classroom. While VR is changing quickly, the resources below are a good starting point."
"Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have never been more accessible for teachers and students. Of course, the technology isn't perfect yet, and the content offerings can be hit or miss. But, considering how many students carry smartphones, and with cardboard-style VR viewers starting at about $15, it's easier than ever to give kids immersive VR and AR experiences in class."
360 Cities is dedicated to promoting geo-mapped, VR panorama photography and VR photographers around the world. We are a unique global network of members who are specialists in VR photography and our platform is a highly developed, feature-rich system designed to display the finest quality panoramas to an audience of casual internet browsers, photography enthusiasts, tourists, and those involved in the tourist industry.
"Google Arts & Culture partnered with Château de Versailles to create an extremely detailed VR tour of the iconic French palace, aptly named VersaillesVR - the palace is yours (2019).
The free app, which is now available on Steam with support for Rift, Vive, and Index, takes you through the centuries-old palace, letting you inspect and learn about the UNESCO World Heritage site's many paintings, sculptures, furniture, as well as few of its gilded halls."
"Recently, the world of virtual reality was shaken up when the popular Merge Cube by Merge VR dropped in price from $15 to just a dollar at many Walmart stores. When using specific apps, these cubes showcase different experiences as you rotate the block around with your hands. If you haven't held a Merge Cube yet, they're made of a soft rubber material that's comparable to a stiffer stress ball. (If you want to test out the apps first, you can print out a temporary paper cube.)"
"Virtual reality is one of the hottest edtech trends. Not only are students allowed the opportunity to emerge themselves into a subject but can travel the world from their desk chairs. While not readily available in every classroom, programs such as Google Cardboard aim to make VR headsets cheap and accessible. The majority of students in the USA own a cell phone, and with many of these educational apps available on both iOs and the iTunes-enabled devices, they are becoming more accessible to more students. Educationally, these VR apps allow students to visualize concepts that were confined to the pictures in a textbook. Below are 20 Virtual Reality Apps that are changing education."
"Getting started with augmented and virtual reality may seem overwhelming, but with the right approach, successful implementation is achievable-and can actually be a lot of fun to learn. As we head back to school, a solid plan will help turn frustrating experiences into mind-blowing creative lessons.
But first, an introduction to the world of AR/VR, which can sometimes get confusing."
"When I first started my makerspace at Stewart, I had no idea what I was doing. I just had three bins of K'nex and a vision for what our makerspace could be. Shortly after we got our supplies, we began 6th grade clubs that met during school. I started the K'nex club. The next year we created during school clubs for all grades, so I started STEAM clubs for each grade, which was basically open exploration time in our makerspace. The next year I helped co-found our afterschool club program, where my Makers Club took off.
Now at Tampa Prep, I've started a Maker Mondays club where we have different themed projects each week after school for an hour. Since we already had a VR lab when I got there, I started an 8th Grade VR club this year during middle school lunch.
At both of my schools, variations of Makers Clubs have been a huge catalyst in my makerspace programs."
"Virtual Reality (VR) is one of the newer technologies moving into the classroom. Google Cardboard and Google Expeditions are the two most popular, but here are some more great VR apps for education:
(these are links to the Google Play store, but they all have iOS versions also)"
"Now that we finally have the Oculus Rift's Touch controllers, VR gaming on the platform is about to get a lot more interactive. However, based on a video released by Oculus on Monday, the best use of the Touch controller may turn out be Medium, a software tool from Oculus that allows you to sculpt with digital clay in virtual reality."
"Virtual and Augmented Reality apps are starting to hit the market in force. While most of the buzz for these technologies has been for immersive gaming, many companies are getting involved in realizing the potential that Augmented and Virtual Reality may have as educational tools. The fraction of projected VR and AR market value taken up by education may seem small, but considering how large whole market is, this "small fraction" still represents Billions of Dollars.
This article will discuss 22 virtual and augmented reality apps for education that are already available, in beta, or still in the testing process. Some of the apps are aimed at parents and preschool teachers, while most are for primary school teachers. Others will interest anybody, including higher education students, and even non-students."
"The image of screens strapped to students' faces is what the future of education looks like to some, but others see it as a passing fad that educators will look back on and say, 'What were they thinking?'
Many proponents of immersive virtual reality in classrooms-using devices like Oculus Rift or Google Cardboard-say one question will be key to the fate of the tech in education: Will these new systems make students and professors content creators, or merely consumers?"
"How do you captivate a classroom full of digital-since-birth students? According to one Tennessee college professor, you do it by creating immersive learning experiences."
"A new whitepaper from personalized learning nonprofit KnowledgeWorks explores how wearables, augmented reality and virtual reality could play out in education. Take one example shared in the report of a fourth-grader: She's wearing a Hello Kitty "smart sleeve" and toting her tablet in a matching knapsack as she heads into the homework center after school and begins to tackle a writing assignment. After 10 minutes of staring at a blank screen and experiencing a rising heart rate, her wearable triggers a "nudge" from an app that reminds her that it's OK to ask for help. She clicks on an icon and receives a holographic image of her coach in a corner of her device, calmly and clearly offering her immediate help."
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