Schaffhauser, D. (2017) ‘VR and AR come of age’, T H E Journal, 44 (3), pp.17-19
This is a journal article discussing Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) and the content offered by various companies targeting the education sector. This is an American article but the underlying principles could be applied to the UK. The article explores the sustainability of the experience of VR in education and whether it can be integrated sufficiently into the curriculum to help achieve learning outcomes. The article goes on to state that to date the introduction of AR exceeds VR in terms of student content.
From the article it would appear that the use of VR in education is gaining popularity however, Schaffhauser (2017) is cautious that this may be hyped and questions whether the initial response of ‘wow’ is sustainable. The initial impact of seeing a location or landmark in 3D is amazing for children as they become mesmerised by what they see, Renninger and Hidi (2015) state this impact can be long lasting supporting the notion that VR is engaging and the power VR has on the learner. Whilst some may argue that a number of the expeditions are non-educational the fact that a learner becomes immersed and motivated in the experience is in itself education (Lisichenko, 2015). They have ventured into areas that they would otherwise not have been able to through the technology of VR.
The supply of educational content is at the source of this article for VR to be considered successful and Discovery Education has expanded its VR content to include a techbook where images ‘come to life’ and a description of that image is given. Google cardboard have created apps specifically with education in mind launching google expeditions where the learner is able to explore a 360 degree pan of a desired scene. This could be of particular use to those that find reading difficult therefore enhancing their learning and ensuring the activity is inclusive (Bakas and Mikropoulos, 2003). It would seem that there is educational content available for VR and it is the teachers responsibility to source the appropriate material to be used in order for it to be considered a benefit educationally (Wheeler, 2001). If the learner is excited and motivated to learn, Kaye (2017) argues this is likely to increase their learning success.
Schaffhauser (2017) believes that AR exceeds VR for student content as there are no special gadgets to make it work. That said a netbook or tablet is required to access the relevant sites. Here the learner experiences 3D through an image and still encounter the ‘wow’ effect but is not totally immersed in the image. It could be argued that this encourages more collaborative learning as the learner is able to be part of the 3D virtual world but not exclusive of the actual world (Greene and Groenendyk, 2018). Kaye (2017) noted that integration takes place when the focus of learning is on the activity and not the tool. Collaborative learning is gaining momentum in schools and AR is a form of technology that supports this style of learning. Teachers move into adopting a facilitator role encouraging children to share their experiences together often at the same time (Wheeler, 2001).
VR and AR contribute to a learners experience and perhaps the AR technology is more readily available making it a more viable option particularly as it embraces collaborative learning. It does however lack the immersive experience of VR, Davidson (a senior director of global learning) suggests an app allowing a mixed reality experience in which virtual reality is augmented is perhaps the way forward.
The use of virtual reality in primary school 