Augmented vs Virtual Reality

Augmented reality and virtual reality are taking over. It started with Pokemon Go, and is now spilling over into the education world. But how, you might ask? Virtual reality allows teachers and students to visit places where textbooks couldn't have imagined taking them. If you want to see a 360 tour of the White House, or walk along the Nile River you can do that with virtual reality.

From my experience using virtual reality so far, it brings nothing but excitement for the students. Here is a post from Elizabeth Mulvahill who talks about her experience starting Virtual reality and how much of a success it was for her. Because I teach math, visiting exotic places isn't always the most applicable thing, so I have found a few ways to use this VR capability aka "augmented reality" ...a little differently than the people exploring national landmarks.

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So, Whats the Difference?

The Virtual Reality experience is experience where you are fully immersed in a virtual world, where if the device you were wearing was off, you would see nothing. When the device is powered on you are able to experience whatever is on display, from 360 degree videos to out of body experiences in other parts of the world. Virtual reality really lets you go places you couldn't go before while sitting inside a classroom. Currently there are both games and apps that utilize virtual reality, including the Google Daydream View, the Oculus Go, the Playstation VR, etc...No matter the game or application virtual reality completely supersedes your surroundings. It gives you the possibility to be a pilot in the cockpit of a fighter jet, take a look at the inside of the human body, or visit the Pyramids in Egypt all without leaving your classroom.

Augmented Reality is slightly different, although people use the terms interchangeably (although they shouldn't). Instead of totally replacing your vision, Augmented reality adds an interactive artifact to it. In augmented reality platforms, a digital overlay is placed on top of your normal camera lens (as you may remember with Pokemon Go) so you still are able to see through the lens/camera, but now you may have an image or video popping out at you!

Both Augmented and Virtual Reality have their perks, as well as setbacks. When it comes to deciding which of the two technologies you should try to incorporate in your classroom, you should first think our your outcomes, learning targets, and ease of access. Is total immersion (VR) something I really need for students to learn this new math topic, or will that illicit extra distractions? Something like augmented reality can be easier to implement, and proves to be a more reasonable resource for a math teacher to utilize in their classroom. When it comes to virtual field trips, and exploring the lands for foreign countries virtual reality will be your best bet, but if you are trying to increase engagement in a more practical way, you should give augmented reality a try.

According to Scottie Gardonio, from IOTforall, "we should, whenever possible, utilize the most advanced options in order to teach children in the most effective and efficient ways. Technology will continue to play a larger role in the education system as tools are curated for better opportunities and more customized lessons based off of school, class, and student needs. Right now, we are seeing AR and VR filling current gaps in the systems." I couldn't agree with him more. Although I didn't address how these two technologies can help fill learning gaps, as well as lead to deeper learning, it is something I will discuss in a later post.

Imagine, no longer needing to tell younger generations about your awful trip to walking to school through a wailing snow squall. Instead, you can simply show them a VR video allowing them to experience the daunting daily venture in a near lifelike scenario. Although this scenario isn't necessarily school related, imagine the ways you could use these technologies in your classroom. In math class if a student is having trouble seeing how the volume increases as the side length doubles, an AR overlay with both solids gives and interactive visual students can better understand (An example we used in class can be seen HERE). The possibilities are endless! It's up to educators to learn these tools, and be creative with ways in to incorporate them in their weekly practices. When used well, these tools can definitely lead to increased engagement and deeper understanding.

Photo by Elizabeth Mulvahill from WeAreTeachers

Pixabay Image by Tamisu

InfoGraphic by Julian State