You can give your students virtual reality (VR) experiences on a virtual dime. Really! An effective and inexpensive VR experience can be a reality with a smartphone and $10.00- $15.00 for a VR headset.
What it Looks Like
The real value in VR experiences lies in their connection to student learning. There is a big difference between reading about an earthquake, versus having a VR experience where you can immerse yourself in the moment and see the earthquake and its aftermath (The Nepal Earthquake Aftermath in 360° Virtual Reality – Nepal Quake Project – RYOT VR). On the computer, this YouTube video looks like a traditional video, but take your mouse and drag the picture around. You can stop anywhere you like, look anywhere you like, and go back to a spot to look again.
This is 360 video. It isn’t passive like a traditional video, where you see whatever the creator shows and that’s that. With 360 video, you can choose what you want to look at in the moment. With a VR viewer downloaded to your smartphone, open a 360 video and tap the little headset icon in the bottom right of you screen. The screen splits into a viewfinder. Pop your phone into a VR headset and start looking around – up, down, in back of you…
What you’ll need
Purpose and a Topic: What are you and your students learning about in class right now? What do you want them to take from the VR experience? Make sure your students have observations, reflections, and/or tasks associated with the experience. If you’re reading a novel, consider visiting and exploring the setting. Are you studying cells? There are 3-D models that you can explore. There are museums and historical sites you can visit. With the apps that are out there, you can go anywhere in the world. Once your VR learning curve isn’t so steep, you’ll find that there are some sophisticated and highly engaging experiences you can plan with your students.
The Content and Apps: The apps that you may use to get started are FREE. Download the Google Cardboard app for your Android or iOS smartphone. The Cardboard app is the app used to view VR other apps and 360 video/images. From within the Cardboard app you can download additional apps, such as Street View and 360 Video Channel. Search for locations and topics in these apps – there is plenty to get you started with VR! You may also want to try the Cardboard Camera app, which allows you to record a space in 360 degrees. When you view the image in the Cardboard app, you are able to look around and hear the sounds of the space as if you are standing in it. Try this for a virtual tour of your classroom or school!
The VR Headset: The Google Cardboard app got its name from a headset that was made of cardboard – developed by Google. The Cardboard headset, as well as other versions of a cardboard headset, are available for under $10.00. Another place to dive in is to shop around online (I started on Amazon.com) and search for VR headsets. They range in price from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. A couple of years ago I decided to try out a few of the cheaper ($10.00-$15.00) models and they worked well and continue to work well. Look at the specifications to see the size of the phone that will fit in the headset, but most will accommodate any of the current smart phones.
Collaboration and Space: You’ll want to group students so that no one is working alone, since once you are immersed in a VR experience, it is easy to move around and bump into objects in the classroom. Some people also find VR experiences a bit disorienting, so you might have a student try the experience sitting down.
Logistics and Workflow: The logistics and workflow for a VR experience are relative to your grade level, your school policies around student cellphones, and your own comfort level with student cellphones in the classroom. A single phone and VR headset can serve as a center rotation with younger students. Older students can download the apps to their personal phones and bring them to class for the activity. If this isn’t an option for your students, consider setting up a permission slip for a day to use their phone in class.
There is plenty of material out there to bring VR experiences to your students, and if your budget permits, there are sophisticated and standards-aligned activities, such as those provided through Google Expeditions and Discovery Education.
Teaching Today's Learner 