Over the past couple of years, educational institutions across the world have changed the way they approach education. Traditional teaching methods are quickly becoming a thing of the past, with newer technologies like virtual reality taking center stage.
Virtual and augmented reality are revolutionizing the educational environments of both teachers and students by allowing for a much more interactive learning experience. Before we look into how augmented and virtual reality is helping to transform education, let’s take a look at what exactly they are.
What Is Augmented Reality (AR)?
Augmented reality uses the existing environment to overlay animation, images, or other forms of information on it. In essence, it adds to reality. AR also doesn’t require a device with a screen since it doesn’t need a display, making it one of the cornerstones of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
What Is Virtual Reality (VR)?
Unlike AR, virtual reality involves a created, artificial environment. Despite its name, however, VR can create a much more immersive experience than AR, but it does require a VR headset device in order to view or interact with the virtual environment.
How Does AR/VR Change the Education Industry?
Customization
Using EdTech in the classroom will allow students to learn like never before. Traditional teaching methods require students with different learning styles to conform to one teaching style, but AR and VR can help remove that barrier by allowing the curriculum to be customized to suit their needs.
Interactive Learning
The level of interaction offered in augmented reality won’t just keep students interested and engaged, but will also help students who learn better through audiovisual education. Augmented reality can even be used to turn a 2D image in your textbook into 3D!
Virtual reality takes interaction even further by allowing students to see the immersive content of any course or subject. VR provides the student with a 360° complete sensory experience so they can examine the subject in full detail. Consider students learning history—many might find the topic boring, but with immersive VR education, students can be transported right into the time and place they’re studying about.
Hands-On Learning
EdTech also helps push the boundaries of learning by giving students access to things they never had before. Take the Google Expeditions app, for example. It offers hundreds of trips and adventures for students about science, history, art, and more. Students can visit the Louvre, Mount Everest, and even walk on the moon!
In addition, VR and AR can also help students get more insight into the phenomena of the natural world. Ever wanted to know what it’s like to be in the eye of a tornado? Now you can!
Lifelong Learning
While AR and VR are making leaps and bounds in the education environment, there’s nothing saying it should only be used in the context of an educational institution. Take, for example, the VR tool VirtualSpeech—it allows you to practice public speaking in a realistic and immersive environment with various e-learning courses for all sizes of audiences!
In today’s tech-driven world, VR and AR technologies give people a chance to learn throughout their lives, in a way that keeps them striving for more. If you want to know more about the latest tech trends and how to make the most out of your life, check out my website today.
