A VR Toolkit for Educators
Envisioning Virtual Reality is a toolkit for those interested in using VR in education. As the technology becomes more affordable, you may have interest in virtual reality (VR) as an educational tool. Therefore, you may wonder, how might I use VR in my classroom or school? How do I set up a VR lab? How do I integrate VR applications into my curriculum? Is VR feasible in low resource settings? If you are eager to join the growing group of educators who have begun to integrate virtual reality in their classrooms, this book is an excellent place to start. Dr. Meredith Thompson, David Kaser, and Kara Grijalva draw from their diverse backgrounds and experiences to offer insight on establishing and implementing VR programs in a wide range of educational settings.
Where to order
Check out the podcast we just did, hosted by Craig Frehlich, here.
Merging VR and 3D Printing – Here are directions on how to take your VR creations and 3D print them. We have tested 4 apps and created simple to follow directions.
Quotes from some who have read “Envisioning Virtual Reality”
“This is an amazing book! The authors give practical advice on everything from setting up a VR lab to integrating VR into the curriculum. This is a phenomenal resource and something I sure wish I had when I started integrating VR! ”
– Joey Tanaka, EdTech and Robotics Specialist, Bertschi School
“This useful book provides advice and examples for how to make immersive learning practical and affordable in classrooms. Blending virtual and real-world experiences is a powerful way of preparing students for the future.”
– Chris Dede, Professor, Harvard’s Graduate School of Education
“Envisioning Virtual Reality provides a compelling, comprehensive look at how VR can be implemented effectively in classrooms. For any educator, technologist, or policymaker looking to become familiar with VR in education, Envisioning Virtual Reality is the perfect place to start.”
– Sean Strong, CEO & Founder, Grove Learning
Excerpts from “Envisioning Virtual Reality”
Introduction to VR in Education
These chapters contain specific examples highlighting various classroom models that utilize virtual reality with the goal of making this innovation feasible and sustainable in a wide range of settings. We take time to discuss easily overlooked setup details that are vital to successful implementation, share ideas about how to curate classroom content, work with teachers, and maintain the technology once it’s purchased. All of this is done to illustrate how VR might be used from low resource environments to classrooms blessed with a strong financial backing.
Uncharted Waters
The market for virtual reality applications is growing at a rapid pace, and is expected to double in the next 5 years. As the cost of equipment falls and schools have greater access to technology, there is great interest in virtual reality as an educational tool. A small but growing group of educators have started to integrate virtual reality in their classrooms with promising results. We reached out to teachers and administrators who are currently using virtual reality in their classrooms to hear their perspectives and practical strategies for infusing this resource into their classrooms. Teachers have creative ideas for how to incorporate immersive education in current classrooms: how to select activities, how to set up the classroom, how to get support during the activity, and how to transport devices.
Student Voice
In Barberton, Ohio, I have a class of high school students focused on the educational application of virtual reality (VR). A key aspect of the class is testing apps for educational usefulness. In the following sections, we will take a closer look at the system we use to evaluate and rate VR applications and how they design lessons to be used in a traditional classroom. Here we have four goals: to describe the criteria, the research process, the benefits to the students, and the transformation of these ideas into lessons. I have found that giving students a voice in the direction we travel provides ownership in the class and fosters a sense of pride.
Grove Learning Tested
VR Equipment Hygiene
VR in K12 Podcast
VR for the Holidays
“Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes” in Education?
Flipped Classroom?
Getting Beginners into VR
The Top 10 Reasons to Involve Students with your VR Implementation
Purchasing VR apps within school guidelines
Multiple users, hygiene, and VR facemasks
What is the future of XR and VR in education?
We take a look at using VR in education and what it might look like in different situations.
Using VR in low resource settings.
And seeing what it looks like in high resource environments.
VR Toolkit for Education
Throughout this site, and in the book “Envisioning Virtual Reality: A toolkit for educators, you will find ideas and resources for to help use VR in education. Meredith Thompson, David Kaser, and Kara Grijalva bring a diverse background in education. They share their ideas hoping to help others interested in using virtual reality in education. The ideas are practical. Find ideas for beginners setting up VR in their schools for the first time. Read about things that work and don’t work. You will find lesson plans for VR designed by students. There are collections of articles and blog posts aimed at helping the decision making process. (Visit our blog on Medium too!)The world of VR in K12 education is rapidly changing. We hope you enjoy keeping up-to-date and maybe viewing things a little different than before.
