Virtual Reality vs. Augmented Reality in the Classroom
Why should educators care?
This article will do exactly what it says on the tin, but hopefully in a way that will make Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) feel more accessible to classroom teachers, parents and others invested in education.
Let’s start with Virtual Reality
This quote is my favourite definition for VR, taken from the book Reality Bytes: Innovative Learning Using Augmented and Virtual Reality:
It communicates the idea that VR, while requiring some hardware, can immerse you in a completely different space. You can transcend time, geography and even the laws of physics when you have a VR headset on.
This means that field trips to the other side of the world or even space are possible. Not only that, but social skills can be developed and children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or physical needs can leave them behind once the headset is turned on.
The only limitations are the imaginations of the designers of the software used to create their virtual playgrounds.
How is Augmented Reality different?
The first way AR differs from VR is that it involves a mix of technology and the real world.
You stay where you are, be it a classroom or at home, but use the technology to adapt (or augment) reality in some way.
It allows you to interact with 3D models, which can be imaginary or based on real objects.
Reality is enhanced while interacting with these objects that appear before the user.
You could practice building a car engine to complete the practical part of a mechanics exam or mix chemicals to complete a chemistry test — all without lifting a single real-life object — which allows training to be done from home or in schools with a limited budget for equipment or chemicals.
How do VR and AR look different?
Most people are more familiar with AR than VR. Have you ever seen children use Pokémon GO or used filters on social media, such as on Instagram? This is AR in action and it is easily accessed on our smartphones.
The application of technology allows users to adapt our reality in some way. IKEA uses it so you can test out what furniture will look like in your home. In classrooms, we can interact with 3D models or bring 2D textbooks to life.
As long as the student has a smartphone or schools can provide a tablet, they can access the AR world.
VR has more limitations because of the technology. Specialist equipment, including a headset, is required and correct use often involves some training — and at the moment, this is expensive for schools.
However, the ability to detach completely from reality allows you to walk through Ancient Greece or stand on a World War II battlefield.
Alternatively, you could be in an operating theatre watching surgery, or students with anxiety could practice social skills in an unfamiliar setting.
The options are endless and as wide as the imagination.
Why should educators care?
AR is a technology I encourage all educators to explore. You can do it at home from the safety of your sofa with your smartphone in hand.
Exploring it for fun will quickly allow you to see how engaging and accessible it is. This, in turn, should get you thinking about how you can and should be using it with your children in the classroom.
VR, due to the cost and technology, is a harder sell to most schools. However, I do believe we should be investing our time in bringing VR into schools alongside AR.
My reason is simple: the technology is coming. It is already in corporate training and universities. Our children are likely to use it in their future careers at some point.
Therefore, if AR and VR are the future, we should be preparing our children for that future today. The classroom should be the first place, not the last place, children see the technology of the future.
