Digital Immersion; VR vs AR #GEI 80
2016 has been heralded as “the year of the VR”, with the launch of major products such as Facebook’s Oculus Rift and HTC’s Vive accelerating the virtual reality (VR) trend and bringing the VR experience to the mass market. The education world is catching on this VR wave, with the National Media Consortium forecasting the ‘time to adoption’ of augmented and virtual reality to be 2–3 years.
A scan of the market reveals that there is plenty of excitement around the potential of these technologies to revolutionise the way we learn. By offering real-life application through interactive photorealism, this helps to plug in pedagogical gaps and bring to life experiences in a way that has never been possible. Paired with the growing accessibility and affordability of VR devices (i.e. $20 Google Cardboard), many educators are excited about the application of these technologies in classroom settings. However, barriers still remain — the challenge now lies in developing high quality and compelling content that meets the pedagogical needs of learners and improves learning outcomes.
In this edition we showcase a curated mix of content to get you up to speed on virtual reality/augmented reality in education: from a snapshot of the VR industry landscape, to a deep dive into how VR can improve learning outcomes, and a comparison of how VR and AR stack up against each other.
A snapshot of the 2016 VR Industry Landscape
2016 dubbed as “the year of the VR”
2016 is tipped to be “the year of the VR”. Investment bank Citi expects the VR market to grow to a $15.9 billion industry by 2019, with major product launches such as Facebook’s Oculus Rift and HTC’s Vive accelerating the VR take-off. Investment in VR is reaching fever pitch, from Kickstarter campaigns for cameras on the International Space Station in order to spice up science teaching in the classroom, to mobile companies like Ericsson exploring how 5G network technology could utilise VR to wire up decommissioning projects of old nuclear sites. The prospects for VR could be endless with the ability to draw users into virtual spaces providing a disruptive element to a host of sectors. This accompanying infographic illustrates ten key sectors being revolutionised by VR.
VR beyond the gaming market: Here’s how VR meets education
VR has historically been dedicated to gaming — but not anymore. The application of VR in the education world is receiving increasing attention as both educators and students seek an ever-expanding immersive landscape, where students engage with teachers and each other in transformative experiences through a wide spectrum of interactive resources. This steady growth of VR in education is reflected in the surge of companies solely dedicated to providing schools with packaged educational curriculum and content, teacher training, and technological tools to support VR-based instruction in the classroom. A myriad of studies also attest to the great success of 3D immersion and VR technology in educationally progressive schools. This article provides early foray into VR-based learning, making the case that virtual reality is here to stay.
The 101 on VR and education: Here’s what you need to know
What impact will VR have on education and learning? Why is VR booming only now? What is the difference between Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality? Why is the pace of adoption of VR technology in China faster than many developed countries? In this edition, MindCET — an EdTech innovation centre in Israel — dedicates an entire issue to addressing the many questions that people have of Virtual Reality in the education space. With International Data Corporation predicting an expected growth of 2,400% on devices delivery in 2016, the issue invites experts from different fields to provide their perspective of the rapidly growing VR trend and helps readers to understand the advantages and challenges being offered by the developers of virtual environments.
How virtual reality can close learning gaps in the classroom
Virtual Reality may be the type of educational breakthrough that comes along once in a generation, heralding a tectonic shift toward immersive content for teaching and instruction. By presenting a complete view of the world in which it is situated, VR offers a new opportunity to close some of the pedagogical gaps that have appeared in 21st-century classroom learning. This EdSurge article explores three pedagogical gaps that may be addressed by VR: 1) It helps close the attention gap by using gaming or simulations to increase engagement, 2) It makes students’ time in the classroom more effective preparation for the job market by offering real-life application through photorealism, and 3) It offers a new type of discovery and organic exploration to encourage lifelong learning. While VR has arrived, the author cautions that as with any new technology, it will take time to develop best practices.
Augmented reality vs virtual reality: Which is better?
Both Apple and Niantic CEOs have spoken out about the relative advantages of AR and VR, with both believing that AR pose a more promising direction. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, “augmented reality is the larger of the two, probably by far, because this gives the capability for both of us to sit and be very present talking to each other, but also have other things visually for both of us to see…Virtual reality sort of encloses and immerses the person into an experience that can be really cool but probably has a lower commercial interest over time.” This sentiment is echoed by Niantic’s John Hanke — owner of AR game Pokémon GO. But does the choice really have to be AR or VR? The future may bring these virtual realms together, where users can adjust the degree of immersion they want in a virtual environment through nothing more than a slider button or a voice command in a user interface.
This Week’s Infographic
