Integrating Virtual Reality into Classroom Content
Hey Coach,
I am really intrigued with virtual reality and all it offers to my students. What are some ways that I can integrate it into my content?
Sincerely,
Intrigued
Dear Intrigued,
I am so excited for you and the journey you are about to embark upon with your students! There are so many great virtual reality (VR) resources that have already been created for use with students. Therefore, finding content is not the problem for most teachers. Instead, the challenge is finding a place for the true value of VR within the curriculum to inspire and motivate students!
As you may be aware, the most common way to use virtual reality is during virtual field trips. Instead of just taking your students to a place you learned about, try these creative ideas to connect to your content when taking them to somewhere new:
Preview and Predict
Get kids asking questions while observing their surroundings in VR. Will they be learning about the organisms and the environment they see or the part of the world you have taken them to? Does the region or location share characteristics from the setting of their next novel, one that they can better visualize through a VR activity? Invite students to preview and make predictions about upcoming content!
Inspire Creative Writing
It’s hard for kids to imagine tackling a problem in a place they have only read about on paper or have been given limited details about… Place them in the scene of their next adventure and give them time to visualize the next steps of their story! You can do this utilizing several different VR scenes and locations to prompt various parts of a story, characters, settings, environments, organisms, and more. Most of us are visual learners so VR is a great way to get creative juices flowing!
Overcome Writer’s Block
Do your students have a hard time transferring their words to paper? Invite them to audio record what they are seeing and thinking about while in VR and then come back to listen to their own ideas later on. The combination of these two strategies can make such a difference for students who struggle with writing!
Re-Enact History or Demonstrate Current Events
Many VR lessons are available to help students better understand significant historical and current events! Virtual reality lessons on the American Revolution, World War 2, Volcanic Eruptions, Egyptian Hieroglyphics and more have been created to engage students by putting them right in the middle of these major events. Search YouTube for any of these topics and simply add VR afterward to see what’s available.
Build Empathy
The historical and current events found in the VR resources created by organizations such as CNN, NY Times and National Geographic can be a great starting point for social and emotional learning. By putting themselves in the shoes of individuals who experienced these events, students can build empathy and understanding.
Demonstrate Cause and Effect
Have students consider what natural or human forces are acting on a location that may have caused it to look how it is today – or think about how it will look tomorrow. What happened over time in history to bring it to what they see? Is there something they can do to change its course in the future? If so, what would the new image look like over time based on what they would like to change?
Visualize Things Unseen (Big or Small!)
Use virtual reality models or 360 imaging to allow your students to see things and places they otherwise couldn’t, such as unseen bacteria, the solar system or even atoms! This strategy allows students to better grasp the size, ratio, or comparison of qualities and elements in places unreachable on Earth.
As educators, we do our best to inspire students to create change – in themselves and in the world - every day. Why not use VR to spark that motivation for change? For a student who has not had much exposure to the outside world, virtual reality can be a powerful tool in the classroom. The little bit of effort it may take to try something new will be well worth it in the eyes of that child, and in the lives of those they impact!
Here are a few places to look for some great content that can be viewed from a tablet, laptop, headset or even from cell phones:
1. YouTube Virtual Reality Channel
2. Nearpod Virtual Field Trips
Good luck on your VR journey. Let your adventure begin!
All the best,
Coach
