Pros and Cons of Virtual Reality
In my opinion, Virtual Reality is a very positive and innovative resource for everyone, no matter what career field you are in. There are many pros that support the use of virtual reality in the classroom as well as other places. With pros, also comes cons or negatives of virtual reality (especially in education). Which side are you on?
Pros of VR
Training for Careers - Virtual Reality can train people in their specific career field that would normally (in person or real life) put them at risk or in harms way. Not only is virtual reality used to train people because certain trainings could put individuals in dangerous situations, it's also used to train for innovation and improvements. Career fields that currently use virtual reality to train or prepare for their jobs are law enforcement, military, space, medical, mechanics, entertainment and education.
Advantages for Special Needs - Students or people with special needs, can experience sights and places they may never be able to travel to due to a disability.
New Opportunities for Students- Not only does virtual reality allow students the chance to experience far away places, but it also provides them with the opportunity to visit colleges without leaving there classroom. Students can also visit and explore different career paths through VR. My school district has a classroom set of VR from Google and every teacher in the district has access to checking them out and using them in the classroom. With access to checking them out, comes a list of available expeditions. I can see that there are college tours that explore student life, athletics, arts and culture, beyond the classroom, etc. There is also a plethora of "Career Expeditions". For example, civil engineering, where students can explore: core samples, printing plans, heading out Hudson Yards project, top of excavation, rock support system, etc.
Creates Interest in Learning - With VR, there is without a doubt higher levels of student interest and engagement in the classroom. As a result of my district having a classroom set of Google VR, I have experienced my students excitement first hand. The media specialist at my school had access to them for a week; my students went to her classroom where they got to actually use VR and they would not stop talking about what they saw and how awesome it was. Students kept questioning why we couldn't use them all the time. I can only imagine how excited my students would be to come to school everyday and learn if I had access to VR on a regular basis.
Cons of VR
Cost - Like any other highly demanding and insanely innovative technology system, VR can be quite expensive. If you're shopping for one headset that may be different, but when pricing VR for an entire team or classroom, the cost will be amplified. For many work places, organizations, and schools, VR is not a top priority when there are many other costs to cover. According to Samsung, a headset and controller costs $129.99. That's not bad if your're interested in buying just one (that's actually cheaper than a Pay Station or Xbox). However, if you're looking to purchase a set for a specific career field or school, this could become very expensive.
Addicted to Technology - As you may see in your daily life or classroom, students and people all over the world, and of all ages have become more and more addicted to technology. Whether it be on phones, tablets, laptops, or gaming systems, people of today's society cannot part with the virtual world. If VR is made available to more people, this may hinder social communication and actual traveling.
Usability - Unless exposed to VR, many people are actually unaware of how to actually use virtual reality. While experiencing VR, people have been known to bump into walls, bump into other people, or even be sick. This con could easily be fixed with more exposure and access to VR.
Usability - Unless exposed to VR, many people are actually unaware of how to actually use virtual reality. While experiencing VR, people have been known to bump into walls, bump into other people, or even be sick. This con could easily be fixed with more exposure and access to VR.
As there are many more pros and cons to virtual reality, I still stand with the side that there are more pros to virtual reality than cos. I also believe that with time, virtual reality will progress even farther and become more accessible to all individuals.
For more opinions about the pros and cons of virtual reality, click here or here!
References
Google helps students take virtual reality field trips. (November 6, 2015). CBS This Morning. Retrieved February 24, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ_whw6oSv4
VR Experience Day with PrimeVR. (June 20, 2017). Prime VR. Retrieved February 23, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaKePToaeOY&t=6s
Google helps students take virtual reality field trips. (November 6, 2015). CBS This Morning. Retrieved February 24, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ_whw6oSv4
VR Experience Day with PrimeVR. (June 20, 2017). Prime VR. Retrieved February 23, 2018 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaKePToaeOY&t=6s
