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
Erica,
ReplyDeleteI would agree with you that the pros outweigh the cons of Virtual Reality. I find that it helps engage my students and allows them opportunities to visit places that they could only dream of ever visiting and learning about. I never really thought about the possibility of students becoming addicted to technology, however in this situation it would be addicted to an educationally enhancing technology so that would not be the worst thing in life! One thing I do wonder is, do you think a student who has motion sickness struggle with this type of education technology? I wonder how, as teachers, we would handle this situation?
I am not positive, but I believe a student that has motion sickness would struggle with Virtual Reality, depending on the severity of the motion sickness. Maybe teachers could have a video prepared for the students with the same content they would view through the VR headset.
DeleteI wrote about VR also, but it is interesting to see your approach with the pros and cons of VR. I think the cost is the biggest problem with virtual reality. Lenovo just invented a kit where mobile devices aren't required, but they are very expensive! Almost $3,000 for a 4 pack, which makes each kit $750. Lesson plans are included for teachers, but the price is insanely high. Many local schools would be not able to afford VR kits at this price. Check out more information here: https://sanvada.com/2018/01/30/lenovo-unveils- worlds-first-classroom-kit-for-vr-field-trips/
ReplyDeleteI agree! It took long enough for my school to get a class set of Chromebooks. Maybe in the future we will get to implement lessons with VR on a regular basis!
DeleteHello Erica,
ReplyDeleteI am very curious about the evolution of Virtual Reality in the education setting. I also agree that there are plenty of pros and cons that are associated with VR. One pro I never thought about was the job training. I am sure there are endless possibilities with having students deconstruct things/ build things in a VR setting that would be so beneficial without the pressure of making a mistake on a real item. In addition, I agree that kids would buy into the VR and thus be more engaged and less distracted. Other than the price, I think non of the cons stick out to me. Addition to VR, maybe if it was a video game, but hopefully won't be a problem when kids are set to explore different places around the world then complete a document on it. Overall, I am eager to what is next with VR in not only education but the world around us.
I agree, I am all for virtual reality, especially in the classroom. There is no doubt that there are more benefits to VR than negatives.
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