Covid-19 has allowed us to see the possibility of the nature of physical classrooms coming to an end. I believe that we will begin to see classrooms as environments within Virtual Reality (VR) technologies relatively soon. When the time travelling individual, mentioned in the introduction, travels to 2035, I doubt they will see VR classrooms everywhere. However, it is likely to be growing in popularity.
VR is very intelligent technology which would be a great addition to education. Pupils would be able to view a three-dimensional (3D) classroom, or the whole school, in live time, from their homes. The VR environment does not always have to be a classroom, the barrier walls of a school environment can be broken down by this technology. If a class was learning about Ancient Rome, they would have the possibility, at no extra cost, to virtually transport themselves to the Roman Colosseum, using that as their ‘classroom’ (Christou, 2010).
One of the greatest advancements to VR in recent years is its adaptability to be used via mobile phones, this is only relatively recently possible. It is immensely exciting to think where VR will have progressed to by 2035. Currently, VR is capable of transporting its users to outer space, where they can experience the size and scale of planets, something impossible to experience through face-to-face learning within the walls of a school (Hussein and Nätterdal, 2015). This shows how classical teaching methods are not simply being replaced by technology, they are being developed in order to provide more inventive and engaging ways to teach and learn with the modern facilities available (Turoff, 1995).
I wholeheartedly agree that VR will allow for widespread quality education. This is especially the case for subjects which are currently the most challenging to teach. You mentioned this in your point about students studying astronomy, this VR experience would be invaluable. As well as this, the classic learning theories we have in practice today are able to be fostered in the future, students in 15 years, with VR learning, could learn in the way that suits them. This encourages the natural inquisitiveness of learners whilst stretching their thought processes. This is a very exciting prospect which I hope to witness in the near future. – Byrne and Furness (1994).
I find VR to be an interesting concept and I understand where you are coming from when addressing the positives, but I am quite concerned that as a teacher I am unable to deliver high-quality lessons using this technology. I was trained to teach face-to-face lessons, I am afraid that I will not be as capable with this new technology as the students are, but I suppose that is something I will have to adapt to. My other concern is that some students may not take to this new technology as well as others. I have researched the use of VR and found that some find the sensations provided by VR to be overwhelming, I don’t know what the solution to this would be, possibly a blended approach rather than 100% VR learning Cooper et al. (2019). – Anonymous teacher
I read a very interesting journal article from Allison and Hodges (2000) which I thought would be a great addition to your post. It talks about how VR was used in a zoo in order to enable students to observe gorillas. The gorillas in this zoo are usually not seen due to their risk of disease and awkward routine. VR removed the barriers created by these problems and enabled students to see the gorillas active whilst in close proximity. When relating this to pedagogy, as a constructivist I would argue that this type of learning is fantastic. Students are being provided with more stimuli and perspectives to learn from. These students will be fully immersed in their learning, and therefore will retain more information, which is the goal of education. – Anonymous student