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Examples and use cases for how teachers around the world have adopted AR, VR and XR in education

June 7, 2022

Learn about extended reality (XR) and how it is enhancing k12 education.

Then let us help you gain the skills and confidence to introduce your students to the future!

Extended Reality (XR) – including the augmentation of reality with superimposed images or text (AR), and the creation of entirely immersive virtual worlds (VR), has made its way into k12 education.

XR technologies touch every grade, every subject, and every student. Augmented reality and virtual reality have allowed students to be immersed in their lessons, resulting in improved engagement from students of all abilities.

If these terms are unfamiliar, you are not alone. These posts will help give an understanding of the basics of VR and AR:

We understand that it can be overwhelming to understand how XR can fit into a teacher’s daily lessons. Teachers are enthusiastic about new strategies to help their students, but time and resources are often an obstacle. We are here for you!

XR Terra, in partnership with Verizon, wants to help educators and administrators build a fundamental set of skills and the confidence to engage VR and AR as amazing learning tools in their classrooms. Our goal is to create a supportive learning community for educators that will propel their learning, foster excitement, and inspire them to apply their new skills in classrooms during the school year 2022-23. See more about our free summer professional development here: https://www.xrterra.com/programs/teachers/

Although unfamiliar to many, XR is not exactly new to education. It has moved quickly from research and development, past trials, and into the mainstream. Here are some examples of growing momentum in public schools, starting in the 1990s and into 2022:

Virtual field trips became available to teachers in the mid 1990’s. They remain one of most accessible opportunities for teacher-created resources. https://virtualfieldtrips.org/about_/research/

Publishing in Computer in 2012, researchers at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand found that “even young children can create AR scenes and that the creation process can be a powerful educational experience.” https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234793015_Augmented_Reality_in_the_Classroom

As early as 2013, high school visual arts teachers were basing learning-by-design curriculum on augmented reality technology. The research, published in the per-reviewed Educational Media International, found high levels of student creativity and critical thought. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09523987.2014.889400?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=remi20

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) began to offer teachers’ guidance on classroom use of augmented technology in 2016. https://www.iste.org/explore/Toolbox/Use-these-resources-to-bring-augmented-reality-to-your-classroom?articleid=739

In 2018 the US Department of Education funded the Virtual Opportunities to Integrate Social Skills project. High-functioning autistic students were placed in virtual settings with avatars designed to demonstrate the consequences of positive and negative social interactions. These low-risk situations give students great autonomy and experimentation in learning appropriate soft social skills. https://www.projectvoiss.org/#:~:text=Virtual%20Reality%20for%20Social%20and,all%20grades%20and%20content%20areas

Research applying virtual reality to junior high-level human anatomy conducted in 2018 demonstrated its potential for immersive and deep learning pedagogy. The paper, presented to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) by Australia’s VR School Study Team underlined the particular significance for low-income students. https://vrschoolresearch.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/virtual-reality-for-deeper-learning_29_04_19.pdf

In 2020 the New York Times published eight free 360-degree videos and lesson plans in high school STEM and the humanities. The materials offer a high-quality low-risk opportunity to explore virtual reality in the classroom. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/learning/lesson-plans/virtual-reality-curriculum-guide-experience-immersion-and-excursion-in-the-classroom.html

A 2021 article in Education Sciences assessed a teacher-created augmented reality application for high school students to explore vector geometry. The project demonstrated students’ ease of use, support for classroom access and even potential for home schooling. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1307328.pdf

American University’s online Master of Arts in Teaching program uses virtual education to teach elementary teachers to harness virtual reality technology based on cutting-edge pedagogy. https://soeonline.american.edu/online-masters-in-teaching#overview

Academic publisher Rowman & Littlefield’s Virtual and Augmented Reality in English Arts education, published in 2021 offers a collection of resources for teachers interested in bringing XR to reading and writing. https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793629869/Virtual-and-Augmented-Reality-in-English-Language-Arts-Education

Florida charter school Optima Classical Academy plans to open a 1300 student virtual school in August 2022. Following the COVID-19 experience, administrators decided to offer students the option of attending school via headsets following individualized curriculum and live tutorials. https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/01/14/educating-in-the-metaverse-are-virtual-reality-classrooms-the-future-of-education

Examples and use cases for how teachers around the world have adopted AR, VR and XR in education

Gain the skills and confidence to use XR in your classrooms! We invite all educators to join us for some amazing professional development. Please visit our website for more information: https://www.xrterra.com/programs/teachers/

We welcome partnerships with our educational community. For more information about XR Terra’s commitment to building a supportive learning community for educators, contact Hakan Satiroglu at 617-901-0301 or hakan@xrterra.com

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