VR & AR Resources
ClassVR is a website selling VR and AR curriculum and technology to school districts. It offers stand alone headsets along with standards-based curriculum in a simple to use package. The website also provides many free downloads focused on introducing teachers and districts to how they can implement this technology in the classroom. They also provide training and setup for districts. While there are many other resources available for VR and AR resources, this option is one of the best because it covers all subject areas, it aligns with the curriculum, and it provides a simple and easy to navigate website. The other benefit is the stand alone headset. Teachers do not need to rely on students using their cell phone nor do they need to worry about district WIFI blocking content. This is a major issue for districts in trying to implement VR and AR in the classroom.
One of the go-to tools for educators wanting to immerse students in virtual reality is Google’s Expeditions app. Unfortunately, they are shutting down the app in June of 2021. It is being replaced by a fantastic resource called Google Arts and Culture. The three primary categories are art, history, and places. Students will need to be provided a stand alone headset, or they can use their phone along with a headset. The site also provides many 360 videos students can access on a computer. While Google does not provide explicit connections to standards or specific curriculum, this site will probably end up being one of the largest free collections of AR and VR content. The site is very easy to navigate with searchable menus and categories. This is an excellent resource for librarians who may already own headsets or do not want to be restricted by an all-in-one package. The positives of this resource is that it is free and offers vast amounts of resources on art, history and places. The negatives is that it leaves teachers responsible for making connections to standards and curriculum.
This peer reviewed article addresses the need for librarians to assess the effectiveness of their library Makerspace and how to do it. This is important for advocacy as librarians need to be prepared to justify how the budget and library space is being used. Librarians understand the value of a Makerspace, but they don’t know how to present that value to stakeholders. The study was conducted at a public library in New Zealand in 2016 and 2019. It examined the different types of assessment the staff implemented, as well as offered recommendations on how librarians should be gathering data on their Makerspace. One of the most obvious suggestions is having clearly stated objectives for the Makerspace. The article makes clear the need for staff training when it comes to evaluating Makerspace as well as the time needed for a valid evaluation. This is an interesting topic because while research has been conducted on Makerspaces, very little research has been conducted on how to evaluate the space. While the article does not provide simple answers to the problem of assessment, this is a good place to begin while planning out a future-ready library.
This is a fantastic peer reviewed article written by a middle school librarian who dove into the world of virtual and augmented reality. She takes the reader through her process of introducing the new technology to connecting it to curriculum and infusing this tool into the classroom. She also provides a list of content providers the reader can explore, as well as detailing specific projects her students have completed. She also provides some student feedback on the positive impact the technology had on student learning. This is a very simple read and a great overview for librarians who are considering investing in this technology to enhance learning.
This website is my favorite site for keeping up to date on the latest VR news and updates. The site was created by graduate-level research students at Columbia University. Their goal is to be a resource for educators wanting to stay informed on VR/AR and how it can be used in a school setting. The site is easy to navigate and is a treasure-trove of information including articles, research, and links to resources for education. It details the best and latest apps, equipment, news sites, and schools implementing this technology.
Voices of VR is the premier podcast for updated information on VR. Started in 2014, Kent Bye has conducted over 1200 interviews with leaders and artists in the field of VR. Each podcast is followed by an article detailing the information covered in the podcast. Topics covered include issues of privacy, interviewing people who create the technology, and even how VR can be used to develop empathy in the user. While this podcast is not specifically focused on education, it is the best resource for keeping updated on the dynamic world of VR.
This website is an excellent resource for current technology trends in education. With over 120 articles on VR in education alone, librarians can stay updated on current and emerging trends. I appreciate this site because it is constantly being updated with new articles. Librarians can also subscribe to the newsletter and receive email updates and notifications to new articles. The latest article, for example, covers everything you need to know about VR headsets. The article is very thorough and delivers on its promise. The articles are written by Dr. Mathew Lynch, a former university dean and high school teacher. His writing is concise and thorough. Many technology sites are simply news aggregators and the quality of articles is often lacking. I prefer this site because of the quality of every article.
Merge is a company that provides augmented reality experiences for students. Students hold a small cube in their hand, and when viewing the cube through a cell phone, the cube becomes various objects for the student to explore. For example, a science teacher could teach a science lesson on the human heart and students could experience holding a heart in their hand. The cubes are inexpensive, and the included curriculum is aligned to standards. A class set of cubes could be ordered, but a librarian could also have them available for checkout or available in their Makerspace. Merge also sells durable VR headsets designed for students where students slip their phone into the device. I purchased a set last year, and the immersive learning experiences are very interesting to students. They are also very simple for a teacher to implement in the classroom. The website offers very little free content, but once the librarian purchases a license, the educational resources are impressively extensive. This is a link to some of their free educational VR experiences.
One of the best resources for free VR content is YouTube. Many librarians and educators are unaware of this free resource, which is probably the simplest and largest collection of VR content available. By simply downloading the YouTube app on a device, learners can watch almost any video in virtual reality. Not all videos provide a true VR experience, but there are countless videos under the VR channel that have been specifically created for VR experiences. YouTube does not provide any connections to standards or curriculum, but any librarian, teacher, or students can easily locate VR experiences to enhance learning. The other exciting aspect of this platform is that librarians could purchase a 360 camera and students could create and share their own VR creations. This is an aspect of a Makerspace that many librarians have not considered.
Ted.com has a number of videos on virtual reality, but this specific video by Michael Bodekaer is one of the most interesting and useful for showing the potential of virtual reality in teaching science. He begins the talk explaining the problems with how educators are currently using technology. Many educators are still using the same methods of teaching which are not harnessing the true power and value of technology. The speaker decided to use VR to set up virtual labs at top universities such as MIT. He then teamed up with a learning psychologist to test the learning impact. The results are fascinating. Student learning increased by 76% when virtual reality was used to supplement learning. Learning increased by over 100% when combined with teacher mentoring and support during learning. The other interesting fact is how much money schools can save by replacing some labs with VR experiences. Many educators and administrators may shy away from VR because of false assumptions about the cost, but the speaker makes it clear that a cell phone, of which most students already own, is all that is needed when paired with an inexpensive headset.
Synthesis on above resources:
The focus of this research is to answer the question of how schools or educators can use VR and AR to increase student engagement and learning?
One of the first challenges a librarian is going to encounter when deciding to dive into the world of VR is whether to purchase a closed-system set including headsets and curriculum that is tied to learning standards, or to purchase more of an open system where curation of resources is necessary as is the making of connections to standards or curriculum. The challenge here is when purchasing an all-in-one package like Class VR or Merge, the user may be limited to using that provider’s materials but it may be easier to justify its use in the classroom. It also may be easier to evaluate the effectiveness or impact when sharing data with stakeholders. With a closed system, however, resources like Google’s Arts and Culture or YouTube VR, may not be accessible. This leaves the librarian with a difficult decision. Do you purchase a closed system with limited but built-in curriculum, do you purchase VR sets where resource creation is necessary, or do you purchase both? Both options are viable, but librarians need to know what world they are entering and the possible limitations.
With the popularity of Makerspaces and the implementation of new technology as part of that space, librarians can struggle with evaluating and presenting the effectiveness or impact to important stakeholders. This is an important piece when deciding on implementing a Makerspace as advocacy is of key importance. While there is limited research on this topic, some emerging research is revealing both formal and informal best practices in evaluating Makerspace and VR impact on learning. This includes everything from informal interviews on one end, to comparing results of formative and summative assessments of students who used or did not use VR in the learning environment. The takeaway is that a combination of assessments, both formal and informal, will be necessary to gain data that is shareable with stakeholders.
Another one of the challenges in using VR to increase student engagement and learning is that VR is a quickly changing environment. It is necessary but challenging to stay up-to-date on emerging trends and available platforms. Google’s Expeditions, for example, will be deleted in June of this year. This is one of the most widely used resources available, but it is being replaced by Google’s Art and Culture. The focus of this new resource, however, is art, history, and places. While Expeditions may not have been a viable resource for art teachers, Art and Culture will now be exactly that. There are also resources such as YouTube VR that are excellent for building background knowledge for students as many of the VR experiences are short and can supplement curriculum, but many librarians and teachers are unaware of this resource. Librarians can easily stay updated on VR trends by visiting sites like TechAdvocate, VirtualRealtyEducation, or listening to a podcast such as VoicesofVR. Signing up to the newsletters or to receive email updates when new articles are posted is the easiest way to stay updated. There are many of these sites available, but it is important to find sites that are not merely news aggregators. Much of the information on these sites is limited, outdated, or insufficient in providing a full-picture of available resources. They key here is to find a couple of experts who write extensively on the topic and sign up for their newsletters.
Deciding to dive into VR can feel daunting at first, and it can be very helpful to read narratives or watch videos such as on Ted.com, where librarians can hear success stories of individuals who have already started their journey. While these sources may at first appear not to be as valuable as peer reviewed sources, hearing how other educators have implemented VR technology can be very enlightening and provide a pathway to success.