{"id":54,"date":"2016-11-16T20:35:29","date_gmt":"2016-11-16T20:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/gregbaschuk\/?p=54"},"modified":"2016-11-17T00:04:57","modified_gmt":"2016-11-17T00:04:57","slug":"virtual-reality-in-the-classroom-soon-to-be-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/gregbaschuk\/2016\/11\/16\/virtual-reality-in-the-classroom-soon-to-be-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual Reality in the Classroom – Soon to be Reality?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

I can remember back in the mid-nineties seeing Nintendo’s “Virtual Boy<\/a>” headset, and instantly deciding, “I must have that!”<\/p>\n

Although my own efforts were unsuccessful, a spoiled friend of mine was coercive enough to talk his parents into buying one for him. Upon hearing the news of his new acquisition, I raced over to his place without hesitation, pedalling as fast as\u00a0I could.<\/p>\n

I remember the excitement of peering into the headset\u00a0and the growing anticipation of what I was about to experience. “The future is now!”, I thought to myself!\u00a0We turned it on, and…<\/p>\n

Oh!? …Hmm? ….Neat? …I guess? …Maybe?<\/p>\n

Not so much.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the experience was less than impressive. The immersive 3D world I was expecting, simply was not there. Even Mario seemed disillusioned as he bounced around in his 2D environment as I\u00a0strained to adjust to the red light beaming into my eyes. The idea of being fully engulfed into a new virtual word had not yet been realized. Yet.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2016 and virtual reality (VR) headsets are poised to explode into the market with some touting 2017 to be “The Year of VR”.<\/a><\/p>\n

From the HTC Vive<\/a>, to the Oculus Rift<\/a>\u00a0amongst many other devices, the fully immersive environment that VR had promised us years ago, is finally technologically available!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Currently, there are a host of new companies developing full VR environments for the education market. Such companies as Labster.com<\/a>, EON Reality<\/a>, Immersive VR Education<\/a>, just to name a few, are expanding the realm of possibilities of how VR can enhance teaching and learning.<\/p>\n

However, as exciting as the technology is, there is so much more to implementing VR in a school than simply buying the equipment and dumping it into a classroom.<\/p>\n

I’m constantly asking myself the following questions:<\/p>\n