Educational VR: The Irony of it All
I recall the hall of
fame release by the Byrds in 1965, a song that rhythmically and hauntingly
chanted:
To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose, under heaven…A time to build up, a time to break downA time to dance, a time to mournA time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together…
This song aptly
describes some of the emotions I experience while scouting VR at conferences. I am always struck by the incongruity of the past and the
future colliding in an uncomfortable way.
I am describing
something we’ve seen before—when we were pushing for 3D visualization tools in
the classroom from 2010 through 2015. I know this arena well, having led one of
the largest and most successful 3D implementations in U.S. schools, working
closely with stalwart companies like Texas Instruments. Virtual reality is all
the rage today, but in the past, things didn’t look quite so bright. Though the
technologies are really quite similar, something has changed. We’ve morphed, as
the Byrds would suggest, from a time of breaking down, to a period of building
up. What happened? Over the next few posts, let me explain using a few juxtaposed examples. Here's my first example:
Complaint: These
3D glasses are just too heavy and uncomfortable for students.
Educator response to
3D (5 years ago): “They don’t fit the heads of children.” “They don’t work well
for children wearing glasses.” “These just won’t work, sorry.”
Educator response to
VR (today), even though glasses are heavier and more constraining:
“Wow, isn’t this amazing!” “Can I try them on?” “How can I get more for my
classroom?”
Isn't it ironic...?
