Imagine yourself on a trip to the moon or diving deep into the mysteries of the coral reef! Yes! You read that right. That is the magic of virtual reality. It provides a mystical and surreal experience which I am sure will make you hold your breath and all this just by sitting at your desk.
In the millennial era, where teachers are looking for better and more effective teaching methods, virtual reality classrooms have come as a boon to the students. Now the first question that pops up in the mind is what exactly is a virtual reality classroom? In simpler words, these kinds of classrooms make use of specially designed headsets to provide a visual learning experience to the students. But to what extent is it helping the students?
The brain processes visual information much faster than texts. As a kid, I was taught a story in school where Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam narrates his visit to a beach with his teacher and classmates as a part of the subject’s curriculum. At the end of the story, he explains how he remembered every detail from the visit that day even after so many years, although he couldn’t recall what he studied in the class. This small story very simply explains the importance of visual learning. This exactly is the aim of virtual reality classrooms.
The toughest job for any teacher is to create engagement in the class that is both entertaining and productive. A student on any given day prefers seeing something on the screen than reading it. It’s the best way to create interest and curiosity in a student. Being able to visualize the structure of graphite motivates them to learn more about the subject. Virtual reality makes it possible for them. This makes studying a fun-loving job for students and it no more feels like a burden.
Virtual reality classrooms create much faster and more impactful learning. The concepts are clearer, much easier for them to grasp and stay for a longer time. The students are more focused and it opens the doors of imagination for them. From the ruins of Harappa to the Pyramids of Egypt, you name it and VR brings it in front of you.
VR classrooms have bridged the gap between countries, languages and helped to provide equal learning opportunities to students all around the world. With built-in language translation software, the VR content is available in multiple languages, avoiding language complications in learning.
While virtual classroom technology is preparing itself to become the new big thing in learning, there exist some glitches which make us give a second thought about it.
Since most of the learning is done virtually instead of the traditional classroom environment, it may lead to lesser human interaction. Learning life skills and social skills is something that is ignored in VR classrooms. Students may find it difficult to converse with people or make friends. The learning capabilities of each student vary from the other, making it sometimes difficult for the slow – learners. Besides, like any other technology, excessive use of VR can be addictive. The students in their virtual world may at some time lose awareness of the real world.
The technology is expensive and not affordable for everyone. The training of teachers and educators further adds to the expense of the bearer. Making it accessible to students in every corner of the world is a herculean task.
Health is another factor of concern here. Sore eyes, dizziness, and cybersickness are the common problems faced by the usage of VR for too long. These devices usually make use of Wi-fi or Bluetooth connectivity from smartphones which exposes the user to harmful radiations. Sometimes the visuals that we see can bring in a train of emotions causing sudden perturbation.
Virtual reality classrooms have the potential to become the new big thing in the field of learning and education and can be immensely helpful for the students as well. What we need is a set of protocols and guidelines which may help the students to escape the dangers of virtual reality. The teachers here own the responsibility to help students to utilize the immense capabilities of virtual reality for better learning.
