Education plays a key role in the development of our minds.
We, simply put, learn something new our entire lives.
Education does not stop the second you leave school, but carries on with you for the rest of your life.
Throughout the decades, access to information has became easier and easier, and to aid in this search for ultimate knowledge, tools were developed.
Table of Contents
History
Before we begin discussing the world of VR, let us take a look back at how education has evolved.
For many generations, knowledge had been passed down through word of mouth, before the invention of books.
After books, people could simply rewrite them and eventually reprint so a larger portion of the population could gain access to this information.
Schools were invented, where kids from a young age would attend and learn information about many subjects, with the hopes of preparing them for the world they are introduced to.
However, this system is fundamentally flawed.
For one, this system has not been changed, at all, its always been fact retention, where the teaching methods involved in the transfer of information are based on the basis of providing facts.
This fundamentally boils down to the fact that, consuming information is not the same as learning, and being informed that something exists out there is not the same as learning about it.
Because of this, many people have a hard time grasping all of this information.
It can be a bit overwhelming at first, when you are flooded with information never before known to you, and as such, these people may end up becoming discouraged and bored, moving onto another activity.
How VR Shakes up the Game
The fundamental idea behind the world of Virtual reality in education is to place the person who is wearing it into a whole new world.
A world generated by code, a processor and a graphics card, a simulation of what is truly real.
As seen in the movie known as “The Matrix”, the main character named Neo learns new skills and knowledge by simply inserting a chip into his brain, where he is then transformed into a virtual fighting ring to fight his mentor and test out his newly learned set, virtual reality attempts to emulate that 90s dream and make it a reality.
Virtual Reality, at its core, allows easy access to places and tools that would otherwise cost a pretty penny.
Virtual Field Trips
Instead of investing in a trip for all of the students, a school can simply buy a set of virtual reality headsets and virtually show the students what the world is like.
For example, let’s say you are in Geography class, and you are learning about some foreign country.
If you are from the USA, moving to Europe can be pricey, but, Virtual Reality offers a grand sense of place, allowing you to simply explore the same world, virtually, through images or 3D graphics designed to be exact replicas from their real counterparts.
What if you are a chemistry geek?
Most of us, who grew up in regions who could not afford to physically buy the equipment necessary to safely conduct experience, had to learn about chemistry through just typing down formulas on a piece of paper.
Experiencing Virtual reality in higher education can shift the effectiveness of students to their favor.
What if we had a visual representation about each result, without risking our own lives in the process by breathing in potentially deadly gasses or having something blow up?
A virtual reality space would give us the chance to learn by doing, and in turn give us an emotional reaction.
For example, you would start remembering places due to their architecture and culture, because you were, in a way, really there, so instead of just learning about Paris on a piece of paper with some pictures, you can travel throughout the entirety of Paris by simply using your joysticks to command the menu.
Increased Creativity
Games like Minecraft have really awakened the creativity in people, and as such, has allowed people to truly become creative with their everyday life.
Since you have access to unlimited tools, you can create things out of wood, metal, cloth, the list goes on, without having to spend real money or invest in the tools necessary to construct them.
With this set of tools, you would have access to truly innovate, and potentially reinvent the wheel, as your creative capabilities will no longer be bottlenecked by the resources available at your school or your personal budget.
Virtual Field trips would increase the level of interest for the different kinds of cultures and places for many students.
Virtual Training
Virtual Training fields can help train our future soldiers by sending them across virtual missions to their designated real-world location, so they can pick out all of the best spots to flank, surprise and inevitably dispose of their enemies, without risking their neck in the process.
Once you are done with your studies and prepared to tackle the real world, you can also engage in virtual internships, where you would get a virtual chance to showcase your skills without risking the company you are working for real money.
This way you could showcase your construction prowess, or lack thereof, without any risk of investment.
What It Boils Down to
To summarize, Virtual reality education allows for an immersive experience, which can be easily accessed by just about anyone, despite their physical condition, have a meaningful impact on them and inspire their imagination and creativity, and allow for unique and hand-made experiences unlike anything we can find in the real world.
As such, Virtual reality in education is just around the corner, and it will continuously change and evolve into something unparalleled by anything in the real world.
As technology evolves and continues to push the boundaries of what is possible, we can expect advancements in eye and body tracking until it is perfected.
Then you will simply just need to equip the right equipment and engage in your world of choice.