Is virtual reality teaching the future of education?

Is virtual reality teaching the future of education?

Teaching is fairly conservative in nature, and that can be very sensible. Teaching professionals do not simply want to subject children to the latest trends, which may not work well in the long term, or may even be harmful to a child with strong physical and psychological development.

Yet a lot has changed in recent years. The black chalkboards have been largely replaced with interactive screens, and in elementary school grateful use is made of tablets for both teachers and students.

Is virtual reality teaching the future of education or is this just a hype that will fly over? And what is perhaps even more important; Can virtual reality be dangerous for children in education?

VR; dangerous or not?

Let’s start with the main question; are VR headsets dangerous for children to use? Most manufacturers take 12 to 13 years as the minimum age for using VR headset for teaching. This is based on the development of the brain and the distance of the eyes. Yet VR lessons are indeed given to children in primary school.

Especially for that target group, simple headset without headband are used, which means that the device can be removed immediately. The headsets are also in demand without spatial positioning, which limit freedom of movement, making use safer.

The duration of use is limited to a few minutes per session, with a lot of variety to prevent damage to the eyes and brain. At present, the greatest danger of tripping in the classroom is …

Is VR the future for teaching?

Of course we cannot look into the future, but it is possible to look at the current situation and discover trends in it. Applications such as Google Expeditions bring a class to the other side of the world, or to the bottom of the sea.

It is possible to virtually walk through the house where Anne Frank had to hide, you can also see Rembrandt van Rijn at work while painting The Night Watch. The world is getting closer, history is coming back to life. And that is just the beginning of virtual reality teaching.

Maurice de Hond’s first iPad school became a flop, but tablets are now used at every teaching institution. Not as the only learning tool, but as a support tool within a complete learning environment.

It seems that virtual reality teaching will take such a position, an additional instrument that offers teachers more opportunities to inform and stimulate students.