For this discussion board post I relied on the 2020 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report, Teaching and Learning Edition, and explored the section focused on XR, or extended reality, technologies. This section differentiated between the different types of XR, including augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, and haptic technologies. These technologies are finding growing applications and acceptance within the educational domain as part of supporting experiences that can’t otherwise be demonstrated in a classroom, and as part of making educational experiences accessible to students with disabilities (Brown, et al., 2020).
The trend for this technology suggests that all levels of schools are beginning to explore how XR can benefit their learning environment, but that schools are not simply jumping in without a clear purpose. Many XR project descriptions “mention that the institution has set up a lab or a center as the locus for initial XR explorations” (Brown, et al., 2020). The adoption of XR in the educational environment is likely to be impacted by several forces, including the cost of deploying and supporting these technologies and the degree to which they positively impact student learning in a meaningful way. Said differently, the pace of adoption will be governed by the cost-benefit equation.
I have never used any of the XR technologies in a learning environment, however I have experimented with them both for leisure and in the professional realm. For leisure, like many others, I’ve played games using a virtual reality headset. I found the technology to be generally immersive, though limited by the size and weight of the equipment required to provide a near-reality experience. I expect that like nearly all technologies the physical characteristics of the equipment required will continue to decrease while delivering an improved experience. In the professional environment we used the Microsoft Hololens in an exploratory fashion to gain a sense for how it enables an immersive experience in communications and interaction with technology.
I believe that XR technologies use will grow rapidly in educational environments as costs continue to decline. Through XR technologies students gain access to experiences and ways of learning that don’t exist in a traditional classroom setting. The value of this technology increases when considering the accessibility needs of students with differing abilities, and further increases when considered in tandem with subjects which particularly benefit from a near-reality experience such as learning exploratory surgery. While costs are likely to continue as a limiting factor, ultimately schools will look to adopt these technologies as a benefit to their students.
The trend for this technology suggests that all levels of schools are beginning to explore how XR can benefit their learning environment, but that schools are not simply jumping in without a clear purpose. Many XR project descriptions “mention that the institution has set up a lab or a center as the locus for initial XR explorations” (Brown, et al., 2020). The adoption of XR in the educational environment is likely to be impacted by several forces, including the cost of deploying and supporting these technologies and the degree to which they positively impact student learning in a meaningful way. Said differently, the pace of adoption will be governed by the cost-benefit equation.
I have never used any of the XR technologies in a learning environment, however I have experimented with them both for leisure and in the professional realm. For leisure, like many others, I’ve played games using a virtual reality headset. I found the technology to be generally immersive, though limited by the size and weight of the equipment required to provide a near-reality experience. I expect that like nearly all technologies the physical characteristics of the equipment required will continue to decrease while delivering an improved experience. In the professional environment we used the Microsoft Hololens in an exploratory fashion to gain a sense for how it enables an immersive experience in communications and interaction with technology.
I believe that XR technologies use will grow rapidly in educational environments as costs continue to decline. Through XR technologies students gain access to experiences and ways of learning that don’t exist in a traditional classroom setting. The value of this technology increases when considering the accessibility needs of students with differing abilities, and further increases when considered in tandem with subjects which particularly benefit from a near-reality experience such as learning exploratory surgery. While costs are likely to continue as a limiting factor, ultimately schools will look to adopt these technologies as a benefit to their students.
Comments
Post a Comment