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https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-11-28-vr-isn-t-a-novelty-here-s-how-to-integrate-it-into-the-curriculum

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The showcase series spotlights the most urgent issues in higher education. For each topic, we've gathered the tools and resources you need into one place, to help you guide your campus forward.

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FREE Early access versions for students and mentors.

Join an innovation path

Research demonstrates that immersive learning uses diverse modalities of learning such as visual, interactive, haptics, kinesthetic and aural which increases retention, untangles complex concepts and enhances grades.

Sign up for Early Access !

Get an Early Access Version now !

How to access Classimmerse VR early access app? How to enhance student learning experiences ? Virtual reality creates immersive learning environments for students.Students learn and retain better.
If you have an Oculus GO Device already, please sign up with the same email idthat you use to access your device account.We will send you an invite request. Once you accept the request the app will be available in your "My Preview Apps" section

If you DO NOT have an Oculus GO Device already
You may purchase an Oculus GO Business for school/institution use.

We can facilitate in procurement of Oculus GO Business Version headsets for your school or institution as a value added reseller.Write to us at info@leanroll.com

You may schedule a trial demo with our demo headsets in New Jersey and New York.

** Early Access Version released on Oculus GO Release Channel.Immersive Biology in VR.Other lessons to follow soon.

Schedule an In-Person FREE 1 Day Pilot

With our in-house headset(s)

Exploring an unique Human Stroke lesson pilot using VR-A guided tour that teaches about structure and functions of your heart and provides guidance on good health practices using real 3D exploration and simulations, videos and animations.A tool for Seated VR - without motion sickness.An ideal tool for early VR adopters using a step-by-step instructional process with a heart activity lab

The Problem

The improvement of science standards in schools is a federal and regional mandate in U.S and is a national requirement. The current national report shows lack of interest and engagement(NAEP reports shows that high school proficiency levels in science did not improve from 2009 to 2015 and was below proficient). 21st century technology and skills need to be adopted by teachers and students to train in science and engineering effectively. New technologies like AR and VR that engage will not only disrupt education but also allow teachers to supplement current classroom lessons with better engagement tools and lessons supported by strong curriculum frameworks and models like 5E/NGSS.PEW research surveyed that more than 50% students in United States have stated science as boring and difficult.

CLASSIMMERSE

CLASSIMMERSE is an integrated cross-platform solution that allow students and mentors to create and train using 5E model in science & engineering using VR and AR/XR enabled devices.It may be used by teachers,students,lab and media center users. The CLASSIMMERSE solution also uses AI and ML to curate AR/VR lessons from the asset library for personalized learning.

ClassImmerse is an outstanding platform for student learning. The integration of artificial intelligence and virtual reality is the next step in the development of immersive classroom materials and lessons. Additionally, advancements like this can be used in the future to bring the highest quality education to students in a range of socio-economic groups. - Dr Kevin Merges,Global Executive Director, Rutgers Preparatory School, AR & VR Evangelist for education/learning.

Align to 5E Lesson Model and NGSS

Goal based learning UN 2030 Sustainability goals

Deep Dive into a Lesson using one or many 5E panels

This is not just 360.Initial release for 3DOF

Comfortable VR with focus on interactivity without motion sickness.

Add models,videos,interactive 3D, simulations and annotations to lessons

Guided Short Voice lessons

Voice Based Interactive Q&A

Web XR Standards based - ideal for web, VR or AR

AWS Sumerian AR/VR with Voice, AWS Polly and Visual lesson bot AWS Lex

AR interactives using Image Recognition & Computer Vision

Middle/High School, College, Vocational S.T.E.M, Adult/Patient Education

Immersive VR lab and Experience Center

VR Labs

We provide high-quality immersive VR infrastructure for learning & experimental use for startups, students, teachers, and mentors who want to learn or innovate using AR & VR technologies using 3DOF(Seated VR) and 6DOF(Room Tracked VR)

Learn with VR/AR

We promote inquiry-based learning where concepts are connected with real-life experiences and labs(aligned to NGSS). Our quizzes and assessments in VR classroom and labs allow stress-free non-lecture based immerse to learn scope.

Hands-on S.T.E.M

Our in-house one-to-one STEM mentoring program is a personalized learning program that supplements S.T.E.M with Hands-on exercises and Labster VR labs (Biology). Labs also include other VR/AR games, and experiences based on lessons

Rent our immersive experience center

Classrooms/Labs

Independent educators, tutors, schools and learning centers can use our classroom tools, devices, and immersive vr lessons and labs to deliver their own curriculum or lessons. Content in S.T.E.M.

Business Events

Our spaces provide comfortable and high-end infrastructure for private business meetings or startup showcases. We enable global Live Meetings & Training in VR with FIOS

Development Labs

Development labs with high-end AR/VR devices, Developer tools and VR Ready Alienware Desktops with additional Haptics and tracking devices;Oculus Touch and Leap Motion

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Immersive VR Learning and Training for teachers and students

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Research demonstrates that immersive learning uses diverse modalities of learning such as visual, interactive, haptics, kinesthetic and aural which increases retention, untangles complex concepts and enhances grades. Sign up for Early Access ! Get an Early Access Version now ! How to access Classimmerse VR early access app?

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ARVRinEDU | Jaime Donally | Professional Development

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Classimmerse Day 2 | ARVRinEDU | Jaime Donally | Professional Development

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I'm thrilled to provide the #31DaysofARVRinEDU event! Each day in March will include an augmented (AR) or virtual reality (VR) resources to bring into the clas

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FREE Early access versions for students and mentors.

Join an innovation path

Research demonstrates that immersive learning uses diverse modalities of learning such as visual, interactive, haptics, kinesthetic and aural which increases retention, untangles complex concepts and enhances grades.

Sign up for Early Access !

Get an Early Access Version now !

How to access Classimmerse VR early access app? How to enhance student learning experiences ? Virtual reality creates immersive learning environments for students.Students learn and retain better.
If you have an Oculus GO Device already, please sign up with the same email idthat you use to access your device account.We will send you an invite request. Once you accept the request the app will be available in your "My Preview Apps" section

If you DO NOT have an Oculus GO Device already
You may purchase an Oculus GO Business for school/institution use.

We can facilitate in procurement of Oculus GO Business Version headsets for your school or institution as a value added reseller.Write to us at info@leanroll.com

You may schedule a trial demo with our demo headsets in New Jersey and New York.

** Early Access Version released on Oculus GO Release Channel.Immersive Biology in VR.Other lessons to follow soon.

Schedule an In-Person FREE 1 Day Pilot

With our in-house headset(s)

Exploring an unique Human Stroke lesson pilot using VR-A guided tour that teaches about structure and functions of your heart and provides guidance on good health practices using real 3D exploration and simulations, videos and animations.A tool for Seated VR - without motion sickness.An ideal tool for early VR adopters using a step-by-step instructional process with a heart activity lab

The Problem

The improvement of science standards in schools is a federal and regional mandate in U.S and is a national requirement. The current national report shows lack of interest and engagement(NAEP reports shows that high school proficiency levels in science did not improve from 2009 to 2015 and was below proficient). 21st century technology and skills need to be adopted by teachers and students to train in science and engineering effectively. New technologies like AR and VR that engage will not only disrupt education but also allow teachers to supplement current classroom lessons with better engagement tools and lessons supported by strong curriculum frameworks and models like 5E/NGSS.PEW research surveyed that more than 50% students in United States have stated science as boring and difficult.

CLASSIMMERSE

CLASSIMMERSE is an integrated cross-platform solution that allow students and mentors to create and train using 5E model in science & engineering using VR and AR/XR enabled devices.It may be used by teachers,students,lab and media center users. The CLASSIMMERSE solution also uses AI and ML to curate AR/VR lessons from the asset library for personalized learning.

ClassImmerse is an outstanding platform for student learning. The integration of artificial intelligence and virtual reality is the next step in the development of immersive classroom materials and lessons. Additionally, advancements like this can be used in the future to bring the highest quality education to students in a range of socio-economic groups. - Dr Kevin Merges,Global Executive Director, Rutgers Preparatory School, AR & VR Evangelist for education/learning.

Align to 5E Lesson Model and NGSS

Goal based learning UN 2030 Sustainability goals

Deep Dive into a Lesson using one or many 5E panels

This is not just 360.Initial release for 3DOF

Comfortable VR with focus on interactivity without motion sickness.

Add models,videos,interactive 3D, simulations and annotations to lessons

Guided Short Voice lessons

Voice Based Interactive Q&A

Web XR Standards based - ideal for web, VR or AR

AWS Sumerian AR/VR with Voice, AWS Polly and Visual lesson bot AWS Lex

AR interactives using Image Recognition & Computer Vision

Middle/High School, College, Vocational S.T.E.M, Adult/Patient Education

Immersive VR lab and Experience Center

VR Labs

We provide high-quality immersive VR infrastructure for learning & experimental use for startups, students, teachers, and mentors who want to learn or innovate using AR & VR technologies using 3DOF(Seated VR) and 6DOF(Room Tracked VR)

Learn with VR/AR

We promote inquiry-based learning where concepts are connected with real-life experiences and labs(aligned to NGSS). Our quizzes and assessments in VR classroom and labs allow stress-free non-lecture based immerse to learn scope.

Hands-on S.T.E.M

Our in-house one-to-one STEM mentoring program is a personalized learning program that supplements S.T.E.M with Hands-on exercises and Labster VR labs (Biology). Labs also include other VR/AR games, and experiences based on lessons

Rent our immersive experience center

Classrooms/Labs

Independent educators, tutors, schools and learning centers can use our classroom tools, devices, and immersive vr lessons and labs to deliver their own curriculum or lessons. Content in S.T.E.M.

Business Events

Our spaces provide comfortable and high-end infrastructure for private business meetings or startup showcases. We enable global Live Meetings & Training in VR with FIOS

Development Labs

Development labs with high-end AR/VR devices, Developer tools and VR Ready Alienware Desktops with additional Haptics and tracking devices;Oculus Touch and Leap Motion

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Immersive VR Learning and Training for teachers and students

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Research demonstrates that immersive learning uses diverse modalities of learning such as visual, interactive, haptics, kinesthetic and aural which increases retention, untangles complex concepts and enhances grades. Sign up for Early Access ! Get an Early Access Version now ! How to access Classimmerse VR early access app?

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Jobcase, a self-described open access platform for jobs seekers and employers, today announced that it has secured $100 million in a growth equity round led by Providence Strategic Growth (PSG), bringing the Boston startup's total raised to $118.9 million, according to Crunchbase. The bulk of the fresh capital will be put toward product development (and potentially strategic acquisitions), according to CEO Fred Goff, specifically in the areas of machine learning and new integrations and APIs.

"We are thrilled to have PSG as a partner that understands people need not navigate the future of work alone," he said. "At its core, Jobcase is a platform where people help people. Often, the future of work can be intimidating to individuals. [Jobcase members] stand stronger together."

Jobcase - which Goff, who previously headed Percipio Capital Management, founded in 2015 - is chiefly targeted at the roughly 70 percent of U.S. adults without a four-year college degree, and has a business model akin to LinkedIn. Would-be employees have access to job postings and reviews, while businesses get a suite of recruiting tools. Jobcase levies fees for pages with information about job openings: $229 for one job, $249 per month for three, and $599 per month for ten.

Its bread and butter, though, is a community portal organized around groups - or Hubs, in Jobcase's parlance. It's where they can ask for tips on navigating the hiring process, Goff says, like how to follow up after a job interview and what to expect during screener interviews. Members can join company Hubs for Walmart, Lyft, Amazon, and hundreds of other employers, and within those Hubs publish posts, respond with comments to others' contributions, and follow individual users.

Like LinkedIn, Jobcase members can upload their work histories and endorse others with "praises," which they carry with them role-to-role. And in the course of their job searches, they can view information from third-party services like Glassdoor, CareerBuilder, JobInsider, and Indeed.

Jobcase says that it has over 100 million registered members (up from 80 million in February) and that 25 million unique active users visit the site each month. Additionally, it says its technology powers over 100 geographically targeted job boards and career sites, many of which are owned by a Jobcase subsidiary.

In the coming months, Jobcase plans to roll out improved algorithms that surface more relevant content to users, along with tools that "increase [the] ease" of engaging with employment opportunities and connecting with others on the platform.

"We are proud to help expedite Jobcase's mission to empower people in their pursuit of a happy and meaningful work-life," said PSG CEO Mark Hastings in a statement. "Jobcase's unique approach that prioritizes community has catapulted the company to its position as an industry leader. The company is well positioned to fulfill the pressing need for connection in this space both domestically and abroad."

Jobcase currently employs a team of nearly 200 data analysts, scientists, and software engineers, some of whom hail from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon, and Princeton. Not coincidentally, it's an affiliate of the MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), and it partners with nonprofit and charitable organizations in underserved communities through its social responsibility program, Jobcase Cares.

Sign up for Funding Daily: Get the latest news in your inbox every weekday.

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Jobcase raises $100 million to connect blue collar workers with employers

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Jobcase, a self-described open access platform for jobs seekers and employers, today announced that it has secured $100 million in a growth equity round led by Providence Strategic Growth (PSG), bringing the Boston startup's total raised to $118.9 million, according to Crunchbase.

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Foreword
I'm often asked if I truly believe virtual reality can benefit education. I don't blame people for being somewhat sceptical as VR is so different from traditional forms of media and different can often be intimidating. In fact, VR offers a pretty seismic shift in the way that we access and interact with digital content, so much so that it becomes something you can't truly understand until you've tried it for yourself. As the early-adopters and innovators of the education industry have begun to dabble with this fledgling technology, the consensus has been pretty consistent - this is going to be huge.

The benefits to learning that VR can offer are immense. It has the potential to engage students in an emotive, visceral way as they are engulfed within the learning content. It can foster empathy, allow students topractice skills in a safe, simulated environment or even let them break the rules of physics to harness the impossible. Perhaps most importantly, it has the potential to break down both geographical and financial barriers for schools, allowing them to bring the whole world into their classroom like never before.

Immersive technologies like VR are not just the future of education, they are the future of all digital media interaction and this future is coming faster than many people realise. We have a responsibility to ensure that our students are future-ready and for many of them, platforms like VR will be the standard way that they work, collaborate and communicate. We owe it to them to ensure that they are well-prepared for this exciting future. To that end, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this report from the VR/AR Association which spotlights some of the best, education-focused companies working in the immersive technologies field right now.
- Steven Bambury, Top VR Education Influencer

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VR/AR Education Sector Report Featuring over 10 Companies and Listing 100+‏

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Foreword I'm often asked if I truly believe virtual reality can benefit education. I don't blame people for being somewhat sceptical as VR is so different from traditional forms of media and different can often be intimidating.

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Preface

Opportunity

Introduction

Introduction to the VR/AR Association (VRARA)

The VRARA Education Committee
CHAPTER 1 Future Work Skills, Reimagining Digital Education CHAPTER 2 VR/AR Educational Ecosystem
2.1 Disruptive Innovation in Education

2.2 VR & AR Definitions

2.4 VR/AR Educational Platforms for Beginners
CHAPTER 3 VR/AR in Education
3.1 Innovation in Education

3.2 Barriers to entry

3.3 Benefits and Values of VR/AR in Education

Chapter 4 VR/AR Educational Content
4.1 Types of VR Content
4.2 Instructional Design and Storytelling in VR Digital Content

4.3 Video 360º as VR Digital Education Content
CHAPTER 5 VR/AR Educational Resources CHAPTER 6 Case Studies VR/AR in Education
Case Study 1 Learning Resource Centers in MOE Schools (United Arab Emirates).

Case Study 2 How teacher´s use VR to enhance students' Learning Experience. Stow-Munroe Falls School District (Stow OH).

Case Study 3 Coding in VR. Toronto (Canada). Julie Smithson partner MetaVRse.

Case Study 4 Incorporating VR in the Accounting Classroom. National Louis University (Chicago)

Case Study 5 JESS Dubai. Steve Bambury, Head of Digital Learning and Innovation across JESS Dubai.

Case Study 6 Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset, New Jersey, United States.

Case Study 7 Implementing a VR creation lab in high school. Chad Lewis (Tampa Preparatory School).

Case Study 8 The Future of Education. Lethbridge College (Alberta, Canada). Mike McCready.

Case Study 9 Alan Smithson (CEO/Co-founder of MetaVRse) in Rumii

Case Study 10 Pacha's Pajamas. Dave Room (CEO, BALANCE Edutainment)

Case Study 11 Schools of the Future. Miramadrid School. (Spain) Carlos J. Ochoa (CEO ONE Digital Consulting)
CHAPTER 7 Conclusions
Thank you to ONE Digital Consulting and HumanEyes Technologies Ltd., the maker of Vuze cameras, for sponsoring this White Paper. For more information about the sponsors, visit: www.onedigitalconsulting.com and www.humaneyes.com

If you would like to sponsor a future version of this report, email info@thevrara.com

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Best Practices for VR & AR in Education (White Paper)

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Preface Opportunity Introduction Introduction to the VR/AR Association (VRARA) The VRARA Education Committee CHAPTER 1 Future Work Skills, Reimagining Digital Education CHAPTER 2 VR/AR Educational Ecosystem 2.1 Disruptive Innovation in Education 2.2 VR & AR Definitions 2.4 VR/AR Educational Platforms for Beginners CHAPTER 3 VR/AR in Education 3.1 Innovation in

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In-Depth: Therapeutic VR in 2018 is no longer just a distraction (therapy)

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Although it hasn't yet established its place as a mainstream treatment modality, virtual reality has grown from an interesting diversion into a frequent topic of conversation within digital health. As researchers continue to dig their teeth into the immersive technology, it's becoming clear that this new tool, often associated with video gaming and entertainment, could play a role in addressing some of the long-standing issues of the healthcare industry.

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At 17 years old, Christine Johns sat in a university classroom surrounded by men and women who were devastated as Pittsburgh's steel industry collapsed around them. Displaced steelworkers and stay-at-home mothers found themselves desperate for an education-and the work it would help secure.

Johns vividly remembers one woman turning to her and saying, "Young lady, make sure you get your college education and degree. Don't be like me. Here I am at 40 years old, sitting in a classroom, trying to figure out what I need to do so my family can survive. Take control of your future and your destiny."

That message catapulted Johns onto a career path that took her from teacher to administrator and eventually to superintendent of Utica Community Schools, a suburban Detroit community in the heart of the automotive industry. In each role, she has focused on helping students become college and career ready so they can avoid the struggles of her displaced steelworker classmates years before.

As the superintendent for Michigan's second largest school district-with approximately 27,000 students-Johns is intent on finding innovative ways to give students the skills and resources they need to thrive at each stage of their education and to participate fully in a global economy.

Johns spoke with EdSurge about using augmented and virtual reality to help students become college and career ready, measuring the impact of new technologies, and the importance of professional development.
EdSurge: How does technology fit into your goal of helping all students become college and career ready?
Christine Johns: Our economy has changed significantly. To have access to high paying careers in the future requires some type of post-secondary education. So, how do we give our students the skills and the resources they need so that they can have what all parents desire for their children . . . a high quality of life? Education, I believe, is that ticket.

We need to find ways to give our children access to current and future technologies that will allow them to fully participate in our global economy.
Why specifically did you choose to adopt AR/VR technology?
Utica Community Schools is situated is in the heart of the automotive, defense and healthcare industries, and our community has a heavy manufacturing base. Many of the businesses are already using virtual reality-whether it's doctors performing surgery, designers building cars or the defense industry testing products in virtual environments.

Why would we not give our children those same experiences in our classrooms? Virtual reality has evolved over the last several years, particularly in the area of education and what's available to students. Kids love it. It's just a natural fit.

That's why for the past two years we've been running a pilot project in four of our elementary schools where we use zSpace's AR/VR technology to teach science.
What skills are students gaining from using AR/VR?
We want our students to be innovative problem solvers. We want them to be able to work with others and be able to test variables. When we looked at zSpace and the virtual reality curriculum apps it has, there were opportunities for students to work collaboratively and with their teachers, but also opportunities for students to investigate subject matter more deeply if they wanted.

Dr. Christine Johns

For example, if I think of a student that has an interest in understanding how the heart works, we are not just reading out of a book and discussing how the heart functions. Instead, there's active engagement and imagining. Students actually take the stylus and navigate through the valves of the heart. They can take the heart apart and turn it around to help them understand how it works. This is a deeper level of engagement and a deeper level of learning that allows for students to develop understanding in a 3-D way, not in a two-dimensional way.
What can teachers and students do with this technology that they couldn't do without it?
Here's an example. There's a zSpace module called Franklin's Lab. The students actually build a whole circuit board and then program it to run certain motors, turn lights on, etc. In order to do that, they have to test the conductivity of various materials-plastic, metal, glass. They use the investigative process, collect and retain data, and do analysis.

They could do those things previously, but it meant the teacher had to collect materials, prepare them for students, and then get students organized in groups. By the time you had everything set up-a typical class period is 60 to 90 minutes-the kids were just getting into it before it was time to move on to the next activity.

Instead, now you can start the activity and if class time runs out, you can come back the next day and pick up where you left off. It helps develop deeper learning. You don't lose what you already set up; you don't have to get it all ready again for the next class. The system also saves the students' work.
How are you measuring the success of your pilot program?
If we look at the four schools and how they're performing on the NWEA assessment in science, we see that these schools are very easily on pace with or outpacing the national average in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. That's important because, it shows us that when students are problem-solving and doing these investigations through zSpace, they are also learning content, and the principles of science and science vocabulary.

Students are also more engaged. When students are in the labs working with the virtual reality content, time-on-task is extraordinarily high.

We're also measuring on the other side-our teachers. Are the materials easy to use? Are they able to make them work with their kids as well? We're evaluating all of that now. Right now we know they are excited and they think the materials are great.
What advice do you have for school and district leaders interested in using AR/VR in their schools?
In the implementation, professional development is key. The teachers are excited about virtual reality, but it's also a different way to present information; the teaching component is different than what they're doing today. It's important to invest in that professional development for teachers as we transition to a different way of delivering content to students.

zSpace has provided the professional development for us. They have an expert teacher, with a science background, who works directly with our teachers and it's been very helpful.

zSpace Applications

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How AR and VR Can Inspire Innovation-and Boost College and Career Readiness - EdSurge News

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At 17 years old, Christine Johns sat in a university classroom surrounded by men and women who were devastated as Pittsburgh's steel industry collapsed around them. Displaced steelworkers and stay-at-home mothers found themselves desperate for an education-and the work it would help secure.

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Pushing immersive learning beyond the classroom (Google I/O '18)

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November 13 - 17 is National Education Week in the US. To celebrate, we're highlighting the intersections of VR and education with a series of blog posts. In Part 1, we dove into the latest news from Oculus NextGen. In Part 2, we discuss some exciting updates from Oculus Education, including a grant to support play4REAL, a new lab at Yale's Center for Health & Learning Games.
Knowledge Is Power
The mission of Oculus Education is to empower communities through VR's ability to positively impact learning and to support equitable access for all. To accomplish that goal, we need to understand how VR can have the greatest impact on learning outcomes across a variety of scenarios. Beyond our efforts to dig into existing research around VR and learning, the Oculus Education team sponsors new research to help us pinpoint and maximize VR's educational potential across pedagogy, academia, secondary and university-level education, professional training, life-long learning, and collaboration across disciplines.

We've partnered with several research institutions to design data-driven research projects that help us better understand which properties of VR may have the greatest impact on learning, under which conditions, and in what subject matters and environments. Read on to learn more about what they'll explore.

Yale Center for Health & Learning Games
Funded in part by Oculus, Yale's new play4REAL lab will develop and test VR games for health education and behavioral intervention in adolescents and young adults. Under the leadership of Kimberly Hieftje and in partnership with PreviewLabs, play4REAL will develop and playtest SmokescreenVR, an immersive intervention used to investigate VR's ability to influence the perception and experience of peer pressure and development of social norms. The hope is that VR may ultimately be leveraged to impact health education and positive behavioral change, particularly in at-risk populations.

Image courtesy Yale Center for Health & Learning Games
Visit play4rlab.org for more information or follow @play4rlab on Twitter and Facebook.

MIT Education Arcade
Led by Eric Klopfer, MIT will develop, pilot, test, and evaluate a proof-of-concept multiplayer VR experience for high school students, exploring cell biology with a focus on DNA, RNA, and protein translation through gameplay. The goal of this study is to understand the impact of VR in hands-on learning, particularly when dealing with the concept of scale, and to understand the ways in which traditional classroom resources can maximize VR's effectiveness as a pedagogical tool.

Cornell Virtual Embodiment Lab
Andrea Stevenson Won, Natasha Grace Holmes, Jonathan Schuldt, and their labs will develop a curriculum to compare the effectiveness of learning activities through table-top activities, computer simulations, and immersive, hands-on simulation in VR to better understand the tradeoffs and advantages of each. Beyond rote learning, this study will measure conceptual understanding, attitudes, and motivation while exploring the mechanics of moon phases and their impact on tides and sea levels.

New York University Future Reality Lab
Spearheaded by Ken Perlin, NYU is developing Chalktalk VR, a a digital communication and presentation language that can be used to teach in social VR learning spaces. Realized through an interactive, free-form "whiteboard," Chalktalk VR investigates the ways in which digital collaboration in virtual space differs from a traditional classroom, the benefits involved, and subject matters most approachable in an immersive setting.

With Mary Spio at the helm, CEEK VR is developing medical training scenarios specifically targeted at nurses. The first module will focus on identifying and treating sepsis-a potentially life-threatening condition. In addition to examining the efficacy of medical training in VR, this study will explore the attitudes among health care professionals toward VR as a training tool-both before and after engaging with a VR training module.

University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Hera Kim-Berman is heading a team to study the difference in student learning in diagnosis and treatment planning of complex jaw surgery cases using low-, moderate-, and high-fidelity methods including 2D manual tracing, 2D digital prediction, 3D digital prediction, and VR.

University of Michigan School of Nursing + Medical School
Michelle Aebersold, Prashant Mahajan, and their teams are working together to develop, pilot, and evaluate a collaborative Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) simulation to demonstrate the feasibility of VR for improving medical teamwork, communication skills, guideline adherence, and patient outcomes in emergency treatment scenarios.

Santa Clara University College of Arts and Sciences
Under the guidance of Debbie Tahmassebi, Santa Clara University will explore the potential role of VR in liberal arts education through three distinct projects. The first will examine VR's ability to stimulate long-term change and collective action, while the second and third will investigate VR's impact on philosophical thought experiments and contemporary workplace education through project-based learning, respectively.

New Jersey Institute of Technology
Led by Eric Nersesian, NJIT is developing a chemistry curriculum at the high school level to determine the impact of VR on learning outcomes and retention in public schools. By comparing learning outcomes across students exposed to similar curriculum presented in VR, textbook, and traditional computer game form, this study aims to formally assess VR's potential in secondary education.

Harvard Department of Computer Science
David Malan and his research team will translate CS50x: Introduction to Computer Science I into a live VR experience that can be taken by students around the world for free. To help distance learners feel more immersed in their education, this study will focus on demonstrating the strengths and feasibility of VR in collegiate education through livestreaming lectures and events in 360° video.

The More You Know
The results of these research studies will be made publicly available to benefit the entire VR community. Our goal is to better understand how the strengths of VR and AR can help us improve the world, through better educational opportunities for everyone.

We look forward to sharing more in the months ahead.

- The Oculus Team

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Oculus Education Partners with Research Institutions to Explore VR's Impact on Learning Outcomes

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November 13 - 17 is National Education Week in the US. To celebrate, we're highlighting the intersections of VR and education with a series of blog posts. In Part 1, we dove into the latest news from Oculus NextGen.

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Foundry10, a Seattle based philanthropic educational research organization, wanted to explore what happens when you bring VR into the classroom. Following a pilot project started in 2015, Foundry10 has now put VR in the hands of 40 schools and community centers around the world, and measured students attitudes toward the technology.

The data from Foundry10's initiative is available in two free reports, which begin to lay a foundation of data about how VR might be most useful in the classroom:

The majority of the schools in the study were in the United States and Canada. Headsets were mostly passed out by Foundry10 contacting teachers who had expressed interest in bringing VR to their classroom. A total of 1,351 students from 6th to 12th grade, a majority of them were in the 7th and 8th grades. As for gender, ½ the students were male, a ⅓ were female, and ⅙ did not specify. Most of the students had not tried VR before trying it in school or in a community center.

To gather data student surveys were passed out both pre/post VR experiences. The students surveys were grouped into two categories: VR consumers, those who viewed/engaged with VR content; and VR creators, those who consumed as well as created and/or modified existing content as part of their learning. VR content creation was offered in classes such as Advanced Computer Science, Game and App Development, and Fundamentals of Digital and Visual Arts. Some students were using VR to create artistic work, but those were not included VR content creators since they were not coding. Content creators also were mostly in higher grade levels (majority being in 12th grade), and the majority were male.

Of the students surveyed (regardless of class content) majority were interested in both consumption and creation of VR content. There was a small decrease (moved to consumption only) when comparing post to pre, but still a majority wanted to do both. As for subject matter, students mostly wanted to experience content in concrete subjects such as history or science education.

Initially students were unsure of what to see or what could be done in VR, but there were distinct shifts in before and after. There were positive shifts in categories such as trying new things and historic experiences, but negative shifts in emotions. Students felt that they could learn about places through VR. A teacher offered an anecdote about their students in a rural classroom experiencing a virtual subway ride. This was very impactful on this group of students because majority of them had never seen anything like a subway except in images and video.

Additional questions were recorded in the survey such as what causes breaks in immersion when it comes to VR content (the answer will most likely not surprise you: ). There was also data presented for discomfort experienced by students in VR, which was not overly common, but still something teachers and creators of educational VR content would need to consider in the future.

Also, there was evidence that, in schools where the VR program that did not have support of the school's administration and IT services, the technology was draining on teachers, regardless of the teacher's previous interest. Students also had comments on the hardware, in particular the cables being troublesome, so a wireless version would be preferred or less cumbersome experience could be beneficial.

Overall, students had confidence that VR ed content developers were knowledgeable about the content they were creating. They also understood that the technology has a long way to go, but felt the simulations they experienced were realistic. Students also felt that VR was helpful to people, and should be more accessible. At the moment of the published released 30 schools were enrolled for the 2017-2018 program. For more in depth analyses of these finding please visit foundry10. Links for both the in depth study as well as the summary are available there. This was a very intriguing study, and we look forward to seeing their results in the future.

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1,350 Student VR Education Study Measures Attitudes, Interest in VR Learning & Building

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Foundry10, a Seattle based philanthropic educational research organization, wanted to explore what happens when you bring VR into the classroom. Following a pilot project started in 2015, Foundry10 has now put VR in the hands of 40 schools and community centers around the world, and measured students attitudes toward the technology.

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Virtual Reality Research: Learning Advantages

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Research journal articles covering the pedagogy and learning advantages of virtual reality

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Tuthill, G., & Klemm, E. B. (2002). Virtual field trips: Alternatives to actual field trips. International Journal of Instructional Media, 29(4), 453-468.

Tuthill and Klemm summarize the advantages and disadvantages of taking virtual field trips over real field trips. They emphasize the point that virtual field trips can be very effective as pre- or post-discussions when bracketing real-world field trips.

With respect to virtual field trips, does VR have anything to add to the experience? Tuthill and Klemm mention that the "total experience" is something that is lost in a simple virtual field trip. VR takes another step towards the "total experience" where you get at least a 3D 360 degree visual experience. It still does not address the olfactory or physical senses but that may not be too far in the future.

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Tuthill, G., & Klemm, E. B. (2002). Virtual field trips: Alternatives to actual field trips - Virtual Reality for Education

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Tuthill, G., & Klemm, E. B. (2002). Virtual field trips: Alternatives to actual field trips. International Journal of Instructional Media, 29(4), 453-468. Tuthill and Klemm summarize the advantages and disadvantages of taking virtual field trips over real field trips. They emphasize the point that virtual field trips can be very effective as pre- or post-discussions when bracketing real-world field trips.

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Summaries of Research Papers

Placing, K., & Fernandez, A. (2001). Virtual experiences for secondary science teaching. Australian Science Teachers Journal, 48(1), 40-42. Retrieved from Proquest.

The article discusses different types of virtual experiences but also has a very important distinction about them: virtual experiences are for extending and enhancing learning, not for replacing "real-life" experiences. In this case, the virtual experiences are virtual field trips and virtual geology digs. The authors argue not to replace actual field trips with these computer-based trips because nothing (yet!) immerses the student in an environment more than being in the actual environment. However, as a supplemental and parallel learning tool, virtual experiences can greatly enhance the educational quality and engagement of a science curriculum.
The article, while relatively short, has quite a few resources listed for biology and geology educators. Though the resources may be dated they still hold valuable learning structures and may link to more current research.

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Placing, K., & Fernandez, A. (2001). Virtual experiences for secondary science teaching - Virtual Reality for Education

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Placing, K., & Fernandez, A. (2001). Virtual experiences for secondary science teaching. Australian Science Teachers Journal, 48(1), 40-42. Retrieved from Proquest. The article discusses different types of virtual experiences but also has a very important distinction about them: virtual experiences are for extending and enhancing learning, not for replacing "real-life" experiences.

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The concept of Virtual Reality classrooms would be such an improbable idea if this was the year 1960 (or anytime leading to 2000s). The boom of VR startups and capital raised for this technology is a clear indication that VR has uses for different sectors such as gaming, military, health, and even education.

The VR market is expected to grow close to becoming a $16 billion industry by 2019. The world is definitely changing as the VR's market share is not only limited to gaming but is now being developed to cater to learning and education.

According to Elizabeth Reede, co-founder of WoofbertVR, and Larissa Bailiff, senior editor of WoofbertVR ,

" While statistics on VR use in K-12 schools and colleges have yet to be gathered, the steady growth of the market is reflected in the surge of companies ... solely dedicated to providing schools with packaged educational curriculum and content, teacher training and technological tools to support VR-based instruction in the classroom. Myriad articles, studies and conference presentations attest to the great success of 3D immersion and VR technology in hundreds of classrooms in educationally progressive schools and learning labs in the U.S. and Europe."

Why is VR being reimagined as the world's future classrooms?

Here are some of the top reasons:

VR breaks spatial and time limitations.

VR can be used to recreate historic and natural sites. It can also be used to construct architectural and spatial renderings.

"In other areas of education, many classes have used VR tools to collaboratively construct architectural models, recreations of historic or natural sites and other spatial renderings. Instructors also have used VR technology to engage students in topics related to literature, history and economics by offering a deeply immersive sense of place and time, whether historic or evolving." - Elizabeth Reede and Larissa Bailiff, When Virtual Reality Meets Education | CRUNCH NETWORK

Google launched its Pioneer Expeditions in September 2015. Kits which used smartphones as VR headsets enabled virtual explorations to 100+ destinations. These were distributed to thousands of schools.

VR has access to global libraries of information.

This new technology will allow students from a New York classroom take classes from a mentor in Italy. In addition, this technology will help bridge cultures and foster learning from different nationalities, countries, and races.

VR is an interactive tool that allows collaboration, socialization and outreach.

Multi-player sessions and avatars are integrated in VR making this platform highly social and interactive. Also, lecturers use this technology to engage students in lessons by deep immersion to historic and evolving models of imaging and recreations. As an example, we could see a lecturer hosting a real-time virtual master class of students from all over the world.

Elizabeth Reede and Larissa Bailiff furthered that, "Educators and students alike are seeking an ever-expanding immersive landscape, where students engage with teachers and each other in transformative experiences through a wide spectrum of interactive resources. In this educational reality, VR has a definitive place of value."

Read more at " When Virtual Reality Meets Education " by Elizabeth Reede and Larissa Bailiff

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Top 3 Reasons Why Virtual Reality Is The Classroom Of The Future - LearnBrite

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The concept of Virtual Reality classrooms would be such an improbable idea if this was the year 1960 (or anytime leading to 2000s). The boom of VR startups and capital raised for this technology is a clear indication that VR has uses for different sectors such as gaming, military, health, and even education.

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VR in the Classroom: Early lessons learned from Google Expeditions - Google I/O 2016

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The learning potential of virtual reality in classrooms generated a lot of enthusiasm during ISTE 2016 in Denver. From Google's $15 Cardboard viewer that utilizes a smartphone to the Samsung VR headsets, teachers were anxious to learn as much as they could about using virtual reality in their classrooms, and education marketers were assessing the depth of interest in virtual reality while fine-tuning their plans for the 2016-17 school year.

Of note for educational marketers is new Samsung research, which reveals:

2% of teachers are using virtual reality

60% are interested in making it a part of the learning experience

83% say that virtual reality may improve learning outcomes by providing:

Better understanding of concepts - 77%

Greater collaboration - 71%

Motivation in the classroom - 84%

Google Expeditions is among the best-known providers of virtual field trips, which have arguably the easiest applicability to classroom instruction. Using smartphones tucked into a cardboard viewer that focuses the viewer's field of vision, an app displays video that takes students to more than 100 locations for immersive experiences.

Expeditions are collections of linked VR content and support materials that can be incorporated into any curriculum. According to Google, these virtual field trips include 360° panoramic and 3D images - annotated with points of interest. Google is working with content partners, such as PBS, Houghton Mifflin, the Planetary Society and the American Museum of Natural History, to create custom educational content.

Nearpod has released 28 virtual reality lessons that model how to incorporate virtual field trips into curriculum. Using Google Cardboard viewers, teachers can send classes on 25 virtual field trips that offer students a first-person tour of Egyptian pyramids, caves on Easter Island, or a swim through the Great Barrier Reef.

While Oculus Rift and other head-mounted displays are now available to schools, they are priced in the $500 to $1,000 range and are intended for the high-end gamer. The Samsung VR headset at $99 and Google Cardboard at $15 are more affordable options for schools.

In his ISTE wrap-up post, edtech leader Richard Byrne shared that three recent research studies came to the same conclusion about the potential positive benefits of using VR in the classroom: "They first found an improvement in students' comprehension of geometrical concepts. The second found an improvement in students' understanding of geometrical concepts and relationships, but only with prior knowledge. And the third study found an improvement in students' understanding of anatomy."

While initial student engagement is a given because of the "wow" factor, Byrne cautions educators to not depend on that alone. He believes that the real power of VR is that kids are going to be in control of their learning experiences. As a new medium for content delivery, immersive virtual experiences provide education companies an opportunity to differentiate and personalize learning in a new way. Since it is still early days for integrating virtual reality into the curriculum, first mover companies can establish thought leadership by sharing best practices with their target audiences.

This post is the first in a two-part series on the state of gaming in K-12 schools. Next we'll take a look at the research underpinnings for game-based learning strategies in the classroom.

I'll be presenting a session called "These Bananas Aren't Going to Sell Themselves" next week at the Serious Play Conference at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The focus is on creating a game plan to put educational marketers on the path to success. If you can't make the conference, email me at charlene@cblohm.com to get the deck or just chat more about options that might be right for you.

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The State of Virtual Reality in K-12 Education | C. Blohm & Associates, Inc

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The learning potential of virtual reality in classrooms generated a lot of enthusiasm during ISTE 2016 in Denver. From Google's $15 Cardboard viewer that utilizes a smartphone to the Samsung VR headsets, teachers were anxious to learn as much as they could about using virtual reality in their classrooms, and education marketers were assessing the depth of interest in virtual reality while fine-tuning their plans for the 2016-17 school year.

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A new report from Stanford researcher Jeremy Bailenson in partnership with Common Sense Media outlines what parents need to be thinking about if their children are interested in trying VR.

Common Sense Media operates a site with reviews that help parents gauge if a movie or game is appropriate for their child. In a foreword to the report, Common Sense founder and CEO James P. Steyer wrote that they'd begin reviewing VR games too.

Bailenson is the founding director of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford and he recently released a book, Experience on Demand, covering potential uses for VR and outlining some of the unknowns. One of those unknowns is the long-term effects of VR on children. The new report offers helpful guidelines for parents to think about VR usage, while also providing ample references if you want to dive deeper. The report is quick to point out, however, that "when it comes to VR and kids, we just don't know all that much."

Among the "key findings":

Virtual reality is likely to have powerful effects on children because it can provoke a response to virtual experiences similar to a response to actual experiences.

The long-term effects of children's use of immersive VR on their still-developing brains and health are unknown, but most parents are concerned, and experts advocate moderation and supervision.

Only one in five U.S. parents (21 percent) today report living in a household with VR, and the majority (65 percent) are not planning to purchase VR hardware. However, the interest levels of U.S. children are high, while parent interest is mixed.

Characters in VR may be especially influential on young children, even more so than characters on TV or computers. This can be good or bad depending on the influence.

Students often feel more enthusiasm for learning while using VR, but they do not necessarily learn more through VR than through video or computer games.

VR can potentially be an effective tool for encouraging empathy among children, though most parents are skeptical.

When choosing VR content, parents should consider whether they would want their children to have the same experience in the real world.

One section of the report covers the suggested age guidelines outlined by various companies, which range from 7 to 12 or 13 years old. "However, there is no clinical rational for this age." According to the report, "more than seven in 10 parents of 8- to 17-year-olds who use VR say that it is appropriate for children under 13 to use VR."

One section can help parents think about how VR might affect children of different ages, including "whether children can distinguish between actual and virtual experiences." The document cites research showing that by age 5 "children can understand the difference between reality and fantasy on television." It also suggests there is a "shift in perception" typically between the ages of 5 and 7, and that "children younger than 7 could face challenges discerning when virtual events are not real."

"One study showed that 5-year-old children followed the advice of a virtual character shown on a television screen as frequently as that of a live person, but 7- and 9-year-old children followed the advice of a live person more often than that of a virtual character."

The report also states "much of what we can predict about the negative effects is conjecture, based largely on previous research with traditional media."

Bailenson recently authored a piece for CNN warning about the potential risk of using VR to train for a mass shooting, and the Common Sense report states, "More than three decades of research suggest that violent video gameplay is a risk factor for stimulating aggressive behavior."

"To the extent that violent video games increase hostile tendencies and arousal, we should expect even stronger effects from VR."

The report also covers the benefits of VR for things like education and pain management, and closes with a helpful guideline for people to think about: "would this be something you would do in real life or would want your child to do in real life?"

If the answer is no, avoid that content, the report concludes. The full report can be downloaded with a free account sign up here.

Tagged with: Stanford

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Report Outlines Potential Risks With Use Of VR By Kids

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A new report from Stanford researcher Jeremy Bailenson in partnership with Common Sense Media outlines what parents need to be thinking about if their children are interested in trying VR. Common Sense Media operates a site with reviews that help parents gauge if a movie or game is appropriate for their child.

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Making Virtual Reality a Reality in Today’s Classrooms -- THE Journal

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MIT education researcher Meredith Thompson shares three vignettes of three different approaches to virtual reality in K–12: a social studies class in a suburban school district, a district-wide perspective from an urban school district and a class designed entirely around understanding and implementing VR for other classrooms.

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DENVER--()--Only two percent of teachers have used virtual reality* in the classroom, but 60 percent are interested in making it part of the learning experience, according to research released at ISTE 2016 today by Samsung Electronics America, Inc. and GfK. While virtual reality is still a relatively new technology, teachers nationwide recognize its potential to impact education.

This nationwide survey of more than 1,000 U.S. K-12 teachers revealed that 86 percent feel it is a challenge to keep students engaged in curriculum, even with existing classroom technology. Meanwhile, 93 percent of teachers say their students would be excited to use virtual reality and 83 percent say that virtual reality might help improve learning outcomes - from better understanding of learning concepts (77 percent) to greater collaboration (71 percent) and motivation in the classroom (84 percent).

"As we saw with Chromebooks, tablets, digital curriculum and game-based learning, emerging technologies can have a profound impact on student success and virtual reality has the potential do the same and more," said Ted Brodheim, vice president of Vertical Business at Samsung Electronics America. "Samsung is committed to empowering students and teachers through technology, and we're excited to work with educators to create new learning opportunities with virtual reality."

According to the survey, science (82 percent), social studies (81 percent) and history (81 percent) are the top three subjects teachers think can most benefit from virtual reality. Also, the majority of teachers believe they could use virtual reality in variety of ways:

More than two-thirds (68 percent) of teachers say they want to use virtual reality to supplement course curriculum to help students better understand course concepts, like watching a book's video trailer for a literature lesson or viewing a chemical reaction for a science lesson.

7 out of 10 teachers (72 percent) want to simulate experiences relevant to course content, like flying as the Wright Brothers did in 1903 or trading stocks on the floor of a stock exchange.

69 percent say they would use virtual reality to travel to distant world landmarks, like Stonehenge or Machu Picchu.

68 percent want to use virtual reality to explore otherwise inaccessible locations, like outer space or the interior of a volcano.

42 percent of high school teachers (grades 9-12) would like to use virtual reality to tour college campuses to encourage students to pursue higher education.

Teachers across generations have a positive perception of technology in the classroom. However, millennial teachers are more likely to say they are "innovators" in the use of classroom technology - 79 percent, compared to 67 percent of Gen Xers and 57 percent of Baby Boomers. Also, more millennial teachers report having already experienced virtual reality for personal or professional purposes (22 percent), compared to Gen Xers and Baby Boomers (both 15 percent).

For additional details on the research, an infographic detailing the survey findings is available at: http://www.slideshare.net/SamsungBusinessUSA/.

For more information about Samsung K-12 products and solutions, please visit: www.samsung.com/education. Join the conversation on Twitter at@SamsungEDU.

The survey was conducted between May 20 and June 2, 2016, using the GfK KnowledgePanel, and included a representative sample of 1,011 K-12 teachers nationwide. The respondents were selected using random probability address-based sampling. The survey took 6 minutes on average to administer. Final data were weighted by age, gender, race/ethnicity, level of completed education, and type of school (public school teachers vs. private/charter school teachers) according to the 2012 NCES data. Age, gender, and race/ethnicity were also weighted within school type (public vs. private/charter). The margin of error for the sample is +/- 3.4 percentage points (total weighted teacher sample).

*Samsung Gear VR is not for use by children under 13. Watching videos or playing games with the Gear VR may affect the visual development of children. When children, age 13 or older, use the Gear VR, adults should limit their usage time and ensure they take frequent breaks. Adults should monitor children closely after using the Gear VR if children feel discomfort.

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.

Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, NJ, Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), is a recognized innovation leader in consumer electronics design and technology. A wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SEA delivers a broad range of digital consumer electronics, IT and home appliance products. Samsung is the market leader for HDTVs in the U.S and America's fastest growing home appliance brands. To discover more of the award-winning products you love with Samsung, please visit www.samsung.com and for the latest Samsung news, please visit news.samsung.com/us and follow on Twitter@SamsungNewsUS.

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Survey Finds Teachers Want to Make Virtual Reality a Reality in the Classroom

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DENVER--()--Only two percent of teachers have used virtual reality* in the classroom, but 60 percent are interested in making it part of the learning experience, according to research released at ISTE 2016 today by Samsung Electronics America, Inc. and GfK. While virtual reality is still a relatively new technology, teachers nationwide recognize its potential to impact education.

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Virtual reality has yet to become a reality in most classrooms. According to a 2016 survey of 38,000 U.S. educators, just around 5 percent of teachers said they used any virtual or augmented reality programs in class.

Yet with Google ramping up sales of its Expeditions Kit, and Facebook giving away 500 free Oculus Rift headsets to schools in Arkansas, the number of teachers using VR tools in U.S. classrooms could jump to more than 15 percent by 2021, predicts Futuresource, a market research firm.

Because of the way [the VR space] was built, she had to overreach to do something and fell over.

David Kleeman
What gives VR builders and their investors reasons to cheer also raises concerns, however, for health experts. A recent study was done by Children and Virtual Reality, a collaboration between researchers, VR companies, universities and health organizations, found that using VR tools could have significant health impacts on children.

"We wanted to make whatever experiences we create for children are as healthy and as right for their age as possible," says Dr. Dylan Yamada-Rice, a senior research manager at Dubit, a consulting firm for children's media and one of the groups involved in the study.

Started in 2015, the experiment just completed its third of four phases, where researchers worked with a group of about 20 children, aged 8 to 12, to observe health and safety issues posed by the use of VR tools. The first two research phases involved surveying more than 1,000 U.S. and U.K. children, aged 2 to 15, about their knowledge of and interest in emerging VR tools. Then they explored how children used different types of headsets including Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

What the researchers found in the third phase of the study, published last October, was that usage of VR headsets could impact a child's vision, balance and spatial awareness-concerns they say educators should consider before adopting VR technology.

Researchers from the University of Leeds conducted pre- and post- eye examinations for 20 children, and tested their depth of perception and sense of balance, before and after they used the headsets. For most students, there were no significant differences. However, for children who displayed issues with balance, spatial awareness, vision and depth of perception in the pre-test, those problems may have intensified after using virtual reality tools.

"We had one child whose eyesight differed pre- and post-test. He already had bad eyesight to begin with," says Yamada-Rice, noting that this student showed problems with nearsightedness after playing with the headset, something not common for children.

To test their depth of perception, researchers asked children to find numbers or shapes embedded in dot patterns. Then they asked students to use the headsets for about 20 minutes before repeating the dot test. One child, who displayed problems with depth perception during the pre-test, also displayed significant issues after using the headset.

"What we are looking at is making sure there is not a lingering effect once you take that headset off," says David Kleeman, a senior vice president at Dubit. He notes that students struggling with depth of perception may run into objects or trip over things.

Researchers also found risks for young people who had no pre-existing health issues, noting that their balance and depth of perception could be affected by engaging in content created for adults. For instance, children who entered VR experiences created for adults often struggled to stay balanced as they reached for objects within the fabricated realms that were beyond their body's extent. Researchers suspect that this effect lingered after the headset came off.

"There was one girl who had balance problems post-test," says Kleeman, describing how the young girl fell over while using the program. "Because of the way it was built, she had to overreach to do something and fell over. It may have been a lingering effect from that."

Kleeman and Yamada-Rice also note that children appeared uncomfortable in virtual spaces where there was no ground, or when they could not see their feet.

"You go into Google Earth, and you're sort of just floating in space," says Yamada-Rice, describing what some students felt. "And they are like, 'Why am I here? And why haven't I been given a platform to stand on so I don't feel like I am going to fall down?' That, not understanding where you are grounded, they didn't like that very much."

Despite these incidents, these are health and safety concerns that manufacturers can fix, she believes. For starters, they can design features that lock children out of the VR experience after 15 minutes, so they take a break. She is optimistic that these lessons can help VR developers create content more suitable for children.

The research group notes that further research is needed for to learn exactly how long youth with pre-existing health issues should engage with VR tools. Yamada-Rice worries for children using the tools at home, but she doesn't suspect that this will be a big problem for educators whose students will be on headsets for short periods of time.

For teachers adopting VR, Yamada-Rice recommends that they make sure the tools used in classrooms are calibrated for young people. She also notes that it is important to create optimal spaces in the classroom where children cannot run into dangerous objects. Hosting media literacy discussions around VR content, experiences, and how the systems work is another way educators can reduce health risks.

"Those are simple things teachers can do to allow children to understand how VR works," says Yamada-Rice. "It also gets them thinking about the quality of content themselves. Then they can say, 'this is good' and 'that is not good' and why so that they are not just passive consumers."

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What Researchers Want Teachers to Know About Virtual Reality's Health Risks - EdSurge News

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Virtual reality has yet to become a reality in most classrooms. According to a 2016 survey of 38,000 U.S. educators, just around 5 percent of teachers said they used any virtual or augmented reality programs in class.

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The gaming industry does not stand still. In fact, time and time again over the years, gaming has pushed the envelope and adopted cutting edge technologies that later became mainstream-technologies like streaming online content, and 1080p and 4K (and beyond) graphics. As one trend ends another is always just around the corner, ready to take the world by store-and right now there's plenty of things to be excited about. Let's take a look at what's in store for the gaming industry, and how things might change going forward.

One of the hottest technologies-at least in terms of industry buzz-is virtual reality (VR). VR is something that was talked about many years before its actual arrival. When it finally hit the street, it didn't boom as expected. However, there have since been dramatic improvements to both the hardware and software, which has led to the product finally starting to live up to expectations. Virtual reality is poised to have a huge impact on the gaming industry in its many different forms.

It won't necessarily just be video games that take advantage of VR. It's long been said that online gaming operators-sites like Party Casino -will find VR technology extremely beneficial. They will be able to create impressive virtual casino experiences for their customers to enjoy. Not only that, but online video slot games can be more immersive too.

Augmented Reality-or AR-is another form of technology that is set to change the gaming landscape. Where virtual reality places you completely into a virtual world experience, augmented reality overlays a virtual digital world on top of the real, physical world in front of you. Thanks to the popularity of games like Pokémon Go, augmented reality has gotten a lot of attention in the past year. The latest flagship smartphones such as the iPhone X, and developer frameworks like Apple's ARKit are bringing AR technology quickly into the mainstream consciousness.

Augmented Reality has serious potential with seemingly unlimited capabilities. Many people are already of the opinion that it could be much bigger than virtual reality, especially as AR is already proving to be a hit on smartphones. That appears to be the direction the market is heading. More and more people are gaming on their mobile phones and tablets these days, so it makes sense for the future of gaming to be focused on that area of the market.

Another concept that is pushing the envelope and shaping the future of the gaming industry is competitive games-commonly referred to as eSports. The popularity of competitive online gaming is growing at a dramatic rate-for both competitors and viewers. It's also possible that the concept of eSports could bleed over to skill-based casino gaming as well.

Most of these technologies require a lot of bandwidth to function smoothly. Luckily, 5G connections from mobile devices are just around the corner. It's estimated that 5G can comfortably reach speeds of around 10Gbps, which would make the mobile gaming experience significantly better.

The future is certainly bright for the gaming industry-and consequently for the rest of the mainstream world of consumer technology as hot new technologies become mainstream. Virtual reality, augmented reality, and eSports are the hot concepts right now, but who knows what sort of mind-blowing technology will drive gaming 5 years from now?

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VR, AR, eSports and the Future of Gaming

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The gaming industry does not stand still. In fact, time and time again over the years, gaming has pushed the envelope and adopted cutting edge technologies that later became mainstream-technologies like streaming online content, and 1080p and 4K (and beyond) graphics.

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https://air.adobeconnect.com/_a941146816/pe5kcvlehb9k/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

Resources in the Presentation

VR and AR In the Class – Brief newsclip highlighting one school’s use of VR and AR.

Samsung Survey including VR and the classroom

Examples of how VR and AR are used around the world

AR: Seoul Trick Eye Museum: http://bit.ly/1KoynLx

VR Simulators: Flying the Birdly: http://bit.ly/17XYIyi

VR gives handicapped man experience he’ll never forget: http://bit.ly/2nW7k1z

Future of Gaming (AR eSports): http://bit.ly/2nRK2tM

VR & AR Resources Crowdsourced from Webinar Panelists and Participants

Articles about VR and/ or AR in the world today:

Tampa Preparatory School’s virtual reality creation lab on the news: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOnF5fA1gsY&feature=youtu.be

Experience the 2018 Winter Olympics in Virtual Reality!:http://technocation.blogspot.com/2018/02/olympics2018vr.html

Why Does Virtual Reality Make Some People Sick?: https://www.livescience.com/54478-why-vr-makes-you-sick.html

VR and/ or AR classroom tools and resources:

Facebook

Tech Start: https://techstart.fb.co

AR Studio: https://developers.facebook.com/products/ar-studio/overview/

CodeHS VR curriculum: https://codehs.com/info/curriculum/vr

Aquila Education Resources:

Lesson Cataolgue: https://www.aquilaeducation.com/lesson-catalogue

CoSpaces Online: https://courses.aquilaeducation.com/courses/cospacesedu

Additional Aquila Education Resources: http://bit.ly/2EjGTKh

Resources from MIT

TaleBlazer-  a blocks-based software environment for creating and playing location-based augmented reality (AR) games: https://education.mit.edu/portfolio_page/clevr/https://education.mit.edu/portfolio_page/taleblazer/

Electrostatic Playground: A Multi-User Virtual Reality Physics Learning Experience: https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/vr-physics-lab/overview/

MIT Advanced Identity Representation (AIR) Project: http://groups.csail.mit.edu/icelab/associated-projects/advanced-identity-representation-air-project

Cocoverse- VR playground for collaboration and communication - http://fluid.media.mit.edu/projects/cocoverse

WebVR: https://webvr.info/

Google AR Core: https://developers.google.com/ar/

Apple AR Kit: https://developer.apple.com/arkit/

Making Virtual Reality a Reality in Today’s Classrooms: https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/01/11/making-virtual-reality-a-reality-in-todays-classrooms.aspx

Virtual Reality as a learning tool: https://aworldofwonder.org/2018/02/14/virtual-reality-as-a-learning-tool/

Oculus Education Partners with Research Institutions to Explore VR’s Impact on Learning Outcomes: https://www.oculus.com/blog/oculus-education-partners-with-research-institutions-to-explore-vrs-impact-on-learning-outcomes/

Mouse’s Create Platform: https://mouse.org/work

Kadenze- Mixed reality search results: https://www.kadenze.com/search?q=mixed+reality

A-Frame: http://www.aframe.io

Games for Change: http://www.gamesforchange.org/

Unity for Education Tutorials: https://store.unity.com/education

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Facebook is providing virtual-reality kits to every high school in Arkansas.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the expansion of his state's Techstart partnership with the social media giant on Monday, calling it part of an ongoing effort to generate excitement for science and technology education.

"Facebook's generous donation will provide Arkansas' students with an exciting learning platform that will allow them to have fun while sharpening their computer science skills and exploring STEM careers," Hutchinson said in a statement. "Students who utilize this incredible platform will be well-positioned to succeed in our increasingly technology-driven economy."

Earlier this year, Facebook donated about 400 virtual-reality classroom kits-including computers, cameras, and Oculus Rift headsets-to roughly 250 Arkansas high schools. The new donation will expand that effort to include more than 550 kits to about 360 public high schools.

According to a press release from Hutchinson's office, the Techstart program "uses a combination of virtual-reality instruction, curriculum support, and professional development for educators; access to computer-science events; and connections to engineering mentors."

There's certainly been no shortage of hype around the potential for virtual- and augmented-reality in the classroom. My colleagues over at Marketplace K-12, for example, recently wrote about an analysis by UK-based Futuresource Consulting predicting that "the number of students who access virtual-, augmented-, or mixed-reality through head-mounted displays will leap from 2.1 million in 2016 to nearly 83 million in 2021."

But so far, at least, real reality hasn't kept up.

Back in 2014, not long after Facebook acquired Oculus for a whopping $2 billion, Education Week wrote about how the technologies now being distributed in Arkansas were just the latest iteration of VR that proponents said would make a big splash in schools.

And just 5 percent of U.S. teachers say they are currently using AR or VR in their classrooms, according to a survey released last spring by the nonprofit group Project Tomorrow.

The Techstart partnership in Arkansas will be administered through the state education department's computer science division, as well as the Arkansas Public Resource Center, a nonprofit membership organization that provides support, technical assistance, and training to the state's schools.
Photo: Aaron Gonsalves, a student at the Jackson School, a school for special-needs students in Victoria, Australia, tries out the Oculus Rift virtual-reality system. --Luis Enrique Ascui/AP for Education Week Follow @BenjaminBHerold for the latest news on ed-tech policies, practices, and trends.

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Facebook Giving Virtual-Reality Kits to Every Arkansas High School

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Facebook is providing virtual-reality kits to every high school in Arkansas. Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the expansion of his state's Techstart partnership with the social media giant on Monday, calling it part of an ongoing effort to generate excitement for science and technology education.

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Is virtual reality finally ready to make inroads in K-12?

Technology companies are making a fresh push, and some market dynamics could provide them a tailwind. But there's plenty of reason to remain skeptical.

That's the takeaway from Education Week's reporting from two conferences last month: Bett, a global ed-tech trade show hosted in London, and EduCon, a gathering of progressive educators and technology enthusiasts in Philadelphia.

Reasons to be bullish include new hardware advances, falling prices, and a wave of districts that will soon be looking to replace their existing computers and laptops. As a result, more than 15 percent of U.S. schools will have virtual-reality classroom kits by 2021, predicts Futuresource Consulting, a U.K.-based market-research firm.

"You're going to see increasing adoption of this immersive technology," said Ben Davis, a senior analyst for the group.

Other experts, however, say any potential growth will depend on how the field navigates as-yet unanswered questions about virtual reality's classroom value and long-term impact on children.

In addition, researchers have started to highlight a range of mostly unexplored ethical considerations around VR use with children. Chief among them: Virtual reality can be a powerful trigger for existing emotional and psychological issues, and scientists are only just beginning to understand how exposure to immersive virtual environments affects children's brains and development.

The net result, said Julie Evans, the CEO of the nonprofit group Project Tomorrow, is that K-12 educators and policymakers would be wise to keep an eye on VR's potential-but not overestimate the future benefits.

"VR is the most exciting stuff on the showroom floor right now, so some people are getting really jazzed up," Evans said. "But vendors still aren't addressing fundamental challenges to effective implementation, and there needs to be a better justification for why schools should invest in these technologies."

Signs of Movement

Virtual reality typically involves a computer-generated immersive environment that users can interact with in ways that feel real.

The requisite hardware ranges from inexpensive viewers that can be paired with users' existing smartphones, to $600 immersive headsets that require significant computing power to operate.

So far, the technology industry's primary focus has been on consumers, where VR is seen as a potential game changer in such fields as entertainment and gaming.

But companies small and large have also begun trying to make inroads in education.

At Bett, for example, no fewer than 18 vendors touted VR products for schools.

With its popular Cardboard and Expeditions products, Google has pushed to make "virtual field trips" an everyday experience for K-12 students.

And Facebook recently announced it would give every high school in Arkansas a virtual-reality package, consisting of computers, cameras, and its Oculus Rift headset.

Such "classroom kits" could be a meaningful part of the next wave of technology adoption in U.S. schools, Davis of Futuresource Consulting said during a presentation at the Bett conference.

One reason: By 2020, Davis said, about half the computers shipped to U.S. schools will be to replace existing devices, especially all the Chromebooks that districts bought in recent years. To help create a market for their VR products, vendors may push to include virtual-reality hardware as part of those refresher packages, even if it means a financial loss in the near term.

"The industry is now looking to vertical markets to find a home" for the technology, Davis said.

Still a Novelty

Still, some analysts remain doubtful that any tipping point is imminent.

For decades, VR in education has been subject to hype cycles, with hyperbolic predictions of a classroom revolution falling flat in the real world.

And even as VR hardware has improved and become more affordable, the field has suffered from a dearth of content that has clear educational value beyond simply engaging students.

As a result, said Trace Urdan, the managing director of market research firm Tyton Partners and a longtime observer of the ed-tech market, the technology industry has yet to make a compelling case that schools should be investing scarce dollars in VR instead of other needs.

"I still think VR is a cool product in search of a market," Urdan said. "I absolutely believe this is going to be a thing in the future, but I'd be surprised if anything meaningful erupted in the next year or two."

Evans of Project Tomorrow concurred.

In 2016, just 5 percent of more than 38,000 U.S. teachers surveyed as part of the group's annual Speak Up project reported having implemented VR or augmented reality (which overlays virtual images on the real world) in their classrooms.

Data from the group's 2017 survey are still being tabulated, Evans said, but there does not appear to have been any meaningful change in that figure.

For the time being, Evans said, most of the enthusiasm for VR seems confined to the relative handful of "techie" educators who tend to be on the leading edge of figuring out how any new technology may translate in the classroom.

That was the case at the annual EduCon conference in Philadelphia.

Among the small group that took part in a conversation on VR was Rob Muntz, a visual-arts teacher at the private Malvern Preparatory School outside the city.

When his school got an advanced VR headset last year, Muntz said, his mind ran wild with the possibilities, including having students in his sculpture class build virtual-reality sets for the school play.

"It would be like shows on HGTV, when they let [prospective homebuyers] walk around a simulation of what the house will look like after it's been remodeled," he said.

Still, much of the conversation focused on ethical concerns about VR use with children.

The session was run by staff members from foundry10, a research group founded with support from Gabe Newell, the CEO of gaming company Valve, the maker of the HTC Vive virtual-reality headset.

Over the past three years, foundry10 has provided a mix of VR kits at no cost to 30 classrooms in the United States and Canada, then conducted interviews, observations, and surveys about how the technology is used.

Foundry10 CEO Lisa Castanada, a former teacher, said students who try VR typically like it, especially when they are able to interact with a fully-immersive virtual world. There are also signs that VR can in some circumstances move beyond the "wow factor," becoming a valuable tool for deepening students' understanding of events and ideas, Castanada said.

But there's a growing list of concerns related to even short-term exposure.

About 16 percent of the students that foundry10 surveyed experienced symptoms of physical discomfort when using it, including nausea, dizziness, and headaches.

About 7 percent were psychologically disconcerted by the experience, saying that immersive simulations of swimming underwater with a blue whale or riding a roller coaster were too intense or triggered fears and phobias.

Limited Evidence

And so far, Castanada said, there's limited evidence to support one of virtual reality's central selling points for a K-12 world now obsessed with social-emotional learning: that it's the "ultimate empathy machine" (a phrase coined by filmmaker Chris Milk, the creator of an immersive virtual-reality experience that puts users inside a Syrian refugee camp.)

Even after using the technology, most students "weren't sold on the fact that VR was going to help them understand other people better," Castanada said.

Then there are the longer-term worries.

Researchers know very little about how moving back and forth between reality and immersive virtual environments affects the brains of children, especially those who may have difficulty distinguishing between the two.

Foundry10 found both students and teachers surprisingly willing to trust the accuracy and truthfulness of VR content, raising questions about what happens when the medium is eventually used for advertising or to spread misinformation and propaganda.

And VR has the potential, at least, to capture information on everything from users' physiological reactions to their emotional states, raising questions about data-privacy protections.

Some manufacturers of consumer VR technology have quietly begun acknowledging such fears. Samsung, for example, recently recommended that its GearVR viewer not be used by children younger than 13.

Companies such as zSpace are also trying to market VR technology that doesn't involve headsets and is specifically designed for the K-12 market. The focus is on student collaboration and high-quality educational content that teachers introduce and explain, a spokesman said.

Given the combination of hype and uncertainty in the field, Castanada said, it's important that educators be careful and thoughtful when it comes to VR.

"There's definitely something there," she said. "But it's rolling out faster than we understand it, for sure."

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Virtual Reality for Learning Raises High Hopes and Serious Concerns

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Is virtual reality finally ready to make inroads in K-12? Technology companies are making a fresh push, and some market dynamics could provide them a tailwind. But there's plenty of reason to remain skeptical.