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ClassVR provides kits that include a portal, hardware, curriculum-aligned content, and storage to bring AR and VR to the classroom.

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How are Schools Implementing Virtual Reality in the Classroom? Get our FREE guide today!

Our "50 Creative Ways to Use ClassVR" provides practical and inspiring lesson ideas directly from our customers. Learn how students of all ages have explored a wide range of state aligned content, find out how teachers have used VR and how you could spark learning opportunities in your school's classroom setting!

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ClassVR's standalone VR headset comes with a unique student-friendly interface, embedded educational VR & AR resources and simple-to-use teacher controls. Using technology in a busy classroom isn't always as easy as it should be. The ClassVR interface and teacher portal provide the simple-to-use tools needed to ensure this exciting and engaging technology can deliver a [...]

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SchooVR allows school to "build and launch educational experiences." This tool includes pre-made tours, the ability to create tours, a dashboard, and formative assessments.

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Geography Primary Resources - Interactive Learning - SchooVR

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Geography Primary resources and interactive virtual reality experiences. KS2 and KS3 Geography learning resoures, organised by topic.

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This free tool allows users to create their own 360-degree interactive spaces--including "digital twins," which is a virtual model of a space. A digital twin of your library can become a powerful tool for sharing information and advocating for your space. Incorporate pins with images, videos, and text information for your community stakeholders.

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ThingLink: Create unique experiences with interactive images, videos & 360° media

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Easily create interactive and immersive visual experiences for online communication and learning. Start a free trial!

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This step-by-step instructional video will walk you through how to use Thinglink.

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How to Get Started with Thinglink in 2021 - Step by Step Tutorial

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Thinglink is FREE and a great way to get started creating a virtual library. It was created using an imported 360-degree photo sphere made with Google Street View.

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Welcome to the Shepard Learning Commons!

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View the interactive video by Andrea Trudeau

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Often used in real estate, Matterport is an incredible platform for 360-degree digital twins. You can host your library digital twin here on Matterport on a password-protected site (if desired) and include Mattertags, or information about the space in the form of text, video, audio, or images.

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3D Camera and Virtual Tour Platform - Matterport

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Whether you want to give buyers the feeling of being in a new home, help guests start picturing their stay, or showcase the wonders of your venue to event planners and patrons - Matterport 3D virtual tours can help you do more business, faster.

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Matterport is used readily in real estate applications and allows the user to click on points as a means for moving about the space. This is a subscription-based tool and will require a 360-degree camera; recommendations are listed on their website.

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Shepard Middle School - Learning Commons (Library)

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Welcome to the Shepard Learning Commons, also known as the LC, which is the heart of our middle school!

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With the best 360 cameras, you can capture images and videos that are quite unlike anything else. Interactive 360-degree content allows a user to navigate through it using a mouse or a touchscreen and is an unparalleled way to capture an incredible landscape, a fleeting street scene, or a pulse-pounding bike ride. It requires getting a little technical, but the results are so worth it.

The files created by 360-degree cameras are big and unwieldy, as often 360-degree cameras are really multiple cameras in one, capturing different perspectives that can then be stitched together in software. However, many 360 cameras also let you dive in and pick out a flat "slice" of a scene to convert into a more traditional "flat" video. This means you have tremendous versatility with a 360-degree camera; it almost doesn't matter where you point it.

(If you're feeling lost, already, don't worry - jump to our section on how 360 imaging works, where we've given you the information you need to get your head around the basics.)

So, which is the best 360 camera you can buy? We've included all the best options here, from GoPro's stellar options to some of the creative and modular products made by Insta360. We've also got some budget-friendly options from less well-known manufacturers, as it's perfectly possible to capture 360-degree imagery on a budget - as long as you know where to look.

And on that note, let's dive in and count off the best 360 cameras you can buy right now.

The best 360 camera in 2023

(Image credit: Basil Kronfli/Digital Camera World)
(opens in new tab)

This 360-degree action camera hits our #1 spot for a number of different reasons. Granted, the image and video quality of the GoPro Max are good enough that they could get it here by themselves, but the GoPro Max also offers a swathe of intuitive features that mean pretty much anyone gets loads out of it, even if they have little interest in 360-degree imaging.

The smooth app lets you edit clips from 360 footage pretty much seamlessly, meaning you can get great images no matter where the camera is pointed, and swap effortlessly between them. As we noted in our full review, the Max also has impressive specs elsewhere - with a six-mic setup, its highly credible vlogging camera, and the 1600mAh battery means you'll have enough charge for a day's shooting.

It's a fairly pricey option and lacks a dedicated 4K video capture that you'll find on some rivals like those from Insta360 (which you'll meet shortly). However, the Max just has that GoPro polish that makes it the best 360-degree camera experience you can buy right now.

(Image credit: Jamie Carter/Digital Camera World)

The Insta360 One X2 is ideal for those who want to go in-depth with creating dynamic, poppy 360-degree video content. You can dive right in and add special effects like stop motion and clone trail, the latter of which allows you to spawn copies of yourself as you move through the frame. Gimmicky? Sure, but a lot of fun too, and 360-imaging is all about fun.

There are lots of clever design to like in the Insta360 One X2, as we noted in our full review. It puts its 360º lenses to loads of creative purposes, while also giving you the option to shoot 'normal' widescreen video, for those times when you just need a straightforward video solution. It does take a bit of work to get your head around everything the One X2 can do, and its memory-hungry app requires a high-end phone that can keep up, but this is a camera where the more you put in, the more you'll get out.

Whether the Ricoh Theta X is going to appeal to you will depend on what kind of content creator you are. If you're looking at this 360° camera as an alternative to a GoPro action camera, then bear in mind that its image stabilization - despite working on higher resolutions than on a GoPro - just isn't as good. Vloggers should also look at the Theta X with suspicion purely because you can't use an external microphone with it.

So who is the Theta X actually for? With so many built-in and convenient features we're sure the Theta X will be a good purchase for anyone after an easy-to-use, versatile, and high-quality 360º camera, though at this high price it's a serious investment.

However, we think photographers looking for a 360° camera with core quality will love the Theta X. When combined with its excellent coloring and low-light abilities the Theta X's ability to shoot stills in 11K resolution lifts it above the competition, but its lack of RAW capture slightly undermines that option.

The Insta360 ONE RS 1-inch 360 edition is aimed at the serious filmmaker who is after the best image quality and low-light performance. It might be twice the price of the regular Insta360 One X2 but we think considering how much better it is in terms of low-light performance, dynamic range, and clarity it's definitely worth it.

As we noted in our hands-on review, It feels very well made, uses a 6-gyro FlowState stabilization for super-smooth video, and has a touchscreen which is great for previewing footage but not so easy to use if you have big hands. It's considerably cheaper than the Ricoh Theta Z1 and offers a big step-up in quality so perfect for those needing really professional-looking content.

Unique in the market, the ONE RS is designed to appeal to anyone who would normally consider a GoPro yet yearns to at least have a go at 360º.

The fact that its 360º lens is unchanged from the first-gen version does indicate that the format has settled in as a nice option for occasional use but one that lacks much more development, which chimes with us. That lens does allow a lot of creative options and we love how the Insta360 app provides templates to create natty 360º sequences from clips, but most users will rely on its 4K Boost Lens.

This is more capable than the first-gen version, but we're not convinced how useful the 6K widescreen feature really is. Much more useful is the ability to record in great-looking 4K, which was always pin-sharp and ultra-smooth.

Designed for businesses that have a need to produce a lot of static virtual tours, the Trisio Lite2 is a very simple device that's incredibly easy to use. Its 360º photos are excellent and easily good enough for use on virtual tours and for showing off event spaces and hotel rooms online.

The 8K boast is less impressive than its ability with HDR, which helps create vibrant and dynamic spherical images that excel in high contrast environments, but also in low light.

It's no 360º action camera, with VR-style video off the table. Patience is required, too, since it takes the Trisio Lite2 30 seconds just to light-meter and take a single 360º photo. However, used slowly and carefully the Trisio Lite2 is one of the most limited, and yet the most capable, 360º cameras around that does one thing very well indeed.

The QooCam 8K is the best 360 camera right now for image quality. A massive (by 360 standards) 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor, 10-bit color, and, of course, that 8K resolution make sure of that. When it comes to the quality of its photos and videos, the QooCam 8K is peerless in the 360º market. Photos have plenty of color and contrast like nothing we've seen before from a camera like this.

The ability to spit out a great-looking photo from a 360º video is welcome, while the detail, sharpness, and smoothness of video - whether in 360º or cut down to widescreen - itself makes the QooCam 8K a giant leap forward for creative filmmakers. We did list some negative points in our review, most notably that it does have an audible fan, however, the battery life isn't great and it's not waterproof without a housing. It was also pretty expensive.

The first Ricoh Theta Z1 (opens in new tab) was announced and released in 2019 - back when a 360-degree camera was still at least something of a novelty. Since then, not much has changed, save for a slightly revamped version (opens in new tab), boasting 51GB of storage rather than the originals rather limiting 19GB. It's worth double-checking which one you're getting before clicking the "Buy" button.

The Ricoh Theta Z1 produces impressively high-quality 360-degree video - as you'd hope at this price. It's not as rough and ready as some other cameras on this list, without waterproofing or a protective shell, but it's got a smooth design that's comfortable to hold and intuitive to use. Its sensors are slightly larger than are usually found on cameras of this type, which improves dynamic range and arguably makes up for the fact that some other cameras edge it out in raw resolution terms. It's expensive, but this is definitely an option worth considering.

How 360 imaging works

When visualizing how 360-degree images are captured, imagine someone photographing a sphere from the inside, making sure they get every contour of its inner surface. That's essentially what 360-degree cameras do - place you in the centre of a sphere, and use extremely wide-angle lenses to capture everything around that point.

The sensors are ordinary 'flat' types, but the key is in the lenses, which are extreme fisheyes capable of capturing a 180-degree view, placed back to back. This captures two hemispherical images, which are then merged to produce the final 360-degree image. A viewer can then explore this image with a mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, or VR headset (opens in new tab), depending on how they're viewing the image.

360-degree videos are, naturally, more complex than stills, as the action all around the viewer will continue even if they're not looking at the portion of the image where it's happening. As streaming platforms get more sophisticated, live 360-degree broadcasts are also becoming more common, which is an unparalleled way to immerse yourself in an unfolding event (short of, y'know, actually being there).
How to take 360-degree videos and photos
Editing 360-degree imagery can be a daunting task, though it is possible to divide them up into smaller 'windows' to handle individually, giving yourself a bit more control. In stills, you can crop out one of these windows entirely and export it as a 'flat' image. In the video, this flexibility allows you to essentially simulate camera movements like tracking, panning, and zooming, even though your shot was captured from a fixed position. Handy!

Also read: 10 of the best 360-degree videos ever filmed

There is one thing to be aware of when dealing with 360-degree imagery, which specifically is resolution. As the surface area of a 360 image is much larger than a conventional one, 12MP on a 360-degree camera means something pretty different than 12MP does on a DSLR, and you can't crop in as close expecting the same level of detail.

How we test cameras

We test cameras (opens in new tab) both in real-world shooting scenarios and in carefully controlled lab conditions. Our lab tests measure resolution, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio. Resolution is measured using ISO resolution charts and quoted in line widths/picture height, which is independent of sensor size. Dynamic range is measured using DxO Analyzer test equipment and the results are expressed as EV values. DxO Analyzer is also used for noise analysis across the camera's ISO range, with results quoted as a signal-to-noise ratio. We typically choose three competing cameras to offer a performance comparison and some context.
Read more:
Best invisible selfie sticks (opens in new tab)
Best action cameras (opens in new tab)
Best point-and-shoot cameras (opens in new tab)
Best cameras under $500 (opens in new tab) /£500
Best compact cameras (opens in new tab)
Best mirrorless cameras (opens in new tab)
Best travel cameras (opens in new tab)

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The best 360 cameras in 2023: shoot panoramas, 360 video, selfies and more

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With the best 360 cameras, you can capture images and videos that are quite unlike anything else. Interactive 360-degree content allows a user to navigate through it using a mouse or a touchscreen and is an unparalleled way to capture an incredible landscape, a fleeting street scene, or a pulse-pounding bike ride.

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Let's go out and experience the world in 360°Try moving the image around in any direction!

SCENES

Where to use your THETA!

BUSINESS

Use your THETA for business from PR activities to recording and sharing information!

Simple design that makes it easy to shoot

Simple design that makes it easy to shoot

DUAL LENS

Shoot the entire space in all directions using 2 ultra-wide lenses.

A normal photo taken from this location

360°

Shooting with an ultra-wide angle in 360°
at the single push of a button!

How to enjoy photos and videos shot with THETA

Smartphone/PC

Transfer an image to a smartphone or PC. You can move it around freely and view it from any angle you like.

VR Goggles

Experience photographed scenery with an overwhelming sense of realism as though you were actually there.

Post to "theta360.com

You can share photos and video you are proud of with many people in the theta360.com gallery.

Share over SNS

Share 360° photos and video over Instagram. Also supports other platforms such as Facebook and LINE.

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Let's go out and experience the world in 360°Try moving the image around in any direction! Where to use your THETA! Use your THETA for business from PR activities to recording and sharing information! Simple design that makes it easy to shoot Simple design that makes it easy to shoot DUAL LENS Shoot the entire space in all directions using 2 ultra-wide lenses.

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Check out Matterport's step-by-step instructional video hub to learn more about how to create and maintain your virtual space.

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Step-by-step instructional videos designed to educate and teach you how to capture, edit, and share like a pro. From novice to expert, our tutorials help you achieve the results you want from your Matterport 3D tours.

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Step-by-step instructional videos designed to educate and teach you how to capture, edit, and share like a pro. From novice to expert, our tutorials help you achieve the results you want from your Matterport 3D tours.

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Insta360 360 Camera - Insta360, the leader in 360 cameras

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Founded in 2014, Insta360 is the world leader in 360-degree cameras. Insta360 empowers people to freely share experiences - full, immersive, lived experiences - no matter the time or place.

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Matterport works with a wide range of 3D cameras, 360 cameras and iPhones designed to suit all your capture needs. This gives you the flexibility to create a Matterport digital twin of any size, scale, and complexity.

Mobile ready with your iPhone or iPad

Quick, portable, entry-level 3D scanning

Best-in-class, all-inclusive 3D capture system

Specialized high-accuracy 3D reality capture

Great for

Getting 3D straight from your pocket, wherever you are

Scanning small spaces or rooms

Scanning several rooms or an entire home

High portability

Creating highest-quality 3D scans with unlimited 4K photography

Long battery life for multiple scans per day

Scanning large or outdoor spaces in 2K

Applications that need highest accuracy

VR

Floorplans

Outdoor quality

Good to great outdoor image quality (depends on device)

Good outdoor image quality

Best outdoor image quality

Best performance in sunlight, best range

Webinar: Start your 3D capture journey

Matterport's in-house expert Amir Frank leads a 30-minute deep dive into the full selection of Matterport compatible devices. We introduce the latest 360 cameras to join the line-up, discuss the newly available Capture App for Android devices, and share top tips on what to use, when, and why!
Download Now

Celebrate with a great deal - Pro2 cameras as low as $2,795

Check out the latest deals on high-quality cameras, subscription plans, and add-on services.

134 megapixels and 3D accuracy

Perfect for homes, apartments, hotels, commercial buildings

High-quality 3D capture with unlimited 4K print quality photography

Durable texture black plastic enclosure

Long lasting battery

Available for iPhone 6s and later

Dimensional accuracy within

4-8%

Available today on Amazon.

360° photo resolution at 14-23 megapixels

Great for capturing small homes, condos, and apartments

Perfect for promoting vacation and nightly property rentals, or small businesses

Flexible designs and fast processing

Matterport's powerful Cortex AI transforms 2D imagery into 3D spaces automatically

34 megapixels, 3-camera system

Highest level of 3D accuracy (150 megapixel full-dome capture)

Great for large spaces or outdoor locations

LIDAR based camera

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Matterport works with a wide range of 3D cameras, 360 cameras and iPhones designed to suit all your capture needs. This gives you the flexibility to create a Matterport digital twin of any size, scale, and complexity.

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If you have a Meta Quest headset (formerly Oculus Quest), this is a great place to go to explore free and paid apps you can use for educational purposes.

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Learn something new each day with these educational apps!

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Expeditions Pro is a virtual reality tour creator that asserts it “will take off where Google Expeditions ended.” This one is worth keeping an eye on.

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Expeditions Pro has the same great drag and drop functionality of the Google Tour Creator service, hosted online and accessible from any browser. We will have the ability to add local 360 panoramas, 4k 360° video, still images, hotspots, audio files and much, much, more. Not only that but our system will be able to import your Google Tour Creator content directly from your Google account, meaning your user created content is safe with us.

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Expeditions Pro has the same great drag and drop functionality of the Google Tour Creator service, hosted online and accessible from any browser. We will have the ability to add local 360 panoramas, 4k 360° video, still images, hotspots, audio files and much, much, more.

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A crowdsourced project spearheaded by rockstar librarian, Kristina Holzweiss, this resource includes info about different AR and VR tools--among so many other incredible applications and tools!

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Book Creator is a simple tool for creating awesome digital books. Create your own teaching resources or have your students take the reins.

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Check out National Geographic's YouTube channel and filter your search with 360 VR or 180 VR and discover some pretty great videos intended to be viewed in virtual reality! (Thank you to Richard Byrne for this tip! https://twitter.com/rmbyrne)

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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With Google Expeditions phased out, this app provides some great VR tours of landmarks from all around the world!

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See the world as if you where there

Virtual tours (also for VR goggles) of landmarks from Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Morocco, Kuwait, Yemen, FYR Macedonia, Holland, Belgium and France. Examine the marvels of Islamic architecture, visit mosques, tombs, palaces of sultans, museums, inns, baths, castles, towers, old houses, squares, parks, nature, religious sites, ancient cities, space and other places with more than a thousand 360 degree panoramic images in high quality.

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Virtual tours (also for VR goggles) of landmarks from Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Morocco, Kuwait, Yemen, FYR Macedonia, Holland, Belgium and France. Examine the marvels of Islamic architecture, visit mosques, tombs, palaces of sultans, museums, inns, baths, castles, towers, old houses, squares, parks, nature, religious sites, ancient cities, space and other places with more than a thousand 360 degree panoramic images in high quality.

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This creation-based virtual reality (VR) tool is a game changer in K-12 education. A good place to start is by exploring the gallery and resources.

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We care about your students' privacy. CoSpaces Edu takes student privacy very seriously and is COPPA and FERPA-compliant.

We have several measures in place to make sure that the data that you and your students store in CoSpaces Edu is always kept safe.

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CoSpaces Edu for kid-friendly 3D creation and coding

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Boost your kids' learning experience by letting them invent, build and code their own creations. Runs on mobile, tablet and desktop, including Chromebooks.

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RYOT is "a next generation motion picture studio telling stories that move the world." Check out the 360-degree films they have available on YouTube.

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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To get a 30-day free trial of the PRO version of CoSpaces EDU for 100 seats for 30 days, use this code: COSANDREAT (I would recommend checking out the gallery and using the free options before moving to this version.)

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Check out the educational platform created by Merge Cube--Merge EDU. This allows students to hold and manipulate digital 3D objects in their hands. (There's a free trial, too!)

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Learn Science, Master STEM, Be Future Ready. | AR/VR Learning & Creation

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Merge EDU uses spatial computing technology to allow students to touch and interact with 3D digital content. Hold anything, Go anywhere.

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Immerse your students into a world of arts and culture. Visit museums, explore different locations around the world, and enjoy artwork.

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Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online.

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Check out Merge's YouTube channel to learn about the possibilities of using the Merge Cube in your library or classroom.

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"virtual reality" "augmented reality" "merge vr" "merge cube" mergecube

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By merging the physical and digital, the learning tools we've created are unlike anything you've ever seen or touched. #mergevr #mergecube #mergeedu

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We all hear these terms being thrown around, but learn the difference between augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) by watching this video by CNET.

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Augmented reality vs. virtual reality: AR and VR made clear

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Experience VR and AR worlds with the help of the Merge Headset. This allows students to remain hands-free for an even more immersive experience! The headset is made of easy-to-clean material and protects devices well!

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Learn Science, Master STEM, Be Future Ready. | AR/VR Learning & Creation

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Merge EDU uses spatial computing technology to allow students to touch and interact with 3D digital content. Hold anything, Go anywhere.

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An incredible app that allows users to view all sorts of 3D objects and hold them in their palm of their hands with the Merge Cube! You can also upload your own 3D files!

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Object Viewer for MERGE Cube | MERGE Miniverse | MERGE

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Upload, view, and share 3D objects on MERGE Cube! Whether it's a sculpture of Michelangelo's David or an original work of 3D art that you created, MERGE makes it easy turn your models into virtual objects you can hold in the palm of your hand!

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10 Reasons to Use Virtual Reality in The Classroom

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10 Reasons to Use Virtual Reality in The Classroom

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Wondering what VR can bring into your library or classroom? Check out this sketchnote created by Sylvia Duckworth in collaboration with Maria Galanis and Andrea Trudeau that lists out 10 good reasons to give it a try!

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10 Reasons To Use Virtual Reality In The Classroom

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Virtual reality in the classroom can be used to facilitate student interactions or environments to create experiences not otherwise possible.

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Create your own 3D objects with Tinkercad that can then be imported into CoSpaces EDU!

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Tinkercad | From mind to design in minutes

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Tinkercad is a free, easy-to-use app for 3D design, electronics, and coding.

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Chock full of helpful tips, tricks, and tutorials, the CoSpaces EDU YouTube Channel has short videos to help you and your students learn how to effectively use CoSpaces EDU.

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"virtual reality" vr "vr creation" "vr world" technology "vr technology" ar "augmented reality" coding education edtech "education technology" "computer scie...

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Create interactive content with students of any age and in any school subject! Design in a few clicks, animate with code and explore in magical ways including VR and AR! Designed for schools that want to empower their students to become creators and prepare them for the future, CoSpaces Edu improves digital literacy skills, develops creativity and fosters collaboration in the classroom.

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No cube? No problem. You can print your own paper Merge Cube for free--even Merge encourages this to get this incredible technology into the hands of more students. Learn how to create yours here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdEG8VUNVfA

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Like a modern-day Choose Your Own Adventure story, this app, when used with the Merge Cube, allows users to select what happens next to two cousins stranded on an Alaskan island.
(Quick tip: Reach out to the creator, Mighty Coconut, as they often will give educators a code for a 30-day trial of the app to help you determine if you want to purchase or not.

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FAQ

What do I need to play?
The game was designed for the Merge Cube but it's not required to play. Just choose the "Standard Mode" or Merge has a printable version of the cube to help with remote learning.

How long is the game?
It depends on your choices, but approximately 1 hour for a single play through. Of course, you can always go back through the story again, making different choices to try and reach a different outcome.

Is it safe for kids?
57° North is designed for ages 10 and up. While there is nothing objectionable content-wise, the story is about surviving in the wilderness, so can be dramatic and intense at times. We've found that 10 is a great age, but teenagers and adults seem to love it just as much as kids.

Is it available in any other languages?
At this time it is only available in English. If you would like to see it translated into another language, send us an email at info@mightycoconut.com. If we get enough requests we'll do our best to translate it.

What is the Merge Cube?
The Merge cube is the world's first holographic object. Featured recently in New York Magazine, Venture Beat, and Buzzfeed, the Merge Cube is a powerful and affordable device which merges physical and digital worlds using augmented reality technology and the powerful camera and sensors in your mobile device. For more information, see the Merge Cube website. To use it with 57° North, just choose the merge cube mode, place the cube in front of your device and rotate it to play.

What is VR Mode?
The game is also compatible with the Merge Goggles: https://mergevr.com/goggles Just choose Merge VR mode from the app and slide your smartphone into the front of the device, then you can look through the goggles at the cube without even thinking about the phone. If you don't have the Merge Goggles, then just choose standard or merge cube mode.

I'm having issues...
If the issue is with the Merge Cube, you should contact their support team. If there is a problem with the game itself, you can submit a request via the iTunes Store / Google Play, or email info@mightycoconut.com.

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What do I need to play? The game was designed for the Merge Cube but it's not required to play. Just choose the "Standard Mode" or Merge has a printable version of the cube to help with remote learning. How long is the game?

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Jaime Donally's ARVRinEDU website is chock full of great tools, tips, and tricks for those interested in incorporating AR and VR technologies into their schools. Also follow her on Twitter at #ARVRinEDU; she has a weekly chat on Wednesdays at 8:00 pm CST.

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Before teaching a VR lesson or an AR lesson, there are some questions teachers should ask themselves.

Donally is a former math teacher and instructional technologist who has written two books about teaching with extended reality (XR), which encompasses virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). She advises teachers to ask these questions as they prepare to teach...
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ARVRinEDU | Jaime Donally | Professional Development

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Immersive Technology in Education using Augmented, Virtual & Mixed Reality in #ARVRinEDU. The Metaverse future.

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With Google Expeditions and Google Tour Creator being sunset in June 2021, Google Earth is a great tool consider as a replacement for students to build their own VR tours.

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Since the announcement of Google Tour Creator ending this June, I've enjoyed exploring a great alternative that offers interactive features. Google Earth Projects has been a recent favorite and I believe it has greater potential than Tour Creator. Not only is Google Earth Projects a great creation tool for students, but it includes many experiences in Voyager already pre-built.

A new feature in Google Earth Projects is Games. Selecting the Games category, all the Voyager stories include a quiz with a final score at the end. After every answer, the student will see the virtual reality experience associated with the question. Test your archaeological skills in this Google Earth Project found at https://earth.app.goo.gl/5rcrHH

"For building immersive tours, Google Earth Projects is now a creation platform incorporating 3D maps, text, personal images and videos." page 36 The Immersive Classroom

Steps to Get Started:

1. On your computer, open Google Earth.

2. On the map, search for a location.

3. Click the placemark you want to add

4. In the Knowledge Card, click Add to project.

5. Under "Place title," you can add or edit the name.

6. Under "Add to project," click the Down arrow and select or add a project folder.

Continue to follow the #31DaysofARVRinEDU this month as we explore immersive resources.

Thanks to ISTE, we are giving away 10 signed copies of The Immersive Classroom. Post how these tools can be used in the classroom on social media using #31DaysofARVRinEDU and WIN! Two weekly winners will be selected.

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Since the announcement of Google Tour Creator ending this June, I've enjoyed exploring a great alternative that offers interactive features. Google Earth Projects has been a recent favorite and I believe it has greater potential than Tour Creator. Not only is Google Earth Projects a great creation tool for students, but it includes many experiences in Voyager already pre-built.

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Harness the power of your phone or tablet for 3D scanning using Qlone!

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Qlone - the most user-friendly 3D scanning app!

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Featured by Apple for 3D Object Capture with over 2M Downloads! Qlone does not require LiDAR!

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Check out this application with "remote and in-class learning with AR, VR, 360-photos and scanning for all ages" through their 30-day teacher trial: https://www.3dbear.io/freetrial

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3DBear - Immersive technologies for education

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3DBear combines immersive technologies and education for the best learning results Augmented reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), 360-photos & 3D printing.

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Check out the AR world students built using CoSpaces EDU that they were then able to hold in their hands!

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To provide an interactive VR experience to students, check out Meta Quest 2 (formerly Oculus Quest 2). There are some incredible educational applications that work with this headset that you can explore. Just check out the Meta Quest column in this Padlet.

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Search for educational apps you can use with the Merge Cube here!

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Merge Miniverse | VR & AR Apps & Experiences curated by Merge

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Explore curated VR/AR content that is compatible with the Merge Headset. From gaming to 360 videos to other immersive experiences, we review the latest to provide recommendations for the best merged reality experiences!

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This post includes an incredible visual that examines the levels of virtual reality use in education along with applications at those levels. And if you want to explore more about VR, Steve Bambury's Virtualiteach is an excellent resource: https://www.virtualiteach.com/

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This last week has been a busy one for me. Not only did I finally find the time to relaunch the site (and produce half a dozen new pieces of content for it) but I was part of a G20 event hosting AR and VR demos and then delivering the closing keynote sharing insights on VR in Education.

As I mentioned in the Rise of the Virtual Phoenix article, announcing the site relaunch, I had to sacrifice some of the old site structure in order to accommodate the changes to the Wix blog tool which the site was essentially built around. Losing the Guest Articles and ViveEDU sections did bother me but I knew the content was still available in amongst the main pool of blog posts. The same was true for my AR/VR Theory section, but with one major exception - the ORIGINAL piece of content here on VirtualiTeach and still the most widely shared and best received piece of content I had ever produced: my Model for the Depths of VR from March 2017 -

This was never part of the blog as in the early days of the site, before there even was a Theory section, the model WAS its own section. I knew I couldn't lose it... but then I looked at it for the first time in well over a year and I realised that it was seriously in need of an update. My understanding of VR as a medium has grown so much in the last two years, both through my own work and the amazing work of people within the industry who inspire me on a daily basis.

So I decided to rip it apart and put it back together and then debut it at the G20 event as a part of my keynote. I'll share the new 2.0 model below and then break down some of the changes and also provide a second graphic with some examples of apps at each level.

The first thing that became clear to me was that I needed to change the actual levels of the model. In particular the second level STIMULATION stood out to me as too small a step from the initial level PERCEPTION. So I removed this and was now left with a 3-step model which basically looked like:

PERCEPTION (simple 360° media) INTERACTION (adding a simple interaction mechanic - but still 3DOF) IMMERSION (6DOF, room-scale VR experiences)

At this point my attention switched to the other end of the table. Having two levels that essentially represented 3DOF experiences and then just one for ALL possible 6DOF experiences seemed wrong. It was unbalanced. Simply put, 6DOF experiences ARE true virtual reality and so I focused on these and explored the possibility of teasing this single level apart into two separate ones - if it made sense.

Ultimately I felt that it did make sense.

Not all 6DOF experiences are created equal. Some are more guided and lack freedom of interaction. Others are more like tools within a room-scale space. Then there are those experiences which truly transport you to a virtual space. The experiences which make you forget that you are in a classroom or a living room and convince your brain that you are underwater, on the Moon, in Ancient Rome or walking a plank at the top of a high rise tower. You also have the multi-user experiences where the communication and connection with others exacerbates the sense of "being there" even more.

These are the most powerful experiences - the ones that create a genuine, emotive and visceral reaction in the user. And with that realisation, it became obvious what my new fourth level was - PRESENCE.

From here, rebuilding the graphic was fairly straight forward using this new four-step model of PERCEPTION - INTERACTION - IMMERSION - PRESENCE. I shared initial drafts with some colleagues within the VR education community and feedback was very good with a couple of people suggesting that I include examples of apps at each level. I was a little hesitant to do this as I didn't wasn't app names/logos on my graphic (and didn't have the space anyway) so I decided to curate some examples on a separate graphic which you can find below:

So there it is folks. I hope you like this update to the graphic and please do feel free to share it on social media and use it in your own presentations or studies. Will this be the final version of the model? Hard to say. I'll take another look at it in 2021 maybe...

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This last week has been a busy one for me. Not only did I finally find the time to relaunch the site (and produce half a dozen new pieces of content for it) but I was part of a G20 event hosting AR and VR demos and then delivering the closing keynote sharing insights on VR in Education.

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Aw snap! Google Earth isn't supported on your browser. You may need to update your browser or use a different browser. Please see our system requirements for more information. Chrome is a great choice and you can download it here.

Or if you're feeling adventurous, you can try Earth anyway by choosing an option below.

Learn more about Google Earth.

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Aw snap! Google Earth isn't supported on your browser. You may need to update your browser or use a different browser. Please see our system requirements for more information. Chrome is a great choice and you can download it here. Or if you're feeling adventurous, you can try Earth anyway by choosing an option below.