Becoming Fully Immersed in the Education Experience - How to Include AR/VR in an Art Class
Immersive technology can be surreal to say the least, but is it possible to bring that experience into a classroom without breaking the bank? Is there a place for these technologies in any classroom or just Science classes? Can Art classrooms use immersive technologies to actually enhance instruction?
In the forward to The Immersive Classroom, Dr. Curran discusses author Jaime Donally’s philosophy and approach to teaching. She tells us that Jaime’s approach is different because she uses technology, in particular immersive technologies, to provide personalized instruction for students. Dr. Curran states that “this customized approach meets the learner where they are and highlights their abilities instead of their disabilities” (Donally, 2021, p. ix).That is precisely what all educators hope for, but this can be a challenge due to circumstance. If immersive technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality can help teachers individualize instruction and better meet the needs of all learners, then I think it’s worth learning more about!
In their article The Expansion of the Classroom Through Mobile Immersive Learning, Buchner and Andujar state that “immersion is the feeling of being totally present in a computer-generated world” (2019, p.91). While virtual reality headsets are cool and completely immersive, Donally says that “the best opportunities for immersive learning are currently found in mobile devices” (2021, p.46). Buchner and Andujar also say that “the times when only head-mounted displays allowed immersive experiences are over” (Buchner & Andujar, 2019, p. 93). Jaime Donally shares TONS of resources and apps for AR/VR in her book, The Immersive Classroom, and the majority of them are low cost and use cell phones, tablets, and web browsers (WebXR). After reading her book, I learned a lot about immersive technology and I’ll share my biggest takeaways below.
In The Immersive Classroom, Donally gives an example in which students used VR headsets to create artwork using TiltBrush. As an art teacher I love reading about these technologies being used within my content area, however the part of this lesson that stuck with me the most had less to do with content, and more to do with process. At the end of the assignment, the students created tutorial videos to train other students on how to use the technology (Donally, 2021). I love this idea and I am thinking of implementing something similar in my own classroom. Since reading Donally’s book, I have only been able to experiment with a few of the apps she introduces, however, I already have a lot of ideas for next year. For starters, the book inspired me to start creating my own QR codes. I’m sure there are tons of websites you can use to create QR codes, however, the QR Code Generator site worked great for me. After playing around with QR codes, I wanted to experiment with something my students could do in the classroom to enhance one of our current lessons. I started by downloading EyeJack Creator onto my computer. Then I selected a photo to function as a trigger image and a gif to overlay the image. When I teach this to my students next year, they will create their own trigger images using artwork they’ve made in class and rather than finding a gif online, they will create their own gifs. We have used JS Paint and BrushNinja to create gifs in the past. If you would like to check out the example I made, download the EyeJack app using the appropriate QR code below. Next, open the EyeJack app on your phone and scan the QR code located to the right of my trigger image. Once you’ve scanned the QR code, you can hold your phone over the image and view the gif.
If you’d like to check out another amazing tool download the Halo AR app using one of the QR codes below. Then open the Halo app on your phone and hold it up to the image of The Immersive Classroom and watch the book cover come to life.
The Merge Cube is yet another great resource, and it’s one that I learned about at a conference I attended about a year ago. Donally also mentions the Merge Cube in her book as well. The cube can be purchased online, however, you can download a free template to fold and try before you buy one. When the Merge Object Viewer app is open on your mobile device, you can hold it over the cube to experience AR images that allow the viewer to hold artifacts, planets, dinosaurs, human organs, and more. The QR codes below can be used to download the Merge Object Viewer and the video shows you an example of what the cube can do.
When integrating new technologies, student buy-in is huge! In The Immersive Classroom, Donally describes how important student ownership, student voice, and student choice can be. Finding the right experience for our students is key. Immersive technologies can offer students virtual scavenger hunts, animal dissections, advanced storytelling, virtual tours, dyslexia support, virtual meeting spaces, and so much more. Immersive technologies can take us anywhere. They allow us to interact with the world around us in new and exciting ways and engage in learning on a deeper level. Donally says, "If we can maximize the benefits of AR/VR to uncover a passion for learning, we may see growth and achievement like we've never seen before" (2021, p. 66)
References
Buchner, J., & Andujar, A. (2019). The expansion of the classroom through mobile immersive learning. International Association for Development of the Information Society. https://ezproxy.montevallo.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=ED601152&site=ehost-live
Donally, J., (2021). The immersive classroom: create customized learning experiences with AR/VR. International Society for Technology in Education.
Jessie,
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of VR in any classroom setting! Like you said, it doesn't have to be just science class. My students love any opportunity to use technology but I think I am the one with reservations. Digital media and its components are created in ways to enhance particular effects to draw viewers in (Lawrence, 2022, p. 116). It would be awesome to find software that would allow students to create their own VR in some way. A recent study actually confirmed that students' were introduced to social issues through artmaking practices with VR and showed increases in test scores ( Kim, et. al, 2022). I would love to see what your students came up with.
References:
Kim, H., So, H.-J., & Park, J.-Y. (2022). Examining the Effect of Socially Engaged Art Education with Virtual Reality on Creative Problem Solving. Educational Technology & Society, 25(2), 117–129.
Lawrence, D. (2022). Digital Writing: A Guide to writing for Social Media and the web. Broadview Press.
Jessie,
ReplyDeleteImagine being able to use VR in our classrooms now! I find this to be super thrilling for me. I know how much we would value this technology since we would be able to show our students how to draw or create certain art pieces, how to cook, even how to CLEAN (since they all need that). The possibilities are truly endless with this in any classroom. Turner and Hicks (2017) indicate that "the power of visual media is clear: moving or still pictures, narration and music, and the gaze of the camera all combine to make an immediate, and important, effect on viewers" (p. 85). I always say, a picture (or VR experience) is worth a thousand words. I wonder, how can we create VR technology for ourselves and it be quality stuff to teach our students? Also, is the cost worth it?
References:
Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann.