Virtual Reality for Educational Purposes
Virtual Reality for Educational Purposes
  • Reporter Jung Yoon-han
  • 승인 2017.04.07 10:27
  • 댓글 0
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Virtual Reality (VR) is one of the hottest technologies. If companies were more focused on popularizing VR equipment in the past, now they are focusing on the content. If contents were focused on entertainment purposes, now educational materials are receiving the most limelight.
In 2016, EBS and SK Telecom signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop educational content with Augmented Reality (AR) and VR. This business agreement is expected to change the paradigm of educational videos from two-dimensional to three-dimensional experiences.
SK Telecom has continuously been developing AR and VR technologies since 2010. They revealed “T real,” an AR VR integrated platform in 2016. If educational contents are applied to T real, children can experience animals in the classroom without having to go to the zoo through AR and learn about the solar system by spacewalking through VR.
EBS has the most content (material generated for everyone from young children to old adults) and has tried to convert this to fit into VR platforms. Bungaeman is one of the examples. With EBS’s knowledge of education content and SK Telecom’s AR VR technology, they are expected to come up with lively services for both kids and adults.
Google’s VR gear for educational purposes is well known with its Expeditions Pioneer Program. The purpose of the program is for the teams to visit schools around the world and provide them with what they need to take the students on a journey through VR. This technology proves most effective in “going” places that are hard to access without VR, such as cities in other countries, underwater environment, or even outer space. Teachers and students share the visual effects, but the teachers are able to explain or highlight important things.
Another VR learning platform is Unimersiv, an individualized and immersive application that releases educational content on a monthly basis. Unimersiv believes that VR can be used for greater purposes by improving the human mind to remember things more easily. According to the Cone of Learning created by Edgard Dale, after two weeks of memorizing things, people only remember 10 % of things read, 20 % of things heard, but 90 % of things done or simulated. Learning through VR is counted in the 90 %. Three educational experiences are available on the application: Explore the International Space Station, Anatomy VR, Learn about Stonehenge in Virtual Reality.
VR is continuously being developed to fit educational purposes. Educators can capture the students’ attention more effectively. Students experience things they have never experienced before. VR makes learning more interesting, intuitive, and exciting, leading to more participation. The effects of education though VR is incomparable to learning from textbooks or traditional methods. Educational materials for VR are currently in the phase of development. However, experts say that the future is bright and people should keep an eye on how VR will change education.