How familiar are you with virtual reality? How does it work? Is it beneficial for the classroom? I am ashamed to say that I was not very familiar with virtual reality. Usually, I take pride in being up to date with technology both inside and outside of the classroom. I am the guy who signs up early for the new iPhone or Apple watch. I have jumped on the 4K bandwagon, and unfortunately, bought into the 3D tvs (bad choice). So, when I discovered Nearpod VR, and realized that I didn't know much about it; I knew I had to try it out.
Education is all about capturing the attention and imagination of students. Fortunately, teachers have a variety of awesome ed tech tools that can help pull students into a lesson. Nearpod VR is one of those awesome tools!
When I received my VR headset from Nearpod I was shocked how light it was. This shows how much of a rookie I was with VR. I thought it would have a screen in it, rechargeable batteries, and have some weight to it. Instead, I opened a box that had a plastic hollow set of "goggles" inside. To be honest, I was initially a little disappointed. I thought, "There is no way this can be good." Well, that thought quickly changed when I put my phone on the mini suction cups, and set up my first VR lesson. The VR headset engulfed me into the under sea world. I had a clear, HD, 360 degree view of the under water world. It was amazing. I could't believe how quickly my mind changed. I went from not cool, to awesome in just a few moments. I was sitting in a room with my wife and in laws, and they laughed as I spun around looking at everything with a childish grin on my face.
For those of you that do not have a Nearpod account, if you purchase a school or district account, you can get free VR headsets. Even better, there are over 100 free VR lessons provided by Nearpod. Check out some of the free lesson here. Not only does Nearpod VR with the VR headset, it also works on the student's normal device. However, I must admit the headset makes it much cooler!
For those of you, much like me, who are excited to use Nearpod VR in you classroom; they have a simple instruction guide to get VR going in your classroom. The only addition I would make to these instructions is to press the VR Headset icon in the top left corner if using the headset. This duplicates the image for each eye, and provides a clear VR experience.
See how other teachers are using Nearpod VR and how students react.
Neapod continues to lead the charge in educational technology for the classroom. The free lessons, awesome headsets, and HD images make the experience awesome for students and teachers. If you are using VR in your classroom, please send me a photo. I would love to see if they are rocking the same childish grin on their face. As always, thank you so much for reading. Please take a moment to subscribe to the blog, and follow me on Twitter @teachandcoachga. It would also mean the world to me if you share the post on your social media account. Thank you for reading. I hope you have a great day!
D.Barkes