Best Educational Applications in XR
This will be an ever evolving list and I might create an opposite list (worst educational applications in XR?) someday.
However, because I am the most "bearish" person I know on education in XR, I have to remind myself that there are bright glimmers when education gets it right. Here are some.
Hint: when you see me like something in XR for education, it probably ticks 2 or 3 of my boxes where XR has been proven in research to be good for learning; places where the XR application reduces
- time
- money
- danger
Remember that in general, I do not encourage media comparison studies (i.e. studies that say that VR is better than PowerPoint). Said another way, research and business should not be engaged in the horse race of saying which media is better for learning overall.
In the 1970s & early 1980s, the computer arrived in the classroom. There was a great deal of research. Some studies showed that the computer helped learning. Some studies show that the computer hindered learning. The conclusion of this research was that the computer by itself does not make a difference in the learning; it depends on how the computer is used.
Then comes the 1980s and early 1990s with the edutainment software industry. What is the impact of this new software? The result: it depends on how you use it.
In the late 1990s & early 2000s, it was the arrival of serious games that was researched. What is the impact of serious games on education?
Same thing is now happening to immersive learning!
We expect the same conclusions, of course. It is pointless to measure the impact of the technology in learning without pairing it with the way it is being used.
IEEE Education Society Education Week 2022 Event, Tomorrow's Classroom Ecosystem.
VR to reduce seasickness
https://www.seasick.com/
VR to experience a rare artifact/place/experience
https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/powerful-virtual-reality-service-holy-week-invites-virtual
"During the service, the Canon Missioner for Bristol Cathedral, Jonnie Parkin, invites people to pray in solidarity with the suffering Christ and all who suffer throughout the world.
He said: “The Icon of the Cross in Taizé has for decades been the focus of prayer every Friday by groups of young people drawn from across the world.
“It was poignant to pray around an exact replica of an Icon of the Cross that young people from Russia and Ukraine will have prayed around together in more peaceful times.
“We felt that there was a sense of solidarity, not just with each other, but with people across the world who have prayed around the cross, with Christ in his suffering, and with all those who are suffering and are the victims of violence today.”
The service, with a 360 view, includes spatial audio which allows the virtual congregation to experience the different acoustics of the Chapter House as their outlook changes.
The 17-minute act of worship uses liturgy from Common Worship: Daily Prayer. It can be accessed on any computer or device, with or without special Virtual Reality (VR) equipment."RiVR Link
The work being done by RiVR Link in the emergency services is a GREAT application of XR.
Lethbridge College, Alberta, Canada
Dinosaur Footprint Plaster Cast Laboratory
Here is the original LI post:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/michaelmccready_very-proud-of-this-project-this-is-a-sample-activity-6859336457023315969-dgt5
I searched YouTube for the same video and I can't seem to find it. 😕 That means that documentation is not widely available. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmccready/)
But it has several great features all coming together:
1. Takes advantage of a unique set of circumstances- student practice of dinosaur footprint plaster casts. That's a savings of time, and money and possibly danger depending on where these are available in nature [weather conditions, travel, height, rocky conditions, wild animals, etc.]. So this hits my list of reduces time, money, and danger.
2. Uses 1 or possibly 2 controllers. I can't remember if that could be customized to 1, 2, left, or right. I think there was captioning. Again, can't remember if that was a toggle feature for accessibility. Video might not have shown?
3. Instructions are direct, clear, and helpful (goldilocks! Not too much, not too little).
4. Pathways are guided!! When in doubt, objects or actions are glowing--YES. That is, there is a STORY to this experience.
5. Total experience time is short. (Get in, get out, I like that.)
P.S. I would LOVE to be "sent" a real plaster cast as a reward, wouldn't be cool? OK, now I'm getting away with myself. Don't do that, it would be frivolous.
What would Heather add? Narrative plot. I would add some sort of "reason" to a lead-in (intro) and outro to this simulation. Perhaps a construction project that is going to ruin the site or a storm coming?
Update: I have a post script on the place that made this product. It's not pretty. As a matter of fact, just to keep things REALLY nice here on this blog, I'm not going to link THAT mess to THIS because I have a strong suspicion that the mess that I saw happen close by might not have been the exact same people involved in THIS. Therefore, I'd prefer, if I can help it, to keep them separated. Thus, no link. Tough.
Heritage Key (now defunct, please someone bring this back!)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Key
Walk through video: https://youtu.be/OBPEX9QEgTg (4:31)
XR for increasing exposure to and expression of the arts
The new surround sound: Symphonies, operas, and orchestras in VR
https://garage.hp.com/us/en/arts-design/orchestra-symphony-opera-VR-performances.html
How virtual reality therapy can help make bad memories more manageable
Lowe's use of VR for tool training
They have taken the page down now (boo) but it had really great VR training. It looks like they are not doing this service now. They've redesigned and they are doing:
- Advanced Visualization
- Future Stores
- Future Associates
I grabbed Google's cached version of the research here. What I liked about the original article is that Lowe's compared VR training to video-based training. At the time (and with considerations of money), these are COMPARABLE media. Yay.
This article here below is NOT that article (I'm still searching for it...)
Putting AR/VR To Work: Taking the Complexity Out Of Home Improvement
Four Ways Visualization Technologies Can Radically Improve Traditional & Digital Shopping Experiences
By Josh Shabtai, Director, Lowe’s Innovation Labs
July 2022 update: Check this out: Lowe's going in a new direction with the metaverse but, I must say, not a bad direction to go. (Not strictly related to education):
https://arpost.co/2022/07/06/lowes-3d-product-library-metaverse-developers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=Sendible&utm_campaign=RSS (Hat tip: Suzan Oslin, LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/posts/suzan-oslin_lowes-opens-3d-product-library-to-metaverse-activity-6950854544062906369-PLmb?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web.)
This is not an educational application but medical but it still highlights an excellent use case:
A novel virtual reality technology to make MRI a new experience