Of all the new technology that I have seen come into existence in the last few years, I am most excited for the educational impact that virtual reality and augmented reality will have. Using these technologies in the classroom will allow to completely change lesson at the redefinition level. Imagine being able to take a "virtual" field trip to the Louvre or to MOMA in New York, This technology will allow students to experience and appreciate art in real time and in an immersive environment. As a teacher, I will no longer have to rely solely on pictures of various works, but will be able to show my students the actual work in a gallery setting. And beyond that, we will have the ability to intimately explore the world in a way never before possible. It will be like having a time machine that every student can use. Want to visit the Moulin Rouge of the late 19th century and watch Toulouse-Lautrec work on one of his famous posters? We will be able to do that. And think of the way this will change the way we look at visiting artists and lecturers. Right now we can video chat and bring these people into out classroom for minimal cost and with great convenience. But image a classroom where a visiting artist is there, instructing and giving feedback, interacting with the students, but also still physically in their studio. The minimal cost and greater convenience is still there, but now we have a totally different experience.
These technologies are at the redefinition level because without them, none of what I mentioned above would be possible
I had never thought about VR and AR in the classroom, but as an art teacher what an awesome tool to use! I still remember a 5'th grade trip to a supercomputer (probably about as powerful as my laptop now), and we got to step into a large augmented reality world using a green screen. One thing I have thought about though, is do you worry about our mass of technology hampering creativity? Where students are so connected they aren't thinking of their own ideas?
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