DIGITAL RESOURCES FOR EVERY CLASSROOM
VR & AR TOOLS & RESOURCES
Trying to figure out if virtual reality is right for your classroom? It is! The resources below will help you investigate the various apps and virtual reality tools available to help you identify the variety of ways it can be easily integrated into lessons that support your curriculum, extend student understanding and motivate students to learn more! Want to take a trip to space, Rome or see the inside of a cell? Take your students to places they never dreamed of going and to view demonstrations and expanded objects you could never even fit into your classroom!
TYPE COMPARISON
VIRTUAL REALITY DEFINED
AUGMENTED REALITY DEFINED
WAYS TO WATCH VR
VIRTUAL REALITY OPTIONS
The following resources can be used to bring your students on Virtual Field Trips to far-away places using a number of devices. VR goggles allow the students to be immersed in the location & block out all distractions, however all activities can be viewing non-immersively through a tablet or smartphone and should still allow for the 360 degree experience as long as they contain an accelerometer. Furthermore, a YouTube search for 360 VR will yield a variety of content that you can use to share with students the same way; consider inserting them into your next Nearpod lesson for ease of access and increased engagement!
VR CREATION TOOLS
AUGMENTED REALITY INTERACTIVE APPS
Objects that Interact with Your Own Reality & Turn Content into Magic!
Plenty more available in Google Play or App Store - Just search for VR and Explore!
OTHER AR/VR APPS FOR EDUCATION
VR/AR RESEARCH
Don’t Take My Word for It
VR GOGGLE PRODUCTS
There are dozens of VR goggles and products on the market these days so feel free to buy anything you think may work best for your classroom. From my experience with VR, the things you will need to most consider when choosing a VR goggle product would be durability, cost, & usability. Not all headsets are made alike and you will want to make sure that whatever you buy will last for longer than your first activity and even your first year. The size of gadgets keep changing so make sure whatever you purchase will accommodate many different sizes of handheld devices. They should also be comfortable to wear, not bulky or scratchy for small kids and possibly even adjustable to head size or vision. I have reviewed several models and these are my top three when considering all the factors involved.
CYNOCULARS
$9 - This headset is durable, well padded, fits any device up to 7” and has individual lens adjustment for focus. Comes with a Bluetooth remote/joystick for game play and switching apps.
VR BOX 2.0
$11 - Easy to use, lightweight and also has a Bluetooth remote for changing apps & gameplay. Not as Durable as Cynoculars but similar in design & focus features.
EVR HEADSET
$29 - Has good padding on goggles and headphones, durable housing & hinged access to easily insert device. It has dual focus wheels for adjusting depth & width focal points.
Again, there are many products out there and many teachers like the function of Google Cardboard or Viewmaster, but for the money, the durability and the understanding that someone sometime will either break a pair or walk off with them, these are my favorites for housing your classroom with enough pairs to implement a fully immersive small group rotation VR activity asap. Devices not included.
OTHER IMPORTANT RESOURCES
GET VIRTUAL! PRACTICAL VR APPLICATION & CREATION FOR THE EVERYDAY TEACHER! By A.M. Carrier
Dig into practical strategies for using virtual reality in the classroom including activities & VR examples for each while discussing additional ideas for implementation at every level. Learn how to create, engage & extend using VR today!
GET REAL! 10 EASY WAYS TO INTEGRATE & ENGAGE YOUR STUDENTS WITH VIRTUAL REALITY TODAY! By A.M. Carrier
Dig into 10 specific strategies for using virtual reality in the classroom including activities & VR examples for each while discussing additional ideas for implementation at every level. See which types, apps & equipment are best for different learning experiences & plan your next adventure today!
CHOOSE YOUR OWN REALITY
A Comparison of Tools, Apps & Uses to Integrate VR Today! Slides Presentation to help identify ways VR can be easily integrated into lessons that support your curriculum, extend understanding and motivate students to learn more!
VIRTUAL REALITY FOR EDUCATION
An online resource for everything VR – Research, Apps, Online Resources, Virtual Field Trips & Suggestions for Using VR in Education.
EDUCAUSE.EDU
An Educational Resource Library for uses, research and support for using Augmented & Virtual Reality in the classroom including Articles, Blogs, Websites & More!
CLASS VR
An Informative guide to using Virtual and Augmented Reality in education as well as lesson ideas, support and curriculum aligned VR content.
GLYDE
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