Virtual Reality in the Classroom: More Than Just Entertainment

Gwenyth Gorfin, Managing Editor

Students in Mrs. McCarthy’s middle school class have been introduced to a virtual reality cycle course this year for the very first time. This new class delivers an incredible experience that incorporates engaging lessons with the use of technology to expand creative thinking beyond the classroom.

As a science teacher who has been working on her master’s degree in educational technology, Mrs. McCarthy is focused on creating a digitally-based learning environment for both her middle and high school students. On pursuing this innovative teaching method, Mrs. McCarthy says “a virtual reality class [allows] students to have a unique experience that has them get out of their comfort zone while expanding their digital based learning skills.” As of now the class is offered to only seventh and eighth graders, but Mrs. McCarthy is trying to implement the technology into some of her high school classes, like bioethics and forensics.

During class, there are two main pieces of equipment required. Students come into class, grab a Chromebook from the back of the room, and begin creating a digital world using the CoSpace software. CoSpace is a creative platform that immerses students into a world where they can create a virtual presence. Once students finish their work, they can test the Virtual Reality (VR) they have created by using VR goggles connected to their phones via the CoSpace application. Mrs. McCarthy was initially “a little skeptical of what the students’ responses to the class [were] going to be like,” but she soon saw that, as soon as her students started working on their projects, “they had smiles on their faces and were very engaged.”

In Mrs. McCarthy’s view, this elective class affords students the ability to explore a world that they can create by themselves and thus, students will be “more prepared to survive in this revolutionizing world we live in.” The class offers many benefits such as creative writing, collaboration, and graphic design that go far beyond the learning in a classroom.

While working, the students collaborate with one another and create VR worlds that allow the them to get out of their comfort zone and experience something new. 7th grader Cameron Raymond feels completely immersed in “an entirely new dimension” through VR and is always excited at “having the chance to design elements and test them out in our VR world.” 7th grader Josephine Lulaj appreciates the hands-on experience as opposed to the standard note taking method of learning: “it is fun to be able to be in what we are learning about… Mrs. McCarthy gives us a chance to explore the world of VR by experimenting and working with partners.”  

Mrs. McCarthy is very excited to see where this class leads to in the future. She finds it rewarding to see how much excitement and enthusiasm the student have once they complete their final products and present them to the class. Josephine is just one of the many students who have demonstrated the success of the class and its reach to the younger generation. Because Josephine is able to use technology to create her own 3D world, the “class is like no other class” and is “not only informational, but also interactive.”