by Education has long benefited from the use of games as an alternative way of teaching students. Just as the 90s, brought educational computer games, we are seeing a similarly monumental move towards VR/AR in 2019. This years trend was especially noticeable at the 2019 ED Games Expo. Of the 100 games featured in this year’s ED Games Expo, one fifth involved VR/AR elements to some degree.
Of the games being showcased at the Expo, the Northwest Evaluation Association’s “Augmented Reality Science Game” was definitely the biggest hit. When Edweek Market Brief spoke with Michael Nasterak, the associations senior director of innovation, he emphasized how the game fulfilled the requirements of common core while also being fun and engaging for all students. As is common within conversations about VR/AR, affordability was seen as the main barrier for wide scale adoption. However, while these barriers are very real, the computer gaming industry faced similar barriers in the 90s, a time when computers were only beginning to be adopted as a must-have home appliance, and look where they are today.
Using VR/AR will not only make it feel as if the subject matter is physically closer, but it will allow the viewer to better understand the nuances of the subject. This is, after all, what we hope 360 does to enhance all manner of education mediums, from the everyday lecture to the class field trip.