ISCI 761 M13: Hololens 2

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Incorporating technology in your lessons can take your lessons to a new height - but what about taking your students to a whole new reality? The evolution of technology means that there are increasingly new and interesting ways it can be incorporated into lessons or for engagement. Virtual reality (VR) is one of those amazing technological advances.

If this is an interesting concept to you, you may want to explore your options as high tech can also mean a high price tag. One example of this is Hololens 2. This is a headset that can be used to view and interact with images created in augmented reality. The Hololens 2 cost is $3,500 and includes the device, protective case, head strap, charger, and a one-year warranty. The bundle costs the same amount and includes $500 Azure credits and trials for Unity Pro and Pixyz Plug in. The website indicates examples in which this devices was beneficial for anatomy and biology based classes but a list of applications is also available. The apps provided are free or at cost and indicate the range of course topics that the use of mixed reality technology could be used in. Educenter had a good review that indicated ways in which the tool was used within classes and some pros and cons.


Certainly a device like this can bring a new spin on a learning experience for your students but there are more options. For example, as one complaint from the review was being more education friendly, ClassVR (website) markets as a education friendly VR platform and device. A set of 8 can cost $4,299.00 and a range of 3D experiences is listed including: Animals 3D, Chemistry 3D, Earth Science 3D, Engineering 3D, Historical Objects 3D, and more! Likewise there is RobotLab VR equipment that boasts 700 virtual fieldtrips for students from Google Expeditions (which may have been discontinued but is still available for those with a supported system). A class set of 10 (complete with teacher equipment) would cost $5,775.00. Additional options for incorporating AR and VR in the classroom are recommended in the article "23 Resources for Bringing AR and VR to the Classroom" from the International Society for Technology in Education.

With the advancement of technology, it is easy to look at the cool potential of similar devices and lose track of their application. The effectiveness of these devices depends strongly on their implementation which means there must be a budget and a plan for it's use. The article "Using Virtual and Augmented Reality in the Library" from New Library World outlines three examples of VR/AR platforms and the description of them emphasizes the point - free or at-cost, know what you are getting and how you plan on using it. Another support for that point is outlined in the School Library Journal's article "Get the Most from AR/VR Technology Without Breaking the Budget." 

References

Massis, B.(2015). "Using virtual and augmented reality in the library." New Library World, Vol. 116, pp. 796 - 799.

Snelling, J. (2022). "23 Resources for Bringing AR and VR to the Classroom." International Society for Technology in the Classroom, www.iste.org/explore/In-the-classroom/25-resources-for-bringing-AR-and-VR-to-the-classroom.

Young, L. (2020). "Get the Most from AR/VR Technology Without Breaking the Budget." School Library Journal, www.slj.com/story/get-the-most-from-ar-vr-technology-without-breaking-budget-library.

Comments

  1. the hoppe padNovember 18, 2022 at 6:41 AM

    In this week's readings, I really appreciated the idea that if you only educate one teacher or just the librarian on the VR technology and they leave, it is hard to keep it going. So as you mention about cost, it is important to have a team dedicated at a school who are trained on the technology and any updates that come about with the device and applications. That way there is not just one person with all the knowledge. I also agree that this is a great way to extend the science classes allowing a more "hands on" approach instead of having to get everything for
    experiments. Thanks for the post! Caroline Hoppe

    ReplyDelete
  2. Whitney TylerNovember 20, 2022 at 2:33 PM

    Thank you for sharing this resource! VR technology can be very expensive but it is more cost effective when we think long term. I love your cost breakdown. Having the VR technology to virtually experience a place is cheaper than one field trip. I think the important thing to note is that VR technology must be implemented an utilized well to see a return on investment.

    ReplyDelete

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