Virtual reality is an up and coming technology that is sweeping the world as we speak. New gear and technology pop up almost every day. And the more technology there is, the more immersive it gets. Virtual reality is just one step into the future of both gaming and learning.
The Oculus Rift is the first of its kind, the original if you will. It is a mask that covers the eyes with two screens on both sides, for both eyes. This allows wearers to experience 3D immersive gameplay and interaction between them and the game. Head movements count to moving the camera in game, thus allowing for a higher degree of interaction.
The Samsung Gear VR is Samsung's response to the ever-popular Oculus Rift. The Samsung Gear, on the other hand, promises more features. These features include a sharper image, movies exclusive to the system, and a connection to the Samsung Store. While promising more, people are less likely to flock to this system due to how new it is compared to the Oculus Rift.The Google Cardboard is Google's absolutely adorable version of the Oculus Rift. Thankfully, this version is a whole lot cheaper. You can either make this from cardboard you already have, thanks to the instructions they put up on their site, or you can buy cheap, premade cases for it. Apps are specifically made for the "system", hosting interactive games and even concerts.
One reason why virtual reality can be such a good alternative to learning is because what is impossible in every day life is entirely and completely possible in a virtual reality. Now we can solve math equations with car speeds and other situational problems by acting performing them in a real world. You can entirely tell a student to look through a building for history when there is a recreation of it online as a virtual reality. They can even experience the life of a particular job they are interesting in before they even walk down that path of life.
Another reason why virtual can be successful is because of the sheer fact that a virtual reality is a game. And kids absolutely love games, no matter how poorly made they are. As long as fun can be had, it does not matter whether a game is absolutely terrible or not. What truly matters is that its fun, and the more fun the kid has, the more attention they will pay to it.
This is an assignment from the Immersive Education course that I am taking at Boston College. The course is called Collaborative Computing. For details, visit the immersive BC portal at http://ImmersiveEducation.org/@/bc
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