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The rise of technology, especially in cyberspace has become hard to ignore. Innovations emerging every day and so is the urgency to use the best machine to achieve the intended goal.
Cyberspace itself is a portmanteau by the author William Gibson back in 1982. Combining cybernetics and space, the term also evolved into the digital world and how people are interacting online. The ultimate goal for this side of technology is to have a total immersion in the digital space, and that is what virtual reality offers today.
The digital space has now also become part of today’s life, with people who cannot escape their phones expecting mail and the latest news. Including in the education world, where numerous classes are adopting technology like virtual reality in the classroom.
As a subject about the past, many students find history as a difficult and boring subject. With the arrival of virtual reality, teachers can find more ways to teach the future generation about what happened in the past.
The Efficacy of Virtual Reality
Many teachers are still separating games for the class and the leisure games. Without realizing that both can coexist and apply to the students. There are more challenges in adapting to the new technology that constantly changing and evolving.
One of the theories on reasons for resistance and hesitation to use Virtual Reality stems from the fact that cyberspace technology is very much like gaming. This may be against the value of some teachers or even confuse them on how to implement it in the classroom.
However, educators who are implementing VR can provide their students with shocking values through the immersive experience. Students can feel the connection they have with the past. It’s also worth noting that there are numerous types of games and applications that teachers can use to teach.
One of those games is the simulation games which give the students a closer, up, and personal look into how life was back in the past. Simulation games are considered one of the best methods to learn. As it has a unique dynamic that teachers can utilize to teach history.
Teachers who use simulation games to teach history can efficiently introduce historical moments to the students. At the same time, they are also motivating the students in healthy competition with each other.
One criticism about virtual reality in a classroom is a question of efficacy. The technology is still new and may not always be present in the class. Moreover, the teachers also need to be adept with machine operation and quick troubleshooting.
The cost of running VR and maintenance in the long run may burden the institution. Even when limiting the usage to strictly as supplements, the technology is still not something that may work for everyone.
Disregarding the criticism, it’s impossible to deny how virtual reality affects the students, primarily on how they understand and retain memory while learning history. They also can excel at other humanities subjects that are related to history such as geography and anthropology.
How VR Works in Teaching History
Virtual reality has two primary roles as being a classroom supplement. Through these functions, the technology helps the teacher to further elaborate the historical moments and incite the student’s learning motivations.
1. Immersive Experience
The primary point of utilizing this technology is for the student to have an immersive experience. Rather than describing the situation and using imagery, VR can teleport the students to the historical setting and explore the area.
Utilizing VR to teach history is easily more immersive than going for a museum tour and explaining the historical moment. With this technology, students only have to be attached to the museums and explain, just like in the classroom. It will save the school institution from transportation and other logistic hassle.
An immersive experience with VR allows students to be present in the historical moment. They can interact with the characters and see how the history is unveiled. Students are also able to see how the history is unveiled. More importantly, they will be better at recalling the knowledge during exams since they have the experiments and see the moments unfold in real-time.
2. Practicing Lost Language
Virtual reality also can help learners understand lost or almost extinct languages such as Latin. Even though it’s still part of the curriculum and still becomes of high interest, the language barely has any speakers, which makes learners have issues in applying their knowledge in a real-life situation.
For language learning, VR can provide a shocking value that will push the students to practice the language they learned. Being put directly in the situation, students will have no other choice but to push forward and try the language.
An example of this practice is the application of Linguae Vitae. In this program, the students will have to use Latin to communicate with characters such as Titus. They also have challenges such as composing a poem or becoming an orator.
Returning to the Future For a Glimpse in The Past
Rather than feeling worried about how the technology continues to expand and evolve, it’s smarter to utilize it to learn and see what went wrong. Historic moments are those that cannot be repeated yet it has a lasting impact on many people. To be more precise in teaching them what has happened, history teachers can utilize these new technologies.
Adopting Virtual reality in a classroom may motivate the students to enjoy learning about history. They also will be more appreciative of the historical moments and understand better about the past civilization. And more importantly, they will feel challenged to excel in the subject and can retain the knowledge longer.
Educators and various tech companies should work together to create affordable VR tech to include in the curriculum. It can be an ongoing project and make the technology more accessible for more students. At the end of the day, all parties involved cannot excuse themselves for not adapting to the technology.
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