Page 25 - Campus Technology, June 2017

COMPLETE GUIDE TO VIRTUAL REALITY
5 VR TRENDS TO WATCH IN EDUCATION
What virtual reality gadgets and tools can educators look forward to in the near future?
The ed tech strategists behind Digital Bodies share their observations, highlighting a few products to be on the lookout for.
By Sri Ravipati
Virtual reality is taking off in higher education. VR de- vices are expected to increase 85 percent by 2020, with gaming and educational applications driving most of that growth. But what areas of VR should educators specifically focus on and what tech can they look out for?
“We can expect to see certain trends in VR to move for- ward, while others will disappear. As devices continue to shrink we will see the development of augmented and mixed reality experiences that will power compelling visualizations, immersive storytelling, gamified simulations and learning experiences,” said Maya Georgieva, an ed tech strategist, author and speaker with more than 15 years of experience in higher education and global education. Georgieva is co- founder of Digital Bodies, a consulting group that provides news and analysis of VR, AR and wearables in education.
Her partner in crime is Emory Craig, an educator, speak- er and researcher of VR and wearable technologies in the
learning environment. He is currently the director of e-learning at the College of New Rochelle (NY), where he leads in- structional technology initiatives.
“Education is on the cusp of a profound change in the way we use [VR] technology,” Craig said. “People are starting to use it in higher ed even though the tech is very fluid at the moment.”
Craig and Georgieva both agree that the VR market is rapidly changing, but there are various technologies in hard- ware, distribution platforms and content creation software that are ready to use. Here are five areas with promising developments for educators.
1) More Affordable Headsets
While headsets like the Microsoft HoloLens, which Micro- soft refers to as a mixed reality device, are sought after for being highly advanced in terms of applications and content,
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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | June 2017
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