Page 34 - THE Journal, April/May 2017

EDTECHInsider By David Nagel & Project Tomorrow
Gauging Enthusiasm for Augmented & Virtual Reality in Education
A brand new survey of more than 500,000 teachers, students, administrators and parents shows that kids, much more than adults, are interested in augmented and virtual reality.
The results are part of an exclusive set of data from the 2016 Speak Up Survey from Project Tomorrow. They show that 33 percent of middle school students and 26 percent of high school students are interested in using augmented reality in their schools, choosing that technology as part of their “ultimate school,” while only 12 percent of parents and principals and 13 percent of teachers share that enthusiasm.
Adults seem to be much more interested in the “wow factor” of virtual reality than the much-ballyhooed utility of augmented real- ity. Students are also more interested.
Forty-seven percent of middle school students and 33 percent of high school students want virtual reality experiences and hardware in their “ultimate school.” Twenty-nine percent of principals and 23 percent of teachers are interested in VR. But parents, at just 17 percent, seem largely not to see the benefit.
According to Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, “When asked about what they need to use digital content, tools and resources more successfully in the classroom, teachers cite three key elements.” Those are:
• Classroom set of devices (56 percent);
• Consistent technical support for classroom usage (49 percent); • Professional development on effective instructional practices
with that digital content (48 percent).
Evans added: “It makes sense, therefore, that in regards to using
AR and VR in the classroom, teachers are starting to call for spe- cific professional development to support their efforts. An emerging cohort of teachers (approximately one in eight teachers, or 13 percent) says they would like PD on how to use AR or VR in the classroom. Districts are also recognizing the importance of PD on the use of AR and VR in the classroom, and 20 percent of district administrators say that type of professional learning for teachers is a priority for this year.”
The data here were compiled in a survey conducted by Project Tomorrow involving 435,510 K–12 students, 38,512 teachers, 4,592 administrators and 29,670 parents. The Speak Up Survey was con- ducted between October 2016 and January 2017.
For more information, visit tomorrow.org.
David Nagel is editor-in-chief of THE Journal.
What do they want to see in their ultimate school?
Augmented reality apps
Students in Grades 6-8
Students in Grades 9-12
Parents Principals Teachers
Virtual reality experiences and hardware
Students in Grades 6-8
Students in Grades 9-12
Parents Principals Teachers
33%
26%
33%
12%
17%
12%
29%
13%
47%
23%
34
| APRIL/MAY 2017
0% 50%
0% 50%