Southgate (2018) defined virtual reality as an experience where “users are immersed in a simulated digital environment; augmented reality (AR) overlays virtual objects on the real-world environment; and mixed reality (MR) overlays and anchors virtual objects on to the real world and often allows users to interact with these objects”.
Thus, virtual reality means that students have the opportunity to creatively design their own worlds and experience it through virtual teleportation. Virtual reality is considered a game-based learning approach, “it increases the learner’s involvement and motivation while widening the range of learning styles supported” (Freina & Ott, 2015).
CoSpaces Education
CoSpaces is an educational application created for the purpose of inspiring students to discover new things, while experiencing the world around them. CoSpaces education allows students to use their creative minds to construct their own 3D animations and experience them through virtual or augmented reality.
For more information access the CoSpacesEdu brochure below. (CoSpaces Edu, 2023)
Co spaces education includes a tab on their website which provides lesson plans for all education years in different subjects. Subject areas include STEM and coding, social science, language and literature, makerspaces, and arts. However, using Co Spaces in the classroom is not just limited to these subjects, teachers have the discretion to utilise this learning resources as creatively as they want. Teachers can assign students with the project to create their own virtual world, when teaching subjects like English and Science. For English students can create their own virtual world which Is based on their creative writing piece.
CoSpaces education can be used for science to explore biological living things, like the human body, animals, and the environment.
Advantages and disadvantages: CoSpaces Edu
Teachers using Co Spaces in the classroom is an advantage as, it includes an all-in-one-platform with intuitive features designed to support teachers (CoSpaces Edu, 2023). Features include student management, class management, lesson plans, tutorial videos and gallery of examples.
On the other hand, there are some limitations that should be addressed about using virtual reality technologies in the classroom. Many teachers have not been exposed to the CoSpaces education. Some form of professional training should be implemented for teachers, so they feel comfortable using the technology in their classroom and exploring the new possibilities that VR opens (Boyles, 2017). In addition, “several participants in virtual reality studies have felt nausea, motion-sickness, or minor headaches while using the devices” (Boyles, 2017). Teachers should have awareness on this and understand that using virtual reality devices shouldn’t been mandatory upon students.
Access my own creation on CoSpaces Edu below.
Djoumana Aoun
Reference List:
Boyles, B. (2017). Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Education. Centre for Teaching Excellence, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, 2017.
https://www.westpoint.edu/sites/default/files/inline-images/centers_research/center_for_teching_excellence/PDFs/mtp_project_papers/Boyles_17.pdf
CoSpaces Edu for kid-friendly 3D creation and coding. (No date). CoSpaces Edu for kid-friendly 3D creation and coding. Available at: https://cospaces.io/edu/
Southgate, E. (2018). Immersive virtual reality, children, and school education: A literature review for teachers. DICE Report Series Number 6. Newcastle: DICE Research. http://dice.newcastle.edu.au/DRS_6_2018.pdf
Hi Djoumana! Thank you very much for your blog post about CoSpaces! You have included a variety of great ideas and considerations about how this program can be utilised to effectively portray an understanding of ideas in all subjects and not simply just STEM! I also enjoyed your own example of CoSpaces, and I think that you have demonstrated CoSpaces, highlighting many features, including its ability to be a virtual world and a virtual reality! I would also like to know how CoSpaces can be used to enhance creativity specifically. I think, given the different options and opportunities that CoSpaces provides, this can be a great thing to talk about! Thank you very much Jeremy Segal 11/4/2023
Hi Djoumana!
Fantastic job on your blog post about VR technology and CoSpaces!
You've provided a great assessment of the different applications, benefits, and limitations of VR in the classroom and your CoSpaces creation is really demonstrative of this.
With consideration for the word count, some more detail about potential lessons and classroom applications would've been nice to see, such as beyond an english lesson in creating a CoSpace for creative writing what type of outcomes would that meet? How would one assess the quality of a submission? (which connects to the required professional development needed for teachers as you mentioned) Just some thoughts :)
Regardless, I really enjoyed reading your blog post!
Victor 45964815
11/4/23