Virtual reality involves the illusion of immersion in a digitally constructed environment (Gigante, 1993). Incorporating exciting, novel technologies, like virtual reality head-sets, engages students with creative digital technologies that are often inaccessible due to their high price (Brown & Green, 2016). However, Cospaces and other online virtual reality tools offer the opportunity for students to customise and construct their own virtual reality experiences that can be accessed using a laptop or tablet.
These tools are especially valuable in lessons surrounding personal experiences and self expression. From early stage one through to stage four, students explore different facets of their own identity and their place in society in English, History and Geography, and Personal Development, Health and Physical Education. Educators can use Cospaces for students to create scenes that represent a specific experience or that showcase a series of different facets of their identity (Al-Gindy et al., 2020; Wang & Sun, 2021; Hu-Au & Lee, 2017).
In stage one, students learn to discuss their personal interests. Using Cospaces, students can create an immersive environment that uses text and images to represent information about themselves. Cospaces also offers a function that uses a technology called a Merge Cube to project this design onto a hand-held cube (Al-Gindy, 2020). In my example, each face of the Merge Cube displays a question and answer, plus visual aids from the Cospaces library. By using Cospaces, students are creatively representing themselves and educators can create a unique experience for individuals to share their project with others by scanning that one Merge Cube.
Similarly, Cospaces can be used to construct immersive experiences that recount events. For example, after an excursion, students could be tasked with creating a virtual scene of their favourite part of the excursion. My example depicts an excursion to the zoo where students have to think critically about their visual representation decisions to accurately depict what happened.
Cospaces is very easy to use for students in stage one and above and offers a free trial of thirty days. Most classrooms have access to tablets or computers so students can easily access the website. However, supporting technologies, like the Merge Cube or the professional version, come at an additional cost. For older or more experienced students, there are opportunities to use a range of coding techniques to increase the interactivity of their virtual reality experience. Educators can promote independent or collaborative learning creatively using this virtual reality technology.
References
Al-Gindy, A., Felix, C., Ahmed, A., Matoug, A., & Alkhidir, M. (2020). Virtual reality:
Development of an integrated learning environment for education. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 10(3), 171-175.
Brown, A., & Green, T. (2016). Virtual reality: Low-cost tools and resources for the classroom.
TechTrends, 60, 517-519.
Gigante, M. A. (1993). Virtual reality: definitions, history and applications. In Virtual reality
systems (pp. 3-14). Academic Press.
Hu-Au, E., & Lee, J. J. (2017). Virtual reality in education: a tool for learning in the experience
age. International Journal of Innovation in Education, 4(4), 215-226.
Wang, H. Y., & Sun, J. C. Y. (2021). Real-time virtual reality co-creation: collective intelligence
and consciousness for student engagement and focused attention within online communities. Interactive Learning Environments, 1-14.
Hi Mikayla,
I really liked the visual examples you included here, they were great quality, it broke up the text nicely, and provided a good understanding of the variety of functions that CoSpaces offers. It was also really interesting how you related the VR tool to the act of self-expression by being able to create personalised environments.
I would have loved for you to explore limitations of CoSpaces as a learning tool and further elaborate on its impact on creativity in the classroom. Overall, well done!
Harrison Britton (7.4.23)
(47098538)