This course will be introducing me to my first experience with a course structured in a blog format. Personally, I have never really made a blog let alone even posted or commented on one. I am excited to gain experience with this format and look forward to a knowledge-filled semester. This course should only help to further expand my knowledge of conducting and interpreting research. Coming from a former background of biological sciences, I have had lots of experience with reviewing published research analyses and even conducting my own experiments in extracurricular lab settings. I look forward to expanding my knowledge of social science research methods during this course.
In the past few years, a topic I have been extremely interested in is the emergence of AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) technology in everyday consumer products. Recently I have seen some peer review journals and other scholarly articles discussing the effects upon learning these technologies can have in elementary education. Having previous experience with tutoring children of various backgrounds it is always amazing to see how intuitive a child’s mind can be when interacting with technology. I feel the possibilities afforded by this technology in a classroom setting could be limitless. Just one example that jumps to mind could be history lessons consisting of taking a VR tour of ancient Sumerian cities.
I would personally be interested in examining what age groups could benefit the most from such interactive and immersive experiences during their schooling. The ability to allow for near instantaneous viewing of a virtual world based upon historical cities around the world could allow for memorable and impactful guided lesson plans to be enjoyed by children worldwide. I feel as this field of technology continues to innovate, become more affordable, and expand that more exciting learning opportunities will continue to arise.
My group name suggestion is Imaginative Innovating.
I like that you pointed out how naturally a lot of children interact with technology these days. I also really like that you’re choosing to look into the educational benefits of VR and AR instead of just their entertainment value. I’m sure you’ll probably find a lot of information regarding the benefits of utilizing VR and AR in teaching, but I’d be interested to know if there are any observed negatives so far.
Also, I really like your idea for the group name 🙂
Hello Cody, This is a great take on AR/VR. From personal experience, watching the documentaries of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome in middle school would give me a completely different perspective on the topics we learned in World History. If I recall those events over 10 years ago I can only image the impact taht AR/VR will have on students who can “travel” to Egypt, Greece or Rome. There is definitely a lot of advantages to AR/VR that can be implemented to education. I believe the only withdraw in this topic is the cost of “Good” AR/VR Equipment. I like the Group name by the way!
-Esau Cervantes
Great topic for the class and well targeted!