VR in Science Classrooms Position Paper

Virtual reality (VR) sounds like a concept drawn from science fiction novels. Suspending

actual reality in favor of exploring different environments is an appealing idea that has extended

into the realm of education. Instead of students being forced to abstractly conceptualize certain

academic topics, they can be transported into a world where those abstractions can come alive.

VR allows English teachers to transport their students into Elizabethan England to learn about

Shakespeare, history teachers to expose their students to the majesty of the pyramids of Giza,

and science teachers to reveal the intricacies of natural phenomena. As my focus is science, I

have come to the conclusion that virtual reality should be implemented in science classrooms if

the schools have the means to provide them. Virtual reality not only provides many applications

for advancing content goals, but is also supported by professionals in science education for use in

the classroom.

The applications for virtual reality in science classrooms are broad, encompassing but not

limited to: virtual labs, Google Cardboard applications, and EcoMuve virtual reality experiments.

Virtual labs are online programs that allow students to conduct experimental procedures without

the mess or cost of real, wet, labs. These virtual labs tend to include built-in assessments on the

lab procedures and overall concepts, allowing teachers to monitor student understanding

(Zagorski 2010). Options for these labs cover the realm of chemistry, physics, molecular biology,

and genetics. Science educators could use virtual labs if their school lacks the funding to provide

lab materials or if the lab itself is dangerous. Although I am more of an advocate of wet labs, the

virtual reality equivalent will serve to illustrate the same concepts if there are factors prohibiting

a real experiment.
 Google Cardboard has been rising in prominence as a relatively inexpensive mode of

virtual reality, and it has several applications that would work very well for science classrooms.

This technology offers amazing panoramas of different environments, including space, terrestrial

ecosystems, and marine ecosystems. Applications such as Gorillas in the Congo and Discovery

VR allow students to be immersed in and visually explore ecosystems that exist on earth

(Science 360 2017). Science teachers can use this technology to actually take students on a

virtual field trip to these environments when discussing ecosystem dynamics, habitat

destruction, and conservation. This may make it easier for students to understand the scientific

concepts because they do not have to visualize the ecosystems in questions - they are in them.

The virtual reality program EcoMuve has been advocated by the National Association of

Science Teachers as a tool teachers should use to have students understand what it is like to be a

scientist studying ecosystems (Kamarainen 2012). In this program, students are able to take the

role as a naturalist, microscopic specialist, water chemist, or private investigator. This role, along

with the particular ecosystem the teacher chooses (pond or forest), influences what their quests

will be in the program. With these quests, students are introduced to content that relates to state

standards for learning, such as ecosystem dynamics. As with the virtual labs mentioned earlier,

EcoMuve allows teachers to track student understanding of these concepts by implementing

formative assessments (Kamarainen 2012).

Overall I believe that virtual reality should be implemented in science classrooms.

Although some virtual reality programs, like the virtual labs, may save the school district money,

it may be more difficult to obtain Google Cardboard for every student. With that in mind, I

qualify my claim that virtual reality should be implemented if the school has the means to do so.

Virtual labs have the potential to show students experimental procedures without worrying about
the expense, mess, or danger those labs may have posed in reality. Google Cardboard allows

students to be transported to a different location, where they can observe the natural phenomenon

with their own eyes. EcoMuve is a specific example of a virtual reality program that has been

advocated by the National Association of Science Teachers. With all of the applications and

possibilities for using virtual reality in classrooms, I believe students would be missing out if

teachers did not implement this revolutionary technology.

Works Cited

Kamarainen A, Dede C. 2012 Jun 26. How Immersion in Mobile Enabled Augmented Realities

Helps Students Learn [Internet]. Arlington (VA): National Science Teachers Association; [cited

2017 Feb 5]. Available from:

https://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/iste/files/cjd_amk_nsta_iste.pdf

2017. Science 360 [Internet]. Virtual Reality for Education; [cited 2017 Feb 5]. Available from:

https://virtualrealityforeducation.com/google-cardboard-vr-videos/science-vr-apps/

Zagorski M. 2010. Virtual Reality in Science Education [Internet]. Rockville (MD): American

Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; [cited 2017 Feb 5]. Available from:

http://www.asbmb.org/asbmbtoday/asbmbtoday_article.aspx?id=9178