Explore the world virtually!!
- Apr 22, 2020
- 3 min read
The challenge of many history and social studies classroom is keeping students excited throughout the lessons while they ask thought provoking questions, involve with concepts, themes, issues and actively learn with an interest. Earlier students used to read history text books, memorize facts and recite “ready-made” knowledge which fail to engage them with the lessons and spark any interest in history and social studies.
Rapid development of sophisticated ICT tools has required teachers to integrate technology in their classroom. According to the ISTE Standards, students must be prepared to be a creative thinker in order to thrive in today’s evolving technological landscape. They must be able to communicate clearly and express themselves creatively. Advanced technology such as using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in an educational environment has shown positive results with student engagement. A classroom setting could be enriched when students engage with these tools, immerse in the lesson, and gain authentic experience. Many schools have purchased virtual reality headsets for their classrooms because it tends to create student’s interest in the lessons and provide outstanding visualizations that are usually not possible to achieve in a traditional classroom setting without technology.
Students can experience ancient sites from all around the world, see monuments & key landmarks across different geographical regions, learn about the history, culture, and different people’s way of life through their VR headset. They learn to become aware, grow empathy and take on perspectives on people’s lives which may be different from theirs. As per the 6th grade history and social studies lesson objective, students will be able to immerse themselves in 3D space and using interactive 360 degree VR field trip, they will learn more about historical landmarks across the world. The teachers will use the 5E instructional approach to help students learn about the culture and history of Egypt.
§ Engage – It is important to build student’s background knowledge beforehand and clear any misconceptions they may have about a culture. Teachers will prompt a discussion about what students know about Egyptian culture. The lesson may begin by showing a short interesting video on Egypt. Teachers can also create a field trip experience to Egypt by combining ThingLink and Virtual Field Trips. Students can engage with that content in the VR headset. They can move their head and see the environment around them, zoom in / zoom out, pause to read a content, watch small videos in 3D and interact with the objects.
§ Explore – After analyzing the content from VR field trip, students conduct research and synthesize information across various sources to draw conclusions. They observe and gather information from existing resources. They can also conduct a quick research on multiple online sources in order to understand about Egyptian history and culture in depth.
§ Explain – Students can engage in a discussion using Padlet to express what they found interesting about Egyptian culture and explain their thoughts on the Pyramids. They can also present some interesting facts they have gathered about the Pyramids by sharing on the Padlet board.
§ Elaborate – Students may elaborate on their understanding of the historical concepts to new situations. As per the requirements from ISTE standards, they may design or adapt a learning experience by incorporating different digital tools to promote their learning and creativity in real world situations. For instance, students can design the Pyramids structure on Minecraft using modern tools such as bricks and cement. They can investigate what materials can hold the pyramid structure better – Are slab of stones strong enough? Could there be more efficient materials to recreate the pyramid structures? These questions which will prompt critical thinking skills among students. This task can be done in a group to foster collaboration among students.
§ Evaluation – Students will be able to compare how the monuments and culture are different across the different regions. Teachers can promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes. Students can share their reflection of the learning process by creating a Flipgrid video. Students can also share their finished Minecraft pyramid artifact to demonstrate their learning or they may create an infographic using Canva to demonstrate their understanding about the pyramids and culture of Egypt. By providing the students with an environment where they can perform a task together with peers (via Padlet, Flipgrid, work in pair to build Minecraft pyramid structure etc.) students learn the essential collaborative skills.
Digital media and technology are wonderful ways to bring history to life in classrooms while promoting student’s critical thinking skills, collaboration, empathy, communication skills and many others. Virtual reality has immense potential to be applied in educational settings. Teachers can pair this VR technology across different content areas and by using the right pedagogy, they can promote student’s development and learning.
Comments