Beyond Reality is a project meant to introduce students and educators to the educational powers and possiblilites of new Virtual Reality technology. The technology is destined to change way we learn and interact with the world around us and Beyond Reality is trying to bring awareness and excitement for the future of learning. The project consists of two parts, a guide book and this informational website. The guide book will inform educators on the potentials of virtual reality and how to incorpate the techonology into classroom settings.
Virtual Reality allow users to experience and explore three dimensional, computer generated environments , images, or videos with the use of a motion tracked head mounted display. This allows users to experience media and content in a unique and exciting way that was previously unachievable by past technologies. The technology has the ability to create a distinctive sense of presence that makes users feel like they are actually there, within the content. This has immense potential as an educational tool and could bring even more excitement and wonder to education.
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Experience and learn about Stonehenge through a magical virtual reality guided tour.
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Explain VR: Virtual Zoo is educational application based on google cardboard and virtual reality.
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Take a visually stunning and scientifically accurate 3D ride inside the human body.
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A beautiful reconstruction of Arnswalde, a Polish town that was on the front line during World War II.
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Visit the great city of Tokyo in virtual reality with your Google Cardboard.
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Move to the south coast of England an early morning June 6th, 1944 in Virtual Reality.
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Cardboard is one of the most affordable options when it comes to virtual reality headsets. The headset is made of folded cardboard and uses just about any smartphone to display the VR content. There are many different versions of Cardboard, each with there own smaller features. To purchase or find out more about Google Cardboard, click the link below.
Cardboard WebsiteSamsung's Gear VR is another great option. It is more costly than Google Cardboard but provides a much more immersive, refined and comfortable expreince. This headset also uses a smartphone to display the VR content, but is only compatible with a select number of Samsung smartphones. To purchase or find out more about Gear VR, click the link below.
Gear VR Website
The Oculus Rift is the ultimate virtual reality headset and has many more built in features than Cardboard or Gear VR. It has its own displays, therefore it does not require a phone to operate. However, it does require a high end computer. The Rift provides the best virtual reality experience but is also one of the most costly. To find out more about the Oculus Rift, click the link below.
Oculus Rift WebsiteYou may ask what really makes Virtual Reality (VR) so special? The answer is the ability to learn through experience instead of just reading a textbook, listening to lectures, or watching informational media. Virtual Reality, as previously stated provides a unique sense of presence that fools the mind into believing that what the viewer sees is actually there.
Due to VR's combination of high end technologies such as precise headset tracking, stereoscopic displays and sounds, and high resolution screens, students actually feel like they are somewhere else. They can float through space and see the planets hanging in the stillness of the night sky. They can also be shrunk down to microscopic sizes to explore and learn about the human body. Think Magic Schoolbus 2.0. These experiences will allow students to get a sense of scale that is impossible to communicate in any other medium. For example, when the Sun dwarfs all of the planets in our solar system students don't have to imagine it - they intuitively understand it. After reading countless books about the solar system or seeing it in planetariums, they are suddenly there in person.
VR allows students to learn in a much more immediate and engaging way. It has the potential to complement and extend traditional education, similarly to a exciting field trip. With VR however, you are not limited to the places you could go. VR is only limited by your imagination, not the proximity to educational destinations or the expenses of travel. These VR experiences are available right in your chair, without ever having to leave the classroom. No longer will you need to make reservations, pay for buses, or buy park passes. There is no travel time or weather delays, virtual reality is always right there in the palm of your hand.