Welcome to the Virtual Playground
For many of us, “going to the playground” once meant games of tetherball, scalding hot metal slides, occasional scraped knees, and a total escape from the monotony of our 7-hour learning day. Today, an entirely new playground has emerged—a digital landscape where play and learning walk hand-in-hand and where the convenience and practicality of online learning continue to innovate, immerse, and engage students in ways as limitless as the imagination.
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are no longer out-of-reach buzzwords or concepts once reserved for science fiction; they’re rapidly becoming the new frontier of in-person, hybrid, and distance or online learning.
Since 2020, the evolution of online learning has accelerated so quickly that despite its initial growing pains, it has become the new norm and often the preference of millions of students who find success in the individualized approach that virtual tutoring or online learning programs offer.
With the development of virtual and augmented reality, online education platforms are entering a new transformative stage of innovation. In this stage, historical facts aren’t just memorized but experienced, barriers of language and culture dissolve, and complex scientific theories move from abstract to interactive.
If you’re wondering when this might come to fruition, it is already happening right now.
Decoding the Digital Landscape: What Exactly are AR and VR?
Before exploring and appreciating how these technologies are reshaping how students learn, let’s first break down these empowering technologies.
Augmented Reality (AR): Our World, Enhanced.
Suppose you or your child have ever played Pokemon Go, where digital characters appear in the immediate, physical environment, or even used Snapchat filters that transform your face into a caricature with added features. In that case, you’ve already experienced augmented reality. What augmented reality does for the user is layering digital elements into the real world. With augmented reality, users can distinguish between the real and the virtual. In both traditional and online learning environments, physical and digital textbooks can be further transformed by AR by bringing otherwise one-dimensional diagrams to vivid life.
And all that’s needed is a smart device such as a phone or laptop. If your laptop or computer is already functioning well with 1-on-1 or small group instruction in an online learning environment, you already have the equipment to take advantage of this new technology.
Virtual Reality (VR): Total Immersion
Imagine putting on a headset and almost instantly being completely transported to another world in complete sensory immersion. Your perception of reality is completely transformed—that is virtual reality.
VR creates a completely simulated environment that, in essence, replaces your physical surroundings as you know them. Think of VR as a 360-degree digital experience that functions like a time machine where you can easily explore ancient civilizations, walk on Mars, or interact with another culture. If you have ever watched The Magic School Bus—particularly the episodes when Ms. Frizzle and the kids traveled inside Earth’s core or the human body—you’ve already had a glimpse into the capabilities of VR. Let’s face it: We always knew Ms. Frizzle was ahead of her time.
Key Distinctions: AR vs. VR
Augmented Reality (AR)
- Digital overlay on real-world environment
- Works with smart devices (smartphones, tablets)
- Users can clearly distinguish between real and virtual elements
- Enhances real-world experiences with digital information
Virtual Reality (VR)
- Fully simulated environment
- Requires specialized headsets (HMD - Head Mounted Device)
- Complete sensory immersion
- Creates environments that challenge user perception of reality
From Textbooks to Time Machines: How AR and VR Transform Learning
While these new technologies might seem ambiguous, radically different, and impersonal, it’s important to remember the bigger picture of how education has evolved over time. The concept of students using a computer was once outrageous. Rote memorization without meaning or engagement was once the norm. And while these may have had their place in history, education is continuously transforming, improving, and adapting to the needs of a new generation of leaders.
Despite the technical innovations we’ve seen, most students still enjoy the kinesthetic feel of putting pencil to notebook paper, writing assignments in paper planners, and the feel and smell of a good book. It’s important to remember that both innovation and tradition can coexist and are most successful when doing so.
But for the majority of students, some things are better left in the past: for example, flipping mindlessly through static textbooks, copying vocabulary, and searching manually through indexes about important world events without any meaningful connection to them, to name a few.
With AR and VR, education has the power to turn into an excursion, transforming how students interact with complex concepts across multiple disciplines.
Exploring New Frontiers: Educational Applications of AR and VR
Virtual Field Trips: Limitless learning
Imagine you’re a student studying ancient Rome. Without leaving the classroom, VR allows students to walk through the Colosseum, explore surrounding archaeological sites, and experience historical moments as if they were truly there. Researchers note that “AR and VR allow teachers to take students on virtual field trips and offer interactive engaging lessons.” No passport is required, and an entirely new generation of enthusiasts for the “Roman Empire” lives on.
Scientific Simulation: Safe, Interactive Learning
AR and VR are revolutionizing how students take in and comprehend complex topics in science classrooms. Even upper-level medical students can practice surgical techniques on virtual patients without risk of harm. Chemistry experiments traditionally resulting in the occasional fire, explosion, or questionable chemical spill can now be accomplished with precision. But don’t worry: The exploding volcano may never lose popularity. By no means is AR or VR meant to replace truly authentic experiences.
Personalized Learning: The Real Game-Changer
However, in addition to their role in traditional classrooms, AR and VR perhaps shine brightest in an online learning environment already built for them.
Online learning and tutoring have championed personalized learning for decades, but now, AR and VR can bring personalization to an entirely new level.
Online learning experiences that embrace AR and VR allow for the creating of dynamic and interactive lessons tailored to individual student needs while offering real-time feedback and adaptive learning paths that are generated naturally and effortlessly. Furthermore, students who struggle with communication anxiety may find relief and strength in overcoming these struggles through exposure to a low-pressure environment. In all cases, individual learning paces and preferences can be accommodated for students, and even language barriers that once hindered student learning can be broken down with features like instant translations and contextual learning.
For students struggling with traditional learning methods in schools or traditional classrooms, AR and VR may allow them to explore complex mathematical concepts through unique, 3D visualizations while practicing skills in a controlled virtual environment.
The ultimate result? Learning becomes less about memorization and more about deep exploration, inquiry, engagement, and genuine understanding.
Online Engagement, Redefined
There’s no arguing that online learning has proven extremely successful for students, but like anything, some are more receptive than others. Students who still struggle to maintain focus staring at a screen can instead be in interactive, gamified learning environments that get students genuinely excited about learning, increasing their motivation and making learning feel more like an exciting journey rather than a monotonous work routine.
Navigating the Future: Challenges and Opportunities
While AR and VR promise an education revolution, they are not without their challenges. The biggest of these, for now at least, is cost and accessibility. VR hardware, in particular, is highly specialized and requires a large investment from schools that may be unable to afford it.
However, like all things, technology evolves rapidly. It’s unlikely that AR and VR will seem so revolutionary in ten years. Instead, they will integrate into our daily lives and the lives of students, both online and offline.
Ultimately, one thing is clear: Parents and educators must embrace these technologies. They’re not replacing human connection but expanding it, creating learning experiences once thought impossible. As Chris Milk, a visual artist working at the frontier of technology innovations, said in a recent Ted Talk, “VR is the ultimate empathy machine,” and in this sense, AR and VR go beyond tools but instead pathways to empathy, tolerance, and understanding which can bridge differences and mend communities.
The rules of the playground have changed, and so has the landscape, but the original is always still there. It’s our job to encourage students to approach these technologies fearlessly. It starts with us.
What role will you play in this new digital playground?
Sources
Al-Ansi, A. M., Jaboob, M., Askar Garad, & Al-Ansi, A. (2023). Analyzing augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) recent development in education. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 8(1), 100532–100532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100532
Milk, C. (2015). How virtual reality can create the ultimate empathy machine. Ted.com; TED Talks. https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_milk_how_virtual_reality_can_create_the_ultimate_empathy_machine
Spilka, D. (2023, May 18). How VR And AR Are Revolutionizing eLearning For Learners Of All Ages. ELearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/how-vr-and-ar-are-revolutionizing-elearning-for-learners-of-all-ages
