Part 2 of 180+360 = GO.
The VR experience is amazing with the Go. I often describe it as having a TV attached to your face. It provides a cinema-like experience that catches most first time users off guard. The picture is crystal clear, the sound excellent, and the effect shocking. Most users often begin their first GO experience with an audible, "Wow!" VR offers a visual learning experience that is immersive and engages students with content unlike any other teaching tool.
But... the reality of integrating a brand new technology in the curriculum presented a unique set of issues. Connecting the headsets to the school wi-fi was the first challenge. Since the IT Department had never worked with a similar device (nor anyone as it was a brand new product), setting up the headsets to work on the school network took a long time. It was a two man job to configure the headsets: while one person had the headset on and manually entered the IP address into the wi-fi setting, the other person had to record data into a computer to sync it all. A couple of months went by before all this happened with just three headsets. I waited patiently (at moments) and reasoned that all good things take time. I began to wonder and doubt the Go was a viable VR solution.
When I finally got the headsets back in my hands, the reality of best practice was upon me. How was I going to implement these things into the curriculum? The headsets are geared for entertainment: gaming, social media, and TV. They are not branded as an "educational" product. The Go allows users to download apps to the headset like a smartphone. The Oculus Store offers many free and paid options with some educational content like National Geographic, The Smithsonian, and The Body VR (to name a few). The content within these apps is limited, however. What the Go does offer freely is the Youtube VR app. It is basically the only app I use to administer the VR program in my library. The cool thing about Youtube VR is that there are thousands (maybe millions) of videos on every subject imaginable. (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzuqhhs6NWbgTzMuM09WKDQ). Most of the videos are made by amateurs but not all. The New York Times 360, National Geographic, Time, CNN, Frontline, BBC, and CBS (to name a few) have dedicated VR channels that provide informational content perfect for a classroom setting.
The reality of curating content for teachers and students is time consuming. From my laptop, I first had to create a library account on Youtube and set up playlists (all of which I had never done before). Once I established an account and playlists, I had to download the Youtube VR app to each headset individually and sign in to my account on the device. Now, I run my entire VR program through the OHS Library Youtube Channel. On my channel, I curate VR videos (sometimes 4K too) into the playlists. I can search, preview, and add videos through the app on my headset, but I must always create playlists on my computer.
To view my channel, please visit https://youtube.com/channel/UCgCX2OuegYh6jbNKCG8-G9A.
Pictured: Jeana Noble, Biology and Human A&P teacher, previews VR videos about viruses while planning a collaborative lesson with me.
Students viewing VR virus videos on the OHS Library Youtube Channel.