The "Zoom" is something old-fashioned at the Optima Classical Academy school in Naples, Florida, which is preparing to be the first to use virtual reality to teach its students due to the situation caused by the coronavirus.
In this virtual school on the west coast of Florida, "students receive daily live instruction in virtual reality (VR)" via "a royal teacher" who gives classes "synchronously on a social VR platform created" for this purpose, Adam Mangana, executive director of Optima Domi, provider of the center’s curriculum, explains to Efe.
Undoubtedly, the coronavirus pandemic, its consecutive waves and variants, have put teaching to the test and forced schools to accelerate the search for suitable tools to continue teaching, for example with the adoption, like this center, of the 3D virtual reality instead of internet video conferencing.
WITH AVATARS TO POMPEII
A "metaverse" where teachers and students, explains Mangana, interact through avatars and the students follow a "self-paced curriculum" with online projects and assignments and analog (print) material, which also gives them "the experience of handling pages and studying a physical text".
In fact, it’s about "the world’s first virtual reality (VR) charter school" and will open its doors this fall, from August 2022, with the start of the new school year, for which the registration period is already open on its website.
Optima Classical Academy students will attend live virtual reality sessions in 30- to 45-minute increments, three hours a day, four days a week, says Mangana, who has 15 years of experience in the field of educational technology.
From their homes, with a 360-degree view of the classrooms, students will be able to contemplate objects in three dimensions thanks to the special glasses (Oculus Quest) that the center provides.
Classes are taught in a virtual reality environment "totally immersive, with a personalized avatar, so that, for example, "they are transported to a ‘classroom’ in Pompeii, to a prehistoric waterhole or to the depths of the ocean", highlights this pioneer in the field of this technology applied to education.
The idea in this center is to complement the educational experience of VR technology, from third to eighth grade, with resources such as access to "great books of classic american education through virtual online platform".
Thus, the school will unite tradition and innovation through virtual reality in subjects such as Algebra, Art, Mathematics, Spanish, Music Theory, Science or United States History, among others.
The priority is to interconnect the "more social and collaborative elements of online school with virtual reality, such as Socratic discussions", adds Mangana, whose company is the only one that provides virtual VR instruction in the United States.
GREATER STUDENT ATTENTION
Asked if there has been any kind of increase in the attention of students in class through virtual reality, the expert mentioned a recent study that shows that "students learn concepts twice as fast and retain them twice as long" through this technology.
Optima’s technology was designed, he said, based on the learning needs of today’s students: "Digital natives who crave immersive experiences".
And just as importantly, the response from parents to this VR classroom experience for their children has been "overwhelmingly positive" in all the country.
Ultimately, the parents "they see the potential for their children to excel academically while exploring new worlds from the comfort and safety of their homes", he pointed out.
Also, teachers look for a "way to maintain positive and substantive relationships with your students remotely", far from the "operational challenges" that entails the physical space of the schools.
A (VIRTUAL) REALITY WITHOUT GOING BACK
For Mangana, Optima virtual classrooms add a "unprecedented level to their studies", Not only "captivating students" but limiting the "distractions of daily life", by keeping them "focused on learning".
Versus "so many distractions that have become commonplace in classrooms or standard virtual learning environments", the virtual reality of Optima allows a maximum of concentration to the student.
This step towards "cyber learning" It comes as only 15% of parents in the United States are in favor of their children attending classes remotely, at least until the threat of the omicron variant is gone, according to a study recently published by the website MyElearningWorld.com.
And 45% of parents believe they should be able to choose between in-person and remote classes for their children.
The truth is that virtual reality is opening a gap and the "metaverse" It has become an ideal ally for teaching classes, when millions of students around the world cannot attend school or university due to the pandemic.
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