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Virtual Reality is a REAL Game Changer for Libraries and Learning

             When you cannot physically go places, books allow you to mentally explore new worlds. As writer Katrina Mayer states “a book is a magical thing that lets you travel to far away places without ever leaving your chair.” With technology, there are now other modes for people to travel to far away places - some of which actually do require movement. Virtual reality or augmented reality are
Image from Pixabay
certainly no substitute for the experience books provide their readers, but they do allow participants a new and exciting way to learn and experience new content. School libraries are thus ideal places for students to not only travel through books, but also have new visually immersive experiences using virtual reality. 

Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Headsets - Where to Buy and What to Know

         There are a plethora of virtual and augmented reality technology tools; some which are as simple as a smartphone app and others that are costly pieces of equipment requiring high tech software. One tool that is somewhat in the middle in terms of cost, making it approachable to a school library dependending on their budget, is the Oculus Rift headset. The Oculus Rift is currently out of stock on their website; however, you can receive a notification when it is back in stock. There is also a section of their website that gives potential buyers a list of retail partners. Headsets take
virtual reality to another level by truly allowing users to have 360 degree experiences and be fully immersed in the content. The Oculus brand has several types of headsets, the Oculus Go is the most affordable, but also the simplest of the series. However, the Go would be a good option for a library who wants to have a virtual reality space, but has a smaller budget. The Oculus Rift offers more features with what they describe as “6 degrees of freedom” meaning a user’s head and body movements are tied in with the virtual experience (Facebook Tecnologies, LLC, n.d). In comparison the Oculus Go only offers three degrees of freedom picking up only on head movements. This portion of the Oculus site gives a comparison of their headsets and is an excellent resource for those deciding what the best headset to purchase would be. The following are important for librarians and other educators interested in the technology to note about the Oculus Rift: 
  • Includes a headset and two controllers that go on the participant’s arms
  • Can be used while wearing glasses 
  • Can be used while standing or sitting (it depends on the type of experience) 
  • Speakers are built into the headset 
  • Requires a PC that is equipped for high performance gaming 
    Image from Pixabay
  • Apps and games must be downloaded - some are free and others are paid 
  • Includes a defect and malfunction warranty 

Instructional Support and Integration

            Purchasing a virtual reality headset like the Oculus Rift or investing in any type of virtual or augmented reality platform is not a frivolous endeavor. Rather, virtual reality can be a high impact learning tool that educators can use not only to engage students, but to give them educational experiences and hands-on instruction that otherwise would be impossible. As Burce (2015) states ‘“VR and AR are not gimmicks, and must be seen as valid additions to the toolkit that may be used by libraries to engage its audience, not only with the latest technology but also with the goal in mind of ensuring a proper approach to teaching information literacy” (p. 798). After all, how many students will ever get to travel to Italy to see the ancient ruins of the Roman Colosseum? How many students will even have the opportunity to go to Amsterdam and tour the house where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis for years? These and many more experiences are afforded to students when virtual reality is implemented. The following are just a few apps available through the Oculus Rift that allows students to have travel experiences while learning about other places, people, and cultures: 
          However, virtual reality is not just for “traveling” to places otherwise unavailable, it can also be used to explore various educational topics. For example, the human body is extremely complex, but virtual reality can allow students to go inside the human body and see how different systems work. The following are a few more apps educators can use to engage students in the content areas while creating an exciting educational experience: 

Resources for Educators

             In addition to exploring the many available and educationally enriching virtual reality apps mentioned above with the Oculus Rift, librarians and educators can also learn from the experiences of others as they prepare for implementation. The Eugene Public Library has a guide for their Maker Hub using the Oculus Rift that can provide librarians with ideas on how to manage the technology. Common Sense Media also has another excellent resource - Five Research-Based Ways to Use VR for Learning. This resource gives educators sage advice for using VR with students to make it the most educationally beneficial while also protecting students’ health. The following video, although slightly dated, still gives a taste of what is possible with virtual reality when used for educational purposes:  



              We tell students all of the time that the possibilities for their future are endless. How exciting is it to show them that the possibilities for their present are also endless. Virtual reality is just one, albeit very unique and immersive, way we can engage twenty-first century learners while teaching them that anything is possible!!

References 
         Facebook Technologies, LLC. (n.d). Find the headset that's right for you. Retrieved from https://www.oculus.com/compare/

         Massis, B. (2015). Using virtual and augmented reality in the library. New Library World, 116 (11/12), 796 - 799. 
          

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