VR + AR in the Classroom and How It Helps With Global Collabs

 

Lately I keep seeing VR and AR pop up in education, so I decided to look into how teachers are actually using it. I always thought VR was just for gaming, but it’s honestly way more useful than that, especially when it comes to connecting students with other parts of the world.

Why VR/AR Makes Learning Less Boring

Instead of just reading a paragraph in a textbook, VR basically drops you ins
ide whatever you’re learning about. Like if you’re learning about Egypt, you can put on a headset and literally “look around” the pyramids. AR is cool too because it adds things into the room, like 3D models you can move around.

It makes the lesson way less boring and kids actually pay attention because it feels real.

Where Global Collaboration Comes In

The thing that surprised me the most is how VR can be used to work with students in other countries. Two classes who’ve never met can take the same virtual field trip and then talk about it together later.

For example, imagine a class in New Jersey and a class in Japan both watching a 360° video of a city in Tokyo. After the VR part, they hop on Zoom and talk about what they noticed. Stuff like:

• how transportation looks different

• how crowded the streets are

• what the food shops look like

It gives them something real to talk about instead of just awkward “hi, where are you from” type conversations.

Another example: students from two different countries could use CoSpaces/Delightex to build a shared VR world. One group makes a “room” about their culture, the other group builds theirs, and then everyone walks around the virtual space together. It’s honestly way better than the old-school pen pal thing.

Tools I Found While Researching

I checked out Jaime Donally’s ARVRinEDU blog since my professor linked her page. She talks about a ton of tools, but a few stood out:

• Nearpod VR – teachers can run the same VR field trip for two classrooms at the same time

• Veative – has VR lessons for science and math that different schools can do together

• YouTube 360 – honestly the easiest one because most schools can use it with just a phone or Chromebook

These tools don’t require crazy expensive equipment either, which makes it easier for schools anywhere to use them.

My Thoughts

After looking into everything, I feel like VR and AR make global collaboration way more natural. Students aren’t just staring at each other on a screen — they’re sharing a whole experience first and then talking about it. That alone makes the conversations better and helps everyone understand each other more.

It doesn’t replace teachers or normal lessons, but it adds something different that honestly makes learning feel more real.

Resources:

 Nearpod VR video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VliWohdvAg
YouTube 360 playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG3S1C61ls8_JP_nr52XGQImtG-yj8QWy