Augmented reality and virtual reality, (AR/VR) have captured the imagination of students. While wildly popular for gaming, AR/VR have very practical applications in classrooms, too!

AR can bring textbooks to life. See how the heart pumps blood through the body and how organs and muscles move with intricate detail. AR tools also offer visual explanations of the large concepts of small particles. Students can see and experience how elements combine to create compounds rather than reading about it in a textbook.

VR can take students to places and times they’re studying. Students can experience Egyptian civilization, getting a front row seat to how people lived and how the pyramids were built. In higher education, VR can put medical students in the operating room or at a physical exam table to fully understand how the body works.

Inviting digital assistants into your classroom

“Hey Siri,” “Alexa,” and “OK, Google,” are now part of everyday vocabulary. It may not be long until voice assistants make their way into classrooms and start playing a more active role in academics.

Voice assistants can provide a unique way of learning and engaging students. Students can ask questions and learn about different types of responses. They can practice speaking and listening skills.

Imagine educators being able to incorporate voice assistants into program review and study preparation. Imagine students asking Alexa or Google to help them prepare for an upcoming test and being walked through questions or vocabulary terms they need to know.

Connect classrooms and students

Videoconferencing gives students and educators the ability to connect with others around the world. It also presents the opportunity for collaboration. Educators in different classrooms or different countries can coordinate a joint science experiment. 

Videoconferencing is also a great way to interact with your class’s subject material. You could conference with the author of a book your students read. They can discuss his or her writing process and thoughts behind certain aspects of the text. 

To keep up with technology and learn valuable ways to integrate it into your classroom, isn’t it time to continue your own education and prepare for what tomorrow’s classroom will be? Whether you want to deepen your skills or learn new techniques, you can do it with Central Michigan University’s master and doctoral programs in education technology.

Kelsey Whing is the marketing content manager for University Communications at Central Michigan University, a nationally ranked institution that fosters the transformative power of advanced learning while embracing a sense of community among our students, faculty, staff and more than 235,000 alumni around the world. It has a wide variety of education programs taught online and designed for working teachers.