The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Virtual Reality

by Mfon Akpan

The purpose of this book is to give educators—K–12 and university professors—a practical and tactical method for using virtual reality in the classroom. I want educators to understand why it is important for students to be exposed to virtual reality, even if they’re not able to use virtual reality in the form of headsets or other accessible technological hardware.

Students can understand, comprehend, and touch the technology with their minds and in their hearts, which will allow them to transition to using it in its ever-evolving forms. Technology is changing continuously and at a faster pace than we can ever keep up with. The current forms of virtual reality will not be the same which students will see when they get into high school or graduate from college. When we think about students as they move through the education process, it is imperative that we make sure they are exposed to technological understanding so they will be able to use technology in the future and lower the shock to the system. 

The reason I say “shock to the system” is because there may be students who have no idea that this technology exists. By being exposed to it and understanding it in the classroom, they will greatly enhance their learning journey. As educators, we owe it to them to expose them to technology and give them as many tools as possible.