Dive Brief:

• A collaboration between Pearson and Microsoft is creating new possibilities in classrooms across the K-12 and college spectrum by introducing “mixed reality” to students.
• eSchool News reports mixed reality blends elements of both virtual and augmented reality using a holographic computer, which can create three-dimensional figures that look and sound like they’re part of the real world.
• Student nurses will be among the first to experience holograms in the clinical setting after Pearson films actors as patients with various symptoms, leaving students to interact with the life-like holograms, while in the Canberra Grammar School in Australia. Pearson is exploring other options for mixed reality using the Microsoft HoloLens.

Dive Insight:

In the search for ways to better engage students, many teachers have already settled on virtual and augmented reality. Pokémon Go gave a huge boost to the idea of augmented reality when it debuted last year, and teachers across the country developed lesson plans to capitalize on student excitement.

Beyond simply getting students excited, virtual reality field trips have the potential to expose students to places they’ve never been and likely won’t ever go. This can include trips into the past for historical tours as well as trips to far-flung places around the globe. Administrators should provide teachers with proper support as they experiment with virtual and augmented reality. It is easier to incorporate them into lessons as fun extras rather than using them to meet existing learning goals.