Google Cardboard, Virtual Reality in the Classroom

New technology is opening doors to enhanced classroom experiences. In most cases it's hard to bring beyond the classroom experiences to brick and mortar classrooms. That's where virtual reality can help. VR can bring the world to the classroom.

There are many tools available for implementing VR into your curriculum. Many options can be expensive. The Oculus Rift, which is produced by Facebook, starts at 199$ for the "Go" stand alone version on up to 399$ for the pc connected version. In addition to the cost of the Oculus it's also owned by Facebook and there no protections in place for student data. This in my opinion is a steep entry price. Google has a different approach to VR. They have a product called cardboard. The cardboard VR unit comes as a sheet of cardboard that students fold in to a headset that attaches to the face using an elastic band. A cell phone slides into the front of the device to provide content. The largest caveat to adoption is that it requires a cell phone. It can integrate into Google apps for education which is a big plus for K-12 schools that are already subscribed to the platform.

Google cardboard can be purchase directly from Google https://store.google.com/us/config/google_cardboard or through many online retailers such as Amazon.com and Newegg.com. The apps for the cardboard can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. It is available on both Google Android and Apple iOS handsets. The cost is 35$. Bulk discounts for Edu are procurable as well. Third-party cardboard headsets are available for varying prices.

The landing page for finding out more about cardboard is https://vr.google.com/cardboard/ . If the app store does not have an app suited to your needs there is a developer kit available for building custom apps. With Google cardboard your students can visit museums all over the world. From the Met Museum https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/met-360-project to the Lourve Museum https://www.youvisit.com/louvremuseum they are available to visit using cardboard.

For learning environments using Cardboard, Google has created an application called Expeditions https://edu.google.com/products/vr-ar/expeditions/ .  With Expeditions your class can be taken on a curated tour of sites around the world like a virtual field trip. As a side note Expedition does not require the Cardboard device for use. In addition to Cardboard it can be setup on tablets and Chromebooks.

Google provides a robust set of VR tools with the Cardboard platform that can be customized for any classroom at a low entry price point. The largest draw back is that it requires a cell phone to work.

Images from vr.google.com/cardboard

Cyberbullying and Teaching Netiquette

Cyberbullying is a complex and growing problem in our society. 17.4% of students said they were a target of cyberbullying in 2019(Patchin, 2019). Cyberbullying, as defined by stopbullying.gov, is the unwanted aggressive behavior perceived or real power imbalance that takes place on digital devices like cell phones, computers, or tablets across services such as social medial, email, SMS, instant messenger, or internet forum.  

In the early nineties the word netiquette started appearing in reference to proper behavior on the web and in digital communications. The words etymology comes from a combination of the words "net" and "etiquette". The foremost principle of the concept is to respect others online. The internet does not have a policing entity so enforcement is up to the community and/or moderators/service administrators.

The core rules of netiquette are as follows(Shea, 1997):

1. Remember the human
2. Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life
3. Know where you are in cyberspace
4. Respect other people's time and bandwidth
5. Make yourself look good online
6. Share expert knowledge
7. Help keep flame wars under control
8. Respect other people's privacy
9. Don't abuse your power
10. Be forgiving of other people's mistakes

The rules of netiquette are a key part of digital citizenship. The term digital citizenship refers to anyone who uses digital technology and the internet in an ethical way. It's important to raise awareness about the responsible use of technology through education. Incorporating lessons about netiquette, cyberbullying, and internet safety into the curriculum is one of many ways to help start the process of dealing with these issues. Teaching students to become good digital citizens may help to remedy some of the current societal woes.

©Shutterstock.com/mmstudiodesign

To find out more about cyberbullying and bullying in general please visit the sites below.

https://www.stopbullying.gov

https://www.stompoutbullying.org


Resources:

Faucher, C., Cassidy, W., & Jackson, M. (2015). From the sandbox to the inbox: Comparing the acts, impacts, and solutions of bullying in k-12, higher education, and the workplace. Journal Of Education And Training Studies, 3(6), 111-125.

Future of Education Technology Conferences. (2018). Cyberbullying, internet safety and netiquette lesson lans for high school students. Retrieved from https://blog.fetc.org/2018/12/12/cyberbullying-internet-safety-and-netiquette-lesson-plans-for-high-school-students/

Patchin, J. (2019). School bullying rates increase by 35% from 2016 to 2019. Retrieved from https://cyberbullying.org/school-bullying-rates-increase-by-35-from-2016-to-2019

Shea, V. (1997). Netiquette. Retrieved from http://www.albion.com/catNetiquette.html