Classroom of Tomorrow

How will the future of technology change the educational environment?
Let's look at some new forms of communication, and how those might apply to instruction:

The hot item on many Christmas wishlists this year are virtual reality sets. Many, like the Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear allow you to slip your current (compatible) smart phone into a wearable headset, add noise canceling headphones, and you're instantly in another world.

The videos of new users are quite amusing, they feel like they are riding virtual roller coasters and react accordingly: screaming or nearly falling out of their chairs as the experience is so engaging and realistic. Others are clearly overwhelmed or terrified, depending on the video. I don't think I could handle playing a horror game in this format; I'm a side-seat couch screamer at most games my husband plays as it is!

  

But let's look at how this could be used in the classroom! Instead of watching video lectures, we could immerse ourselves into a virtual but very realistic classroom, dissecting bodies w/o ever picking up a real knife. In fact, one aspect of this is already in practice in many places:

https://www.ted.com/talks/jack_choi_on_the_virtual_dissection_table
http://www.anatomage.com/portfolio-item/anatomage-table/
http://www.medgadget.com/2014/04/virtual-reality-dissection-system-helps-study-anatomy-spare-a-cadaver-video.html

Now imagine combining these two technologies...not only could you move around a body, you could see through it like an MRI and diagnose the problem by reading the symptoms inside and out. You could shrink down and fly INTO it, much like my beloved The Magic School Bus show.

I think these types of tools will soon become the norm, as there are so many applications, from 3D models (don't just draw it, sculpt it!), to walking tours in Aztec ruins together using 360 cameras, or even flying into outer space to watch a star collapse.

If I could "check in" to a classroom via a virtual reality headset, hear the lecture, see examples, and actually hear feedback responses (recorded from previous students), I'd definitely spend more time on the class! It's funny, we distance ourselves for convenience, yet we yearn for more connectivity that is so readily available in "real life." If I could build my work schedule around classes on campus, I'm still not sure that I would. Being an older student in the class, I definitely felt out of my comfort zone, and sitting behind the computer allows me to answer more honestly, at my own pace, and with the aid of internet research and editing tools. I can ask questions without feeling like all eyes are staring at me, and I can submit a paper at 11 pm if I need to, unlike many physical classes.

I think the future will see a merging of the two: more options for connecting and communicating at our own pace, but with more realistic feedback and interaction as the virtual world merges more seamlessly with the real one. Tomorrow's classroom can not only happen anywhere in the world through technology, but it could be any time period, and at any scale.