Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Free VRs to schools for a better future

The older I am, the more I feel how the current education system needs a massive improvement. The weakest point I can see, is its inability to motivate students to learn. A classic would say: "Teacher can only show you the way, you have to take it". This is unfortunately working only for students whose source of motivation is coming from someone else (usually from parents). It would never work for students whose parents are not capable of explaining the importance of a proper education (usually such parents do not have time, or knowledge). Therefore, teachers have to motivate students.

They would never be successful with current means (books from 80-90s). Interactive screens, smart devices for each student, it is just not enough. They need to go beyond! They need means which would enable them to associate boring facts with emotions.

Virtual reality to rescue us all!

In my dreams, my children would take to school instead of pens and notebooks (or their electronic counterparts) only one device: a VR set. During each class, they would connect to a host room created by a teacher, together with all other students in the class.

With help of the gamification, they would be able to master the material far more quickly. Imagine, that on a history class, they would be able to profoundly feel the atmosphere of World War 2 battle (Call of Duty like FPS). Or, they would be able to quickly meet people from very different cultures. In science class, they would be able to land on the moon. My favorite, on literature, they would investigate the murder committed by Raskolnikov in a logical adventure.

The educational games can draw inspiration from MMORPG games: best students would be able to lead the raid on the final bosses for each class (e.g. Napoleon). They would gain some kind of gems (William Wallace's sword), which would give them some kind of advantage for the next classes. Gained experience points would also influence their final exam. The VR simulation would be full logical games, and quizzes, which would require home preparation. Why not to have a final exam fully scripted as a test in VR?

Step by step, day by day, we can positively influence children from their very early days to their adulthood. I believe, that this way, there will be no Neo-Nazism, and young people would find what they adore, what they are keen about faster.

State of the art games, and VR headsets show us that it is not a science fiction, and that we are already ready for it. Big game studios and VR producers just need to find it as a business opportunity, and maybe to cooperate with governments to push this forward.

So looking forward for a better future :)