The Rendez-vous RÉCIT: virtual reality

On November 20, 6 free workshops were offered online by RÉCIT in order to introduce educational actors to various themes that can be explored within the framework of the Digital education action plan. The recordings of these workshops as well as the resources presented are available on the RÉCIT website.

With Steve quirion and Claudie Vanasse at the animation, Alexandre lanoix as a RÉCITUS collaborator, in addition to Maude Labonte Ensuring the link with a first year secondary geography class, the table was definitely well set for 90 minutes of fascinating discussions on virtual reality (VR) and its use in a school context.

Virtual reality, beyond the "wow"

From the outset, the animators insisted on the fact that VR is more and more democratized in schools and that a real effort is made by all the actors in the field to manage to overcome the “wow” effect of three-dimensional immersion. In other words, all are working in the same direction to ensure that the pedagogical intention remains the beacon guiding teachers in their approach and that VR is the tool that makes it possible to redefine this same pedagogical intention by bringing a new approach, impossible before.

VR headsets for everyone

Following this, the presentation of various VR headsets made it possible to see that there is something for all budgets, in cardboard or plastic, for initiates as well as for beginners. But the thing to remember about these famous glasses is that most local RÉCITs still have them available if your school asks for them. Although several devices are already in schools at present, Steve reminded us that it is always possible to receive them free of charge through your educational advisers.

Burst applications

A few applications were also presented in bursts, including the most popular at Google with the Expeditions, Earth, Street View or Tower creator of this world. It was also a question of CoSpaces Edu which allows students to create content in VR and the Youtube application which opens up a world of VR videos (National Geographic, for example) more diverse than the others.

Towards more empathy

Steve and Claudie continued the session by discussing that VR can improve empathy and that more and more peoplestudies abounded in this direction. Steve gave the example of people who put themselves “in the shoes” of Syrian refugees using a VR app and who were more empathetic than others who viewed the same content on more media. traditional.

VR in geography is yes

We then had privileged access to the class of Vicki Morissette, geography teacher in first secondary, who was accompanied by Josiane Deshaies, local RÉCIT educational advisor. The students were all in action, VR glasses over their eyes, exploring different national parks and determining their specific characteristics. The group was surprisingly calm, even though it was only one of his very first experiences in VR. Was it the fact that he was filmed that made him so wise? Only the teacher knows ... In short, a very beautiful experience where the concrete was in the spotlight and where we were in the front row to observe this technology which is very useful for learning, particularly in a context of exploration of distant places and difficult to access.

VR in 6th grade and the desire to continue

Another concrete experience was the motivational and committed testimony of Judith Beaumier-Primeau, 6th grade teacher. She presented us with her project of associating vintage images with 360-degree photos of today. With the six iPods at her disposal, she was able to create six VR viewing stations with a lot of emphasis on collaboration between her students. Sharing obliges, they have been able to create meaningful learning situations where discussion, mutual aid, reflection and problem solving have been an integral part of their journey. Judith concluded by mentioning that the support of educational advisers in the classroom is reassuring, necessary, that it gives confidence and the desire to continue to use technologies relying on new approaches. Mélissa Bricault, RÉCIT educational advisor, goes in the same direction as Judith by reaffirming that support for teachers is a priority and that several measures, including the RÉCIT campus, have been set up to facilitate continuing education at the pace and frequency that best suit the learner.

Three-step action research

The session ended with the words of Normand Roy, researcher at the University of Montreal, presenting his future research project. Indeed, three groups of students (computer group, ICT + group and RVi group) from first to fifth secondary will be put into action for three years using different technologies, and this, in three distinct learning areas (ERC, universe social and science). The objective is to observe and measure the motivation, the commitment, the potential and the learning linked to the learning situations that will be experienced in different technological contexts.

See you next time

The RÉCIT pedagogical advisers will arrange a meeting for you on January 15 at 9 a.m. for other fascinating and relevant discussions. It will be a question, among others, of 3D printing and serious games like Minecraft Education and Assassin's Creed Discovery Tour. In the meantime, visit the website of STORY to be aware of everything available to you to facilitate the integration of digital in the classroom and spread the good news using the keyword #recitqc on Twitter.

To see thefull webinar, click below or this way.