SLIS 761 Post #4 - The Oculus Quest 2 and M-Learning Framework

Several years ago, while I was working in a café, I was having a conversation with a customer and somehow the conversation drifted to the topic of technology. The gentleman asked me if I had heard of the Oculus virtual reality (VR) headset. I told him that I had and asked him, “Isn’t that for games?” He then told me about how, yes, you could use it for games, but what excited him about the technology was its ability to offer experiences. The example that he gave me was that he had used the headset to virtually climb Mount Everest. While quarantining in 2020, I read an article about the release of the Oculus Quest 2 and I thought a lot about that conversation and the value that existed in being able to have those kinds of experiences in the safety of your own home. With that in mind, I think that VR could be an excellent method for delivering educational experiences.

The Oculus Quest 2 headset is a good step toward making VR more affordable in more ways than one. First and foremost, it is one of the least expensive VR headsets available, at $299 for the base model. I think that most people might still wince at that price point, but when you consider that a lot of the other VR headsets cost between $500 and $1,000, it does not seem so bad. Secondly, it is a standalone VR headset, meaning that, unlike other VR headsets, a connection to an external computer is not necessary for it to run applications. All you need to operate it is the headset, two controllers, and a full battery charge, for 2 to 3 hours of use ("Oculus Quest 2," n.d.).

With the untethered, pickup and play, nature of the Quest 2, I think that it’s potential as an educational tool fits well within the mobile learning (or m-learning) framework (Kearney et al., 2012). At the center of the m-learning framework is the use of time and space, which m-learning frees up by allowing for learning to take place in a multitude of locations and at any time. Moving outwards from the use of time and space, there are the three constructs of personalization, authenticity, and collaboration, each of which has two additional sub-scales. Personalization, and its sub-scales agency and customization, emphasizes the learner’s control over an activity. Authenticity, along with the sub-scales situatedness and contextualisation, is concerned with whether the activity is based on real world practices. Collaboration, and the sub-scales conversation and data-sharing, involves the learner being able to interact and work with other learners to complete an activity.

(Kearney et al., 2012, p. 8)

According to Kearney et al. (2012), in their paper "Viewing Mobile Learning from a Pedagogical Perspective," in reference to personalization, "Users enjoy a sense of intimacy and convenience with their personal devices and the flexible, autonomous, often individually tailored activities lead to a strong sense of ownership of one’s learning" (p. 9). While using the VR headset, the user is taking part in an intimate experience where they are in control of what they are looking at and, based on the level of interaction available, what they are manipulating within the virtual space. Take for instance, the Anne Frank House VR app, which allows a user to take either a guided or self-guided tour of a virtual representation of the house and lets the user move around the space and interact with objects, while giving them information about it ("Anne Frank House VR," n.d.). When taking the unguided tour, the user decides where they want to go and what they want to interact with.

When thinking of authenticity, the best example of an authentic experience that I think that you could only have through VR, is an app called Notes on Blindness ("Notes on Blindness," n.d.). It is based on the audio recordings of John Hull, who was a man who was slowly losing his sight and decided to document the experience via an audio diary. The app uses these recordings and tries to simulate the experience for the user. With the Oculus Quest 2 and some headphones, the user is completely immersed in the experience as they watch the light slowly fade and the sounds become more important. For an app related to a real world practice though, there is the VirtualSpeech app, which lets users practice speeches in front of a virtual audience ("VirtualSpeech," n.d.).

As Kearney et al. (2012) wrote, the high level of networking that m-learning allows for, “creates shared, socially interactive environments so m-learners can readily communicate multi-modally with peers, teachers and other experts, and exchange information” (p. 10). In terms of collaboration, social media apps like Facebook and Instagram are supported by the Oculus Quest 2, but I think that there are other apps that better facilitate collaboration. The ShapesXR app, for example, lets users create shapes, pictures, and storyboards that can be shared and worked on in real-time as a group ("ShapesXR," n.d.).

If I were a classroom teacher or school librarian who wanted to look into integrating the Oculus Quest 2 into learning, the first place that I would go would be the “Education Experiences” section of the Oculus website ("Education," n.d.). Some of the titles listed might not be compatible with the Quest 2 model, but it is easy to check the compatibility on the website. I found the apps that I discussed in this post while browsing through the different titles on that page, all of which are also free to download. Going through and checking out the different titles is a good way to get an idea of what is possible with the technology. I would also check out the STEAM Powered Family blog post, titled “VR for Kids and Educational Games” (Brewer, 2021). The post is written by Shelley Brewer, who is a parent that has been using VR with her own children for three years, and she provides some good information about safety and some recommendations.

Overall, I feel like as the technology becomes more accessible, it will become more viable as an educational tool. It is still a pretty young technology and while it can definitely be used to supplement and enhance learning right now, I could see it progressing further to the point where it could be used for remote learning. I do not think that anything could compete with one-on-one in person learning, but if there were another event like the current pandemic, then it might be a good alternative method for delivering lessons. The ability of the Gear 2, and virtual reality in general, to offer experiences that can simulate the real world and go beyond is what I think makes it such a fascinating tool for pedagogical delivery.

References

Anne Frank House VR on Oculus Quest 2. (n.d.). Meta Quest. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/1958100334295482/

Brewer, S. (2021, November 22). VR for kids and educational games. STEAM Powered Family. https://www.steampoweredfamily.com/education/vr-for-kids-educational-games/

Education. (n.d.). Meta Quest. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.oculus.com/experiences/go/section/161391067688077/#/?_k=ph2ow0

Kearney, M., Schuck, S., Burden, K., & Aubusson, P. (2012). Viewing mobile learning from a pedagogical perspective. Research in Learning Technology, 20, 1-17. http://researchinlearningtechnology.net/index.php/rlt/article/view/14406

Notes on blindness on Oculus Quest 2. (n.d.). Meta Quest. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/1946326588770583/

Oculus Quest 2: Our most advanced new all-in-one VR headset. (n.d.). Meta Quest. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.oculus.com/quest-2/

ShapesXR on Oculus Quest 2. (n.d.). Meta Quest. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/3899112273551602

VirtualSpeech on Oculus Quest 2. (n.d.). Meta Quest. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/3973230756042512/