Virtual and Augmented Reality

Virtual vs. Augmented 

Virtual reality is when the user is completely engaged in the alternate reality. Augmented reality is when there is a 3-D image that is layered on top of a graphic.

The two types of reality are becoming more popular in today's society. There are many different ways that they are also being incorporated into teaching and education as well as gaming and communication. 

In the future, I think that augmented reality will be more widely used by your average Joe than virtual reality. This is a useful resource because it is just a layer on top of a graphic, but it allows us to be able to access a 3-D model of that graphic which is more interactive than the 2-D version. Also, it is cheaper to use augmented reality than virtual because the VR headset can be very expensive, whereas augmented reality can be accessed by using certain apps on your cellphone. 

How will this be useful in the classroom?

Augmented reality will be useful in the classroom because technology like cellphones and portable tablets, like iPads, are being more widely accepted in classrooms. It is more realistic for a school to purchase this type of technology and buy interactive augmented reality apps than it is to purchase a class set of virtual reality head sets. Virtual reality would be nice to have because the students would have access to places and new experiences to things they may never be able to see in real life. However, the augmented reality can be used in classrooms to create a more engaging environment that better promotes learning because it is more hands on than what is offered now

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