How to Make VR Safe and Accessible
One of the most vital considerations for implementing VR into a classroom setting is how it may impact the physical and emotional well-being of your students. There are two major areas that you should consider in relation to this topic: physical safety and emotional and mental well-being.
1. Physical Safety
- Clear appropriate space: It’s very important to set up a designated play area that is free of desks, backpacks, furniture or other potential tripping hazards. Perhaps consider using floor markings to indicate safe boundaries, and discuss these boundaries with your classroom.
- Supervise student usage: As an educator you should always supervise the students using VR in your classroom. If at all possible, try to have another adult present to assist. This will allow your to prevent any potential accidents or situations that may arise while they play.
- Headset hygiene: Try to utilize disposable face coverings for the headsets to prevent the spread of illness, rashes, and other issues. If these are not available, be sure to sanitize the headset after each use, because they can significantly increase the risk of contagious illnesses.
2. Emotional and Mental Well-Being
- Age-appropriate content: It’s important to try and vet the content the children in your classroom experience with the VR headset. Be sure to only use age-appropriate and curriculum-aligned VR content that is intended for education. Review any content the children will see.
- Discuss student experiences: Some of the experiences that students have in VR can be very intense, confusing, or overstimulating. It’s very important to create opportunities to have conversations with your students about how they felt or what they experiences while using VR.
- Limit VR Time: Try to keep the time that students spend in VR short and focused to avoid disorientation or fatigue. Encourage that students take breaks, and create experiences that are short and digestible for students in VR to prevent motion-sickness and other issues.
VR is an incredible tool for education, but comes with significant risks. Be safe and have meaningful and fun experiences with your students!
