NextGen —Virtual or Augmented Public Educational System. AI/Remote Teacher Assistance.
This article is an opinion piece based on currently existing technology and will focus on the possible enhancements and evolution of morder brick and mortal education systems, to the next generational evolutionary leap in education, all thanks to technology. That leap from preexisting public base education, to a virtual home-based school system, or an augmented public school system, or a hybrid of both all paired with AI Teacher Assistance. I will go over how today and tomorrow's technology will enhance things like S.T.E.M ( science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) along with history, the arts. How it will also help enhance education and counseling for all students, especially those with learning disabilities. Lastly how theses technologies could save the current educational system money.
As of 2018, 74.2 million children in the United States and 3.2 million teachers in public schools whos starting pay is $39,249. That averages around 23 Students per teacher if we lived in a perfect system. But we don’t live in a perfectly divided student-based educational system, For there is still overcrowded classrooms.
Right now the United States of America Ranking for education Amongst other Nations is 27 (here). the total cost for Public education in the United States as of 2017 was $739 billion. Nationally the total average of costs per student is $11,762. When we do some basic math, multiple the number of children in the United States times the average cost per student, the total investment/funding into public education should be $870,388,000,000
To know the Differences between VR and AR Click one of the links.
Virtual Reality Education
To give every child in the USA a pair of VR headset’s and accessories it would cost between $37 Million — $111 Million. Why only that much? Well, the Average Cost of a Vr Headset can range from $500–$1.5kIf you spent 500- 1.5k each.
That is not including preexisting technology that most students currently have for personal use that is already capable of both VR and AR. Smartphones currently can do both, depending on the model and brand of smartphones. The student's smartphone could be used and applied for not just personal use but educational use. The smartphone VR/AR could be treated just like a pencil or calculator cutting the costs.
Today's VR creates a virtual environment. One could argue that current physical public schools and classrooms could be exchanged for a virtual approach to the public education system where the students and teachers can log into a virtual public educational network environment (A Virtual School) all from within their home. This network of education of virtual schools would connect educators with the students with no need for physical infrastructure for places of education. With virtual classrooms, it would cut the costs of school supplies as they would be virtual (pencils, paper, staplers, pens, computers, crayons, remote teachers assistant who could see what they are doing and help virtually no matter their location). This virtual education could cut the costs or repurpose the preexisting funding to the virtual educational experience.
My speculation of the day in the life of a VR based Education would go as followed.
Students/Teachers wakes up at any location, goes about their morning routine before school. The Teachers and school administrators are already logged into the virtual school depending on their schedule between 5–8 am (finish grading, plan the day/weeks circurilium, take part in virtual school meetings with staff, etc). School Starts between 7–9 am for the students. Students put on their headset and arrive at a virtual school all modeled after current schools. After they arrive they have a chance to first virtually socialize and prepare themselves for the day with their fellow peers prior to virtual homerooms.
The virtual school bell rings indicating its time to go to homeroom and students can either virtually travel down the virtual school hallways to homeroom, or instantly transfer, where their attendance can be taken and they can salute the virtual flag or pray depending on the school.
After Homeroom, the virtual first bell rings indicating the first class of the day. They can either walk to or transfer to their scheduled classes. On the walls of the hallway could host many things from virtual TV’s hosting virtual videos of school sports videos to the latest school news, to from virtual lockers. In regards to a virtual locker for students, they could download or upload their homework, virtual textbooks, see their weekly schedule etc. Their locker could access from home when school is not in session. Each digital virtual 3d locker could be personalized by the student(pictures of family posters, funny homemade videos, etc) Teacher emails/video chat.
Each virtual classroom could be customized to fit the size, setting and appearance to fit the teacher's or school's requirements or needs to better engage the child.
Examples of VR Class Room Experiences.
Science — Travel into Space, and stand on the surface of each planet with the teacher. Go inside a Virtual Animal body and learn about biology and then dissect the virtual animal with the teacher. Walk among dinosaurs, mammoths, and learn about evolution seeing the physical evolutionary changes over a timelapse, being able to stop at any evolutionary change, and learn about it. ETC
Math —Interactable Famous Mathematicians in avatar forms that could line the walls of math class like statues. You could be able to speak to the Mathmematicans like Einstein and go over their findings, journals, and theories showing the evolution of mathematics. In basic math have a physical representation of numbers(animals, food, virtual money) to help students learn how to do additions, subtraction, multiplication, and division example( 2 lions, elephants, cookies, etc on one side of the teacher, 2 on the other, add them up). In geometry class, you can learn how to apply formulas to build a structure with your teacher. ETC
History — Take part in virtual historical events ( see early man discover fire, experience the Ice Age, walk the streets of Ancient Rome, Mayan, or other empires, during different time periods. See and experience the negatives of history that should not be forgotten like, historical wars, slavery, concentration camps, Jim Crow. Stand in the crowd to hear Lincoln, Kennedy or Martin Luther King JR speak.
English — Be the main character in any book in a virtual recreation of the book from beginning to end. See virtual representations of the world's most famous poets, fiction, and nonfiction writers in virtual form read their work, explain why they wrote it and what it means.
The Arts — Use virtual clay to create shapes. Learn about colors through virtual finger Paint. Or draw on a 2 or 3-dimensional virtual objects that could be printed out with a 3d or basic printer(vase, figurine, painting, etc) depending on the media. Create an elaborate 3 Dimensional Interactable environment that students create together or individually. Afterward maybe merging each one together so they sit next to each other, and parents could tour their work. Learn how to play different kinds of instruments in a virtual environment and play together in a group setting.
Foreign Language — Be transported to a virtual recreation of the city streets of the language your learning and take part in a conversation. Take part in a virtual exchange program to learn the language of choice with other students who speak the language natively at foreign VR school systems.
Physical Education — Take part in the many workout routines from pilates to yoga or martial arts in a VR based Dojo.
This the end of my VR discussion, with all that being said, can you see how with VR the cost that could be saved without the maintenance of the school buildings, educational supplies, transportation, food costs, etc? Is it within the realm of reality? Will homeschooling and the private school systems have access to this technology first and will it give those children an edge over their fellow public school peers?
Augmented Reality Education
To give every child in the USA a pair of AR headset’s it would cost about the same as VR Headsets, though some AR Headsets can run between $500–$10k depending on the brand and model.
Today’s AR creates overlaying virtual objects and virtual environment onto your real-world and its environments and objects. One could argue that current physical public schools and classrooms could be enhanced the public education system where the students and teachers can have tools that could assist them.
Some examples of AR helping in the Public Educational sector would be Instant Parent-Teacher Conferencing in realtime with a 3d dimensional scan of all those in the AR Call. Reminders for What your next class was, Moving images of Students in yearbook and facility that could answer questions and meaningful memories they experienced with their students, A virtual chalkboard that could also work as virtual display and other forms of media. Educational Scavenger hunts with geolocation for the playground, Virtual textbooks in the hands of every student sitting on each desk when they come into class/learning plans based on the rank of success with students with videos explanation for the teacher, virtual paint pens pencils and crafts, put triggers into images that would generate a response like a picture of mom and dad that turns into a video of encouragement, the ability to give a tour of the school with no guide, instruct better safety around school from fire and school shooting drills to operating shop machinery and science room lab safety, Remote Teachers Assistant who could overlay onto the preexisting school room and help based on the curriculum no matter where the Assistant lives).
Bottom line AR technology would enhance educators and better students without getting rid of the preexisting infrastructure and could cut the costs repurpose the preexisting funding to the Augmented Reality educational experience.
In regards to counseling, it would help provide more accessibility, for example, the student could be at home and could have full access to someone to talk to about their traumas, and issues they're facing every day. The counselor could be available at any time could help coop with it as it happens or correct the situation (child abuse, neglect, depression, anxiety, stress, etc). It would also enhance counselors' ability to counsel the relationship between students and their ability to decompress, understand, or help the student work through the many issues they face in a positive manner.
AI won't replace teachers anytime soon, but it does currently assist in some manner and as time goes on it could grade paper, Collect and Analyze student Data and classroom behavior among their peers to see how well they are engaged, help them one on one if they have a question as it would follow along with the teacher's lesson plan. Inturn AI will give teachers the ability to help students, enhance focusing, tailor lessons according to an individual student’s needs if they were struggling or mentally impaired students get the needs and special attention that is needed without fall through the cracks. It will create better efficiency and gauge how well the teacher is doing overall.
All and all, tomorrow's generation has a bright future, as long as we invest and integrate, and introduce it properly as those who are older might not understand and those that younger would be quicker to adapt. Hopefully not just a select privileged few at private schools who will get it first in the classroom. My fear though is that because of the lack of education from COVID and home education be moderately ok to none at all, along with conversation focused hyper politically around bigoted racism, there will be a rise of extremism and a possible fascist future this is why we need Technology to play a bigger role in education.
My hope in the end though is that all get access to this innovation, to build a better American education and catch up to other countries and surpass our expectations for its for the children of tomorrow and today that we carry the light. May theirs shine brighter.
