Virtual Reality

 

·       Virtual reality (VR) refers to a computer-generated simulation in which a person can interact within an artificial three-dimensional environment using electronic devices, such as special googles with screen or gloves fitted with sensors. In this simulated artificial environment, the user is able to have a realistic-feeling experience.

·       Understanding VR

-Natural combination of two words: the virtual and the real.

-The principle is to create a relationship between the user and a virtual environment.

• Virtual reality attempts to create an illusory environment that can be presented to our senses with artificial information, making our minds believe it is (almost) a reality.

·       The use of the term “virtual reality,” was first used in the mid-1980s when Jaron Lanier, began to develop the gear, including goggles and gloves, needed to experience what he called “virtual reality

·       Virtual reality could elevate the teaching and learning experience in medicine to a whole new level. Today, only a few students can peek over the shoulder of the surgeon during an operation to learn the tricks of the trade.

 

Virtual reality has been implicated in a broad range of uses and applications.

Patience education

•        Show patients their own surgical plan

•        Patients can easily understand their medical condition

•        Patient satisfaction

 

Mental Health and psychological therapy:

•        Exposure therapy

•        Help patients face their fears and overcome them

 

Surgery

•        Access & view areas that otherwise would be impossible to reach

•        Guiding surgeons in a three-dimensional space

•        Allow visualize arteries, veins lymphatic vessels and neurons

•        ‘A window into the brain’

 

As with most technological advances, the intended implementations of virtual reality devices in healthcare may have both advantages and drawbacks depending on various factors.

● Addiction

The possibility of VR addiction raises the concern of doctors. The risk is especially high for patients with dementia who have difficulties in recognizing the real world.

●      May disorient users

VR has the tendency to cause nausea, vertigo, disorientation, or other similar symptoms in some patients due to their health conditions.

●      Lack of extensive trials and use history

Technologies related to virtual reality are still under extensive development, and their use is considered experimental.

●      Does not provide sufficient training

VR use for skill training cannot compete with real-life practice, it cannot provide completely realistic feedback, especially in terms of tactile response.

 

What can I do now that I was not able to do a year ago

 

A year ago (2021) I was a biology student at the Lebanese University. It was my senior year . The full focus was on how I would finish my year and graduate, my time was divided only between learning online and studying. I was not able to teach in schools and even participate in any social activity, however now I am a Science teacher, when I graduated I started preparing for a long journey which is teaching so I started my career in teaching Science at schools and I am now studying Diploma in Teaching at the Lebanese International University.

I am now able to attend my lessons and teach in the same time. Now as a teacher I can remote learning tools and application ( zoom, Google classroom) that I was using them last year as a student. I am now attending webinars that improve my skills. now as a teacher I am getting to feed my inner creativity.

Now, not only I am teaching my favorite subject to students but also I am gaining experience in every single day. A year a ago I was not able to stand in front of students and teach them but this year with the courses I am learning in teaching diploma I have the full courage to educate students in a professional methods and self confidence.

finally, it's been a great year.... Thanks God always and ever.

Challenges I face when learning or teaching online

Challenges I Face When Learning Online

The way of education has changed nowadays, education first went online due to covid19 restrictions, everyone believed it was a temporary change, are schools are still functioning online, and education will remain online for the foreseeable future.

One of the biggest challenges that I face today with teaching online is ‘attention’. Children mute their mikes when taking online classes The primary problem I am facing all the time is effectively engaging the students online.

Online teaching makes students passive learners. These unengaged students may acquire the requisite lecture content and pass their assessments, but they aren’t often able to apply their learnings outside classrooms or make connections with previously learned material. That’s because students need numerous interactions with new material in order to fully digest and absorb. And now let me show you additional challenges I face when teaching online:

First Staying connected with students.

Me as a teacher I am not able to know what my students are making when I am explaining and also students often feel disconnected from me, as well as their peers since learning from home can be lonely.

Second Adaptability Struggle.  

Switching from traditional classroom and face to face teaching to computer-based training in a virtual classroom makes the learning experience entirely different for my students. While passive listening and notes taking are expected in a traditional classroom, online discussions or creating a web page demand springing into action. 

Third Technical Issues.

Many of my students are not provided with the mobiles or computers or the strong internet connection that online courses require, and thus fail to catch up with their virtual classmates. equipping themselves for the course’s successful completion.

Fourth Computer Literacy.

Although some of my students are generally tech savvy, and thus able to manage computers well, lack of computer literacy is a major issue today. Many of them cannot operate basic programs such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint and therefore are not able to handle their files. Also my students face many difficulties with online teaching tools.

 

What do you think students should be taught when working online to avoid problems ?

 Due to the pandemic that spread two years ago, educational has turned online.

This was a challenge for some teachers and students also. 

Some students face several problems while they are working online, so as teachers we should guide our students and teach them how to avoid problems.

By following these instructions students will find online teaching more applicable and more useful for them.

To learn in a safe environment teacher must teach student the following:

 

·                  To be polite, respectful while learning online.

·                  To follow classroom rules.

·                  To be aware when they open microphone and video.

·                  To be patient when internet is not stable and electricity cuts.

·                   To protect their emails and passwords by following security rules.

·                  To be good digital citizens.

·                  To manage their time

·                  To avoid sharing personal information

 

When working online not only students face a lot of problems but also teachers. So, teachers should be aware of all these problems and should create a positive environment during online learning.  

Here are some tips for enhancing online teaching:

·                  Record and post the recording for the session.

·                  Open your camera during the session for eye contact with students.

·                  Use videos for illustration and make them short.

·                  Give clear instructions for classroom rules.

·                  Provide interactive activities as educational games through the session.

How to be a digital citizen

 

Digital citizenship refers to the responsible use of technology by anyone who uses computers, and digital devices to engage with society on any level.  A digital citizen is a person who has developed the skills and knowledge to effectively use the internet and digital technologies appropriately and responsibly.

in others words it is about using digital devices like computers, iPad , cell phones in the right way.

9 elements of Digital Citizenship

Digital Access: full electronic participation in society.

Digital Commerce: electronic buying and selling of goods.

Digital communication: electronic exchange of information.

Digital literacy:  teaching and Learning about technology.

Digital Etiquette: electronic standards of conduct or procedure.

 Digital Law: electronic responsibility for actions and deeds

Digital Rights and Responsibilities: those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world.

Digital Health and Wellness : physical and psychological well-being in a digital world.

Digital security: electronic precautions to guarantee safety.

How to be a digital citizen in school?

•  Use my personal device for educational purposes only. 
•  Use the assigned wifi network when at school. 
•  keep my device safe and secure at all times. 
• Make sure that I am safe and appropriate when I am online. 
•  Visit appropriate websites that promote learning and are for educational purposes.
• Protect my private information and the Information of others. 
• Log out, and not share my login or password with others. 
• Respect myself and others when I am online.
•  Use kind words, and remember that my "digital footprint" should not harm others. 

Tools that can be used in online assessment

Student assessment has changed in the new millennium. Though there’s something to be said for old-fashioned paper and pencil methods, new technologies are evolving daily to assist teachers with this task.

There are different ways to assess student learning using technology. 

Here are some methods and several approaches for evaluating students online and  assessment that are sure engage your students, and provide teachers with insight into their students’ learning process. 

Google classroom: is a free service for anyone with a personal Google account. It brings the benefits of paperless sharing, and assessment to classrooms. Tens of millions of teachers and students use Google Classroom in thousands of schools worldwide, making it one of the most popular tool around. Within Google Classroom, it's possible to use Google Forms to create and share quizzes that are automatically graded as students turn them in. You'll not only spend less time grading, but also your students will get instant feedback on their work.

you can  also check this video for more information about Google Classroom! 

Google forms: is a simple widely used tool for building surveys and graded quizzes. You can create multiple-choice or short answer questions for students to complete, specify correct answers and points, and provide feedback for correct and incorrect responses.

you can  also check this video for more information about Google forms!

Mentimeter: is a simple widely used tool for building surveys and graded quizzes. You can create multiple-choice or short answer questions for students to complete, specify correct answers and points, and provide feedback for correct and incorrect responses.

you can  also check this video for more information about mentimeter!

Socrative: is a quiz-based, formative assessment tool with multiple features that can enrich teaching and learning. it is a formative assessment tool that help teachers and learners to assess understanding and progress in real time in class through the uses of quizzes and questions. Socrative recommends the use of Exit Ticket to adjust homework assignments or address mistakes.

Exit ticket is a quiz that is launched at the end of a lesson.  It provides students an opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of content for the day, while ensuring teachers that objectives were met.

you can  also check this video for more information about Socrative!

Poll everywhere: Poll Everywhere is an online service that allows teachers to ask their students a question, and they answer the question using their mobile phones,  or web browsers. it is a  simple evaluation tool that engage children with minimal setup. Teacher use poll Everywhere at the beginning of  of a session as a warm up activity or as a  recap In other words, Poll Everywhere can be used to check student understanding.

you can  also check this video for more information about Poll everywhere!

Google slides: is a presentation product; it is quite similar to PowerPoint. It is free to use. It can be a powerful classroom tool for assessment. An assignment could be designed so that each student creates their own slides; once combined into one presentation, students can learn from each other. Or, small groups can collaborate on one slide presentation in real-time and then present their slides to the class, allowing for an engaging student presentation. 

you can  also check this video for more information about Google slide!

Pear Duck: Peer evaluation turns the tables to put learners into the instructor’s seat and allow students to review and edit each other’s work. Such activities give each participant a chance to reflect on their knowledge and then communicate their feedback in a consistent and structured way. It is  used to engage students in a lesson in real time. But with Student Paced Mode, you can allow students to join any presentation Session independently and work through your slides.

you can  also check this video for more information about Pear Deck

My opinion about integrating technology into teaching !

 

Since students are already interested and engaged in technology, teachers can harness that attention for educational purposes. Incorporating the internet, laptops, and tablets into the curriculum has many benefits for teachers and students alike, It helps me as a teacher facilitate and clarify lesson without making efforts , it grabs students attention and improve their skills. sure I am with the integrating technology into teaching. As an educator, integrating technology into the curriculum is key. Using technology help free up time both in developing and delivering the curriculum. That is aimed at improving the school through technology planning, promotes higher-order thinking and problem solving skills, and prepares students for the workforce. Also allows teachers to spend more time with the students who are struggling, ensuring the whole class is better prepared for tests and advancement. 

Integration of technology in education provides learners skills, experiences and knowledge more effectively, also increase chances of communication and creates compatibility and harmony with the learning environment. Technology helps make teaching and learning more enjoyable meaningful and valuable.

 I encourage all educators to integrate technology   in collaborative learning methods and leadership in teaching for many reasons:

1.facilitate the students learning and boost their capacity, productivity, and performance.

2. It also inspires positive changes in teaching methods on an international level.

3. Makes Teaching Easy.

4. Engages students and creates active learners.

5. Encourages individual learning and growth.

6. Facilitates peer collaboration.