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The article is a study of the VR@School project (Erasmus+ programme), as it is being implemented by EuroEd Foundation Iasi, Romania. The article introduces the project's objectives and outputs and gives insights into the teachers' online training course on how to use Virtual Reality (VR) and to create VR lesson plans. The article also presents the main findings of the surveys carried out on the participants in the project, exploring teachers' opinions of the training course and the use of VR in teaching as well as students' attitudes towards their VR experiences. Given the unprecedented changes in technology, education needs to be flexible and promote lifelong learning and upgrading of skills and knowledge. Virtual Reality opens new doors, generating new ideas and encouraging students to turn their ideas into realities. By using VR in their classes teachers gain new knowledge and acquire new teaching methods, skills and techniques, improve their professional profile, their English language and IT skills. By using VR teachers demonstrate that they take into consideration what society expects of schools in terms of the demands imposed by state-of-the-art technology: to continuously upgrade their knowledge and competencies. The VR@school project is in line with the technological challenges in education and aims at introducing state-of-the-art use of technology in order to improve teaching and learning through open and innovative practices and provide attractive opportunities for teachers' professional development. The project's results show that Virtual Reality offers memorable learning experiences which facilitate retention of knowledge and enhance motivation to study, particularly through the immersive learning experience with outstanding visualizations, sometimes despite insufficient experience, training, content and accessibility. The project highlights, therefore, the need for training if teachers are to become pioneers trying to push the boundaries of the new technologies and manipulate changes to the students' advantage. |
