With the rising development of VR platforms, such as the Oculus Quest and Apple Vision Pro, both students and teachers consider the benefits and consequences of its use. Digital Electronics teacher Sid Swartzendruber explains how it could be used, particularly with visual learning experiences

He  said, “Virtual welders are very, very popular. They allow students to use something in their hands that feels the exact same way and the same size [as real welding tools]. Really the same equipment except it doesn’t deliver the weld, in that respect it’s much, much, cheaper.”

Senior Yash Bhargava believes that VR will expand to the productivity sector.

“VR headsets have become really advanced for use in games, but most people have yet to realize the office and business applications of the technology.” he said. “It could soon be possible for people to have an infinitely large canvas to do work on and have meetings with others.”

Swartzendruber adds his own ideas on how VR can be used for work purposes.

He said, “[In VR] flight simulators, you can have [more realistic] real time adjustments, amount of light, and wind conditions. They can also be used in walkthroughs of homes before they’re built, which really gives the customer a great idea of what they’re getting.

Bhargava also trusts that VR will become more mainstream.

“VR headsets are definitely becoming higher quality and cheaper as time goes on. Soon, I think they will start to become affordable and practical for students as well as a wider range of consumers as the innovation and refinement continues.”

Swartzendruber disagrees, and explains how people may not adapt to new technology.

He  said, “People don’t like change. In today’s world, it seems we are very hesitant to trust what we see. There’s so much information coming from so many different places. So, with a system like virtual reality, change takes time.”