“Workforce-Ready”

Get Students “Workforce-Ready” With AR & VR

It’s estimated that 65% of today’s primary school students will work in jobs that don’t yet exist. The reason? 

The pace of technology innovation is accelerated so the workforce skills needed today are likely to be very different a decade from now. This isn’t just a technology challenge; it’s an educational one that tasks schools with preparing students to become future workers.

While we can’t predict the future, nor do we have a crystal ball to show us what tomorrow’s workforce will look like, there are some certainties that will have a significant impact on how schools prepare students for what’s next, including:

•    Artificial intelligence and machine learning will change the way we work and live
•    Future workers will need to be able to adapt to constant change
•    Students need to become lifelong learners who can acquire new skills/knowledge on their own

Use Technology as a Workforce Trainer

Eighty-six percent of parents and teachers in the United States believe in the importance of having technology in the classroom — and 50% feel coding and computer programing will be beneficial to their child’s future employability. That reality is bearing out as the Bureau of Labor Statistics says 52% of job growth by 2020 will be computing and mathematics based.

Technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in the classroom can help students build future-proof job skills. While VR completely immerses students in a digital reality that shuts out the physical world, AR adds digital elements to a live view using a camera or smartphone. VR and AR are particularly powerful tools for skills advancement that can help bridge the gap between academics and real-world applications, transforming student experiences from static to active, so students can:

•    Master complex concepts with a multidimensional view of content

•    Exercise creativity with the ability to manipulate digital assets

•    Advance understanding with improved curriculum context

Accelerate AR/VR Classroom Adoption in 3 Easy Steps

1.     Use tech to advance curriculum. VR and AR can provide more engaging, hands-on learning that connects the physical and digital world to deliver new context around educational content. For example, VR can be used to virtually train students on skills development and AR can be used to gamify instruction. UC Irvine is already using VR to put medical students in the body of a patient. At the elementary school level, these technologies can be used to expand student experiences via virtual field trips, role-playing exercises, and more.

2.     Acknowledge barriers to success. Only 15% of schools expect to have VR in their classroom by 2021. For some schools, cost is a significant challenge; for others, it’s a lack of technical expertise and training to deploy the solutions. And, in almost all cases, the fact that schools are traditionally slow to adopt change is key. Schools spend a great deal of time and money to conform to established criteria for teaching and straying from this is a risk some schools don’t want to take.

3.     Invest in foundational tech. Technology to support AR and VR is becoming more affordable, and now there are solutions tailored-made for educational use. For example, HP ProBook x360 11 G3 EE Notebook is configured with Intel^® Core™ processor, touch screen and Windows 10 Pro — with a flexible form factor that converts into a tablet with optional digital inking to support new styles of teaching and learning. HP Stream 11 Pro G5 EE Notebook configured with Microsoft Office 365 and OneDrive and webcam for collaborative classroom instruction.

As an HP Platinum Partner, Sehi can help deploy VR and AR into the classroom with affordability. Readthe eBook   to learn more — and discover the sixbarriers to adoption  and engagement of VR and AR devices in schools.