The term 'digital natives' refers to people who have grown up exposed to digital technologies and the web. The explosion of technological advances has reached many fields and environments, such as leisure, work and education. The close contact of these digital natives with technology means that tools such as virtual reality are increasingly being used in education. This phenomenon is known as 'Education 4.0'.
Characteristics of digital natives in learning
There are certain distinctive features to take into account when adapting teaching to digital natives. The university cooperation network Universia talks about several preferences of digital natives in the learning process, identified by author Marc Prensky:
- They are interested in receiving information in an immediate, agile and visual way, which is why they prefer graphics to text.
- Their performance improves when they work online, and they are attracted to multitasking activities.
- They prefer hypertextual texts, with links to different sources of information.
- Playful instruction works better than strict instruction and the awareness of their progress instils a sense of reward.
Having grown up interacting with technologies, digital natives are comfortable acquiring knowledge through innovative tools and platforms. This is why applying advances such as virtual reality in education is an increasingly explored avenue.
Benefits of virtual reality in education
Virtual reality (VR) makes it possible to recreate realistic environments and situations through simulations. By means of VR headsets, the student is immersed in the simulation and lives the experience first-hand. This achieves immersive learning and allows the student to experience different emotions and sensations while acquiring knowledge.
The organisation IFEMA Madrid mentions several benefits of virtual reality in education:
- The learner is immersed and learns implicitly, without realising that he/she is learning.
- It helps to create a good relationship and a friendly environment.
- Allows abstract concepts to be learned intuitively and practically.
- Increases motivation and involvement of learners in the content of the lesson.
- Assesses learners' abilities and performance in the proposed task.
- Promotes inclusion.
The organisation points out that VR is a very useful tool not only for students but also for teachers. Schools that incorporate this technology can also differentiate themselves, expand their educational services as well as modernise and update some of their content.
Education 4.0 in vocational training
According to the Euroinnova online school, Education 4.0 is "related to the industrial changes that are taking place, including those based on economic and technological development". The incorporation of emerging technologies in education also has multiple applications in vocational training.
The use of technologies such as virtual reality in vocational education centres makes sense because of its practical approach. Vocational training benefits from this experiential component by placing students in an environment that they will encounter in their future workplace.
An example of this would be health and safety training (HSE). Vocational training centres teach subjects in which students are trained in prevention. Safety at work is essential to protect employees, and with tools such as VR, students discover the risks they will face in the future.
In Spain, the government has been promoting Education 4.0 for some time with the creation of the AtecA technology classrooms. These classrooms incorporate new technologies in vocational training centres, in a bid to modernise their teaching methods.
If you want to find out how the AtecA classrooms are incorporating virtual reality into their health and safety training, click here.
