Currently one of the middle school standards is to study World
War II. Therefore, the Diary of Anne
Frank is often read and studied in seventh or eighth grade. When I worked at a local middle school, the eighth
grade ELA teacher had the students read the book. They were immersed in the world of Anne
Frank. That included learning about the
Holocaust, concentration camps, and the Nazi’s. The library carried many non-fiction books that would supplement
their research and described the Annex in detail with many photos. This unit was usually something that the
students always remembered during their time in middle school.
My oldest son had an internship at The Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam. His office was across from the back of the Annex. He looked at that building every day. The museum, which encompasses most of the city block of buildings includes the original Anne Frank office/annex. Millions of people from all over the world visit this museum.
(Video of the visitors to the Anne Frank Museum)
In
2018, Oculus Quest came up with a Virtual Reality (VR) tour of the Anne Frank Annex. The museum loaned one to my son to try and
see if it was realistic enough. So of
course, he brought it home for me to try.
In the article by Bruce Massis,
Using Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in the Library, states that these
technologies strive to completely simulate an immersive sensory experience
using sight and hearing that is indistinguishable from real (Massis, 2016) . That is absolutely how I felt when experiencing the Anne Frank VR Tour. This is the video from the team that made the VR version for
the Oculus Quest, but the older version is the Oculus Rift. Both items can be purchased through
Oculus.com or Amazon.com. The cost for
Oculus Quest and accessories on Amazon.com is $602.00.
(VR Experience team making the Anne Frank video)
This VR experience is so realistic that I could see dust
floating the air of the attic, and hear sounds of the house creaking. I was amazed.
It brought tears to my eyes and a smile on my face. This would have been so impactful for students
to see. Not everyone can go to
Amsterdam, but how can we bring these to our students.
Currently, the largest hurdle for
public school students to have access to these tools is cost. Budgets don’t allow for equipment for a class
of students to each have a $300.00 – $400.00 headset. However, the most closely related technology
that is available is the Google App called Google Expedition. This app allows students to experience
virtual field trips from around the world by using cellphones or Apple devices from
the school. Our school district has a
traveling box of Cellphones that are charged and used just for this
activity. You just need to go to the App store and download the app of your phone to try this out for yourself.
(Google Expedition App Virtual Reality Trailer)
(Google Expedition App Augmented Reality Trailer)
Even as exciting as the many
Virtual Reality (VR) options on the App, there is also Augmented Reality (AR)
choices. Being about to teach and then show
a student a 3-D model of DNA, the heart, or a coral reef, is something they
will always remember. I felt like a kid watching these items
myself. Technology tools only continue
to improve and having the AR and VR options make it a “reality”.
Resources:
Massis, B. (2016). Using virtual and augmented reality
in the library. New Library World, Vol. 16(11/12), 796-799.
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