360 degree videos have great potential and we are still in the early years of this technology. Sure, the industry is still figuring out on how to deal with technical issues but every new camera or functionality release shows us that improved technology is made available. As hardware quality and accessibility improves, users will sink in to the habit of producing more and more 360 videos. The reduction in hardware and software cost and the ease to create meaningful 360 video material for students will make this new technology more relevant in the learning space. Besides being simply exciting and new to the learning space here are our top 6 reasons on why this new learning technology will improve learner engagement.
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IT MAKES IT REAL!
Instead of showing still images to your learners let them dive right into the exact same environment and experience it themselves! Experiencing learning material ‘first hand’ helps transferring learning and making it stick.
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PROVIDES CONTROL
360 video or image viewers get to decide where, when, and how long they would like to look at specific elements of the learning artefact. The learner will feel as if he is in control of his own learning journey.
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IMMERSES INTO AN ENVIRONMENT
When viewed on so called VR headsets, 360 videos offer a sense of presence and immersion that traditional videos can´t match. Both, the sense of presence and the one of immersion, describe the perception of being part of the environment. Presence can be described with the example of standing in a group with other people and being at eye level with them, or sitting at a dinner table and getting the impression as if you are part of the group. Immersion on the other side lets you forget that you are in a ‘virtual world’ and that what you see isn’t real.
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BRIDGES THE GAP
Sometimes it can be hard for learners to understand complex content. 360 videos and images help students and instructors bridging learning barriers such as language, focus or comprehension barriers. Due to its immersive quality 360 videos support learners to connect with the content in a more intense and yet light and playful way.
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MEETS LEARNERS WHERE THEY “ARE”
Companies with young employees should rethink their learning delivery methods and platforms. Today’s graduates learn on their mobiles and tablets. They are used to experience learning rather than consuming it. Meet your learners where they are and don’t force them into old traditional learning offerings they most likely didn’t experience during their education. 360 videos i.e. are one of those options to engage them!
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TELLS A STORY
360 video production is a new frontier and it offers new techniques of story-telling. Let your learners experience your story and ultimately develop a better understanding about the learning content.
Bottom line this new emerging technology has potential to innovate and shape up our current practices, however it also depends on us on how we make the most out of it. 360 degree videos are on their way and soon it will be used by most of us in learning.
The MINDSED Team.