Two virtual reality (VR) apps have been launched to help early years teaching students to recognise common childhood illnesses and signs of physical abuse in infants and toddlers.
Activate Learning, which runs two schools in Oxfordshire, has unveiled its latest VR apps, Early Years VR: Childhood Illnesses and Early Years VR: Signs of Abuse.
Developed in alignment with the Northern Council for Further Education’s Early Years T Level curriculum, the applications offer a unique training tool.
Students can learn to identify and respond to potential risks in a controlled, virtual environment, gaining hands-on experience in the safety and monitoring standards required when working with children.
Cheri Ashby, deputy CEO at Activate Learning, said: "The development of our early years sector leading VR technology will significantly enhance the learning experience of our students.
"They will be able to practise identifying signs of abuse and illness in children in a safe environment, and then apply their learning to real-world settings.
"This technology will increase our students’ confidence, motivation and skills in working with children in different early years settings.
"This way of learning also supports our unique learning philosophy, which focuses on the impact of the brain, motivation and emotion on individual's learning.”
Kim Blanchard, director of digital education and artificial intelligence (AI) at Activate Learning, said: "When 90 per cent of the information we consume is visual with a high rate of retention of that knowledge past three days, then such learning opportunities provide the learners with every opportunity of success."
She added that the technology "empowers them [students] with the knowledge they can carry forward into employability."
A group of students have already experienced the VR apps at the Banbury and Bicester College Technology Enhanced Learning Space.
Feedback from the group was positive, with students praising the immersive nature of the experience.
Juliet Lifford, early years teacher at Activate Learning, said: "This provided our students with an enriching experiential learning opportunity.
"The students could navigate the VR apps easily and found it complimented the Education and Early Years T Level exceptionally well.
"The students could embed their learning further and make direct links to placement experience and classroom delivery.
"We look forward to using it more in the future to enhance our delivery and our students’ future careers.”
Activate Learning is partnering with the Blended Learning Consortium to offer these assets to Blended Learning Consortium members.
Educators and institutions interested in exploring these VR applications can contact the Blended Learning team at the Heart of Worcestershire College for further information.
Activate Learning's Digital Education and AI team offers consultations and classes, allowing for further hands-on experience with this technology.
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