Future of the Virtual Reality Revolution and Education

Today I’ll host here a guest post by Mark Metry of VU Dream, a company that is very active in spreading the world about VR: they sell VR headsets and also have a very insightful blog. I’m sure you’ve already read some awesome posts made by them (if not… why??). I think that his post is very valuable because it lets you see his vision of VR and while you read it, you can really feel his passion flowing through your body. Ok, enough for this introduction… come on Mike, it’s your turn to speak!

—

Hi everyone! I want to thank my friend Tony for granting me the honor of writing a post for the official SkarredGhost website.

My name is Mark Metry.

I got into the VR Industry last December when I started my company VU Dream. Its purpose is to speed up the future of virtual reality with distribution, education, and collaboration.

Our goal is to make Virtual Reality accessible to everyone in the entire world. We run several programs that are constantly developing and growing. VU Dream features Free VR, we ship a Free Cardboard headset to anyone in the world free of charge minus shipping. Another is Education VR where Schools or educators can get VR Headsets for their classrooms.

Since then, I have learned a tremendous amount of knowledge on the VR industry and have written quite a bit. According to my Medium & Quora profile, I am a Top writer in Virtual Reality.

I’m here to talk about the Free VR and Education VR program that my company runs.

Introduction

I’d like to mention my involvement and how I got started with virtual reality because it’s relatable to what some of you have experienced.

I’m currently a college student in Boston, Massachusetts. I was taking a Networking class at the end of last year. Our final project was an open-ended any topic presentation and research paper. Before this, I had no awareness of virtual reality. I had tried a few demos but my knowledge was very limited. Like most people, I had a very narrow view of virtual reality’s application. My only awareness of VR’s uses were limited to immersive gaming.

Out of sheer randomness I chose virtual reality as a research topic for the project. My research led me to the discover of VR’s potential to disrupt almost every industry, and its ability to help people. Autism, PTSD, and social networks, were some of the few uses that were baffling to me.

I’m an infonaut. I believe a fundamental issue in the world is that people don’t have enough knowledge to make this world a better place.

Other elements are very important too, like love and empathy. Virtual reality can also help address these issues, as Chris Milk calls VR the ultimate empathy machine.

Virtual Reality Education

My journey of starting VU Dream is really more of a story on education both in the classroom setting and the everyday person’s life. One of the most important things my Network accelerator does is educate people with news, how-to’s, guides, etc.

Not too many people know about the amazing and disruptive revolutionary technology that is virtual reality.

A large factor in mainstream adoption of virtual reality is knowledge. Most people have seen a video or two of someone on a VR headset playing a videogame but do not know the full range of its applications. VR tech inserted in the world (which will be reality in 5-10 years) is going to be fundamentally different.

I’m passionate about education and VR in schools can be a major help. Even if VR doesn’t become a staple in the schooling system which it unfortunately won’t because of budgets and other bureaucratic factors. Learners can still use their own VR headset and gain insights by learning with all the visuals that virtual reality can provide.

Virtual Reality is such a versatile technology that really any subject can be taught in VR.

In a recent survey of more than 1,000 U.S. K-12 teachers using virtual reality.

• 85% of teachers agree that virtual reality would have a positive effect on their students.
• 2% of teachers are using virtual reality content in their classrooms.
• 72% used VR to simulate experiences relevant to course content like flying as the Wright Brothers did in 1903.
• 69% of Teachers would like to use VR to travel to distant world landmarks like the great pyramids of Egypt.
• 68% of Teachers would like to use VR to supplement course curriculum to help students better understand concepts like a chemical reaction for a science lesson.

Future of Virtual Reality

It’s easy to look at something like the smartphone and see it for what it is. VR’s true nature can get a little distorted because it’s still 2017.

What we have today is comparing VR at this stage to Pong, the first video game that came out. Fast forward many years later and we have online MMO’s where hundreds of thousands of players can connect to a world with realistic graphics in realtime.

Remember, Virtual reality is a platform or medium, not a headset or piece of software content.

Ultimately, what we think VR is today is going to be much different in 2027 or even next year for all we know. I wrote an article on my website about the Reality of Virtuality and its potential form and impact on the world.

Here’s a little excerpt, if you’d like to read the entire thing check it out here.

Imagine living in worlds of our own creations, icons of youth, posters, or even living inside of a pop song.
Before a constructed dream world of mine, if I want to share the contents of my mind, I smile, I move my lips in a way, I make crude little grunts to convey meanings. I paint a painting, I write a poem, article etc.
Virtual Reality is an idea of fully immersive technology-mediated dream worlds. Rendered mind spaces for the creative and consciousness.
Virtual Reality is Reality enhanced. Hyperreality.
Portals to another world. Real Virtualities.
Technology will allows us to share dreams with each other.
Everybody will have a cosmos of imagination where they can build cathedrals of the mind.
Do you want to see what it’s like to be inside of my mind?

Imagine what will become possible. Imagine the exchange of intersubjectivity, understanding, and empathy humanity can unleash with real virtualities.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading my post! I absolutely love having intellectually stimulating conversations with anyone. If you would like to connect with me for anything at all tweet me @markymetry.

Check out my profiles on Medium, Quora, and my company VU Dream – Global VR Network Accelerator.