Resumen:
This essay presents and discusses the developing role of virtual and augmented reality
technologies in education. Addressing the challenges in adapting such technologies to focus on
improving students’ learning outcomes, the author discusses the inclusion of experiential modes
as a vehicle for improving students’ knowledge acquisition. Stakeholders in the educational role
of technology include students, faculty members, institutions, and manufacturers. While the
benefits of such technologies are still under investigation, the technology landscape offers
opportunities to enhance face-to-face and online teaching, including contributions in the
understanding of abstract concepts and training in real environments and situations. Barriers to
technology use involve limited adoption of augmented and virtual reality technologies, and, more
directly, necessary training of teachers in using such technologies within meaningful educational
contexts. The author proposes a six-step methodology to aid adoption of these technologies as
basic elements within the regular education: training teachers; developing conceptual prototypes;
teamwork involving the teacher, a technical programmer, and an educat...