Anne-Fleur van Kessel

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Over the last years, Virtual Reality has become a widely used tool in the education industry.

Virtual Reality enables schools to ‘take their students on an expedition’ in a relatively cheap way, provides them with a lot of options on where to go and even an individualistic approach. With the help of VR, school expeditions can go anywhere at any time in history or even into future. This broadens the students’ perspectives and provides them with the opportunity to experience other cultures and traditions by not even having to leave the classroom. Also, when children are not able to attend a school trip, they may now be able to experience a similar expedition with the help of Virtual Reality.

Moreover, this educational tool can be very helpful for students who are orientating themselves towards a career. Games that are based on a concept in which students are able to experience a day as a teacher, a dentist, or a fireman for instance, provides them with a better idea on what a certain job is about. This way it may be easier for students to choose among educational tracks and compare different jobs connected to these tracks.

Google Expeditions is an example of a teaching tool that uses virtual reality. In January 2018, Google launched a program that enables educators and students to be involved in the creation of their ‘own experience’. Through the platform, the students can collaborate and share one another’s creations.

In my opinion the additional use of Virtual Reality can be very valuable in particular to a history class as students get the chance to experience life as it was then. Also, students may have a more solid base on which they base their decisions towards a career.

What is your opinion of the applications of VR in education so far? And in what other ways do you think VR can contribute to education in the (near) future?

Sources:

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/using-google-expeditions-in-the-classroom/
https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/pioneer-new-lessons-your-classroom-google-expeditions/
https://marketbrief.edweek.org/marketplace-k-12/google-education-launches-beta-create-virtual-reality-experience/

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In March 2018, during the referendum in Groningen, the Netherlands, a pilot on the counting of votes was conducted. The pilot was focused on counting votes through an application based on blockchain technology. Groningen realised this pilot in collaboration with Berenschot (consultancy firm) and LAB15 (technological partner).

The project was initiated in order to strengthen the reliability on election outcomes. The main motive was the combination of the risks that turned out to be present within the current election process and a number of incidents that were announced regarding the national elections in 2017. One of these incidents was the fact that 9.000 votes that turned out not to be counted in Den Bosch during the national elections. Furthermore, the software that is currently used contains security leaks that make the elections vulnerable to hackers.

The choice for an application based on blockchain technology was mainly made due to its characteristics: transparency, controllability and reliability. All three are very valuable throughout an election process.

The pilot was conducted fully parallel to the normal election process in five of the stations were citizens could vote. By scanning the QR-codes on the voting passes, the requirement of everyone only voting once could be assured as well as the number of people that had voted could be followed real-time throughout the day. Privacy of the voters was guaranteed due to the fact that the voting itself was done in an analogous was. From the moment the counters started the process of counting votes, everyone could follow the results real-time here.

By the use of control numbers, everyone has the chance to notice a miscounting, when and where the mistake was made, and whether it was corrected already.

The results of the pilot per location — *The results of the voting per location*

I am curious to hear your opinion on last year’s pilot and the potential of the usage of blockchain technology within the election process in general. Do you think the reliability of results within elections may be enhanced by the use of blockchain technology? Would you consider any restrictions to the technology when it comes to further development of the application within the election process?

Sources (mainly in Dutch unfortunately):

Expeditions from your classroom

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Every vote counts! Counting votes through blockchain technology

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