Placing religion virtually: combining textbooks with virtual student-produced 360-degree virtual tours of churches in teacher education for RE
This study investigates how student-generated virtual 360-degree tours of churches may complement traditional textbooks in religious education (RE) for student teachers. We explore how these tours complement textbooks by offering sources for learning about Christianity that are situated in real-world contexts. The students, using 360 cameras, created immersive virtual tours that they shared with their peers. We analysed focus group discussions following the production of the tours, in which the students reflected on their learning experiences. The findings indicate that producing the 360-degree virtual tours helped the students engage with church architecture, symbols and religious traditions by merging theoretical knowledge from textbooks with practical, site-specific experiences. The analysis of students’ experiences draws on McLuhan’s media theory, proposing that textbooks are ‘hot’ media, rich in information but less interactive, while virtual tours are ‘cooler’, requiring more participation and interpretation. We conclude that integrating virtual tours with textbooks may enhance students’ understanding of religion as situated in both time and space, offering a complementary learning strategy for RE.
Publisert i British Journal of Religious Education, 2025
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