"The form of spreading the immersive impact of Virtual Reality technology in education can come from many sources, one of which is the initiation of a VR technology-based teaching material development workshop by Dewi Hidayati, S. Pd. I., Gr. MilleaLab has Pendekar VR, who carry out the mission of spreading good practices of VR implementation."
The persistence of educators in spreading the immersive impact of Virtual Reality (VR) technology in education has indirectly generated new enthusiasm for other educators. Persistence, accompanied by enthusiasm, will positively impact the world of education. This spirit moved Dewi Hidayati, S. Pd. I., Gr., to implement good practices in a VR technology-based teaching material development workshop. Dewi Hidayati, S. Pd. I., Gr. said, "When I see fellow educators struggling to spread good impact—some even have to cross the island for internet connection—I am amazed. I am surely motivated by their persistence."
A training involving more than a hundred participants resulted from good practices from Pendekar VR, including Dewi Hidayati, S. Pd. I., Gr. Pendekar VR is an active community to expand educators actively implementing VR technology in education. In addition, Pendekar VR is a community that moves under the auspices of MilleaLab, a VR technology platform that offers ease of making VR-based teaching materials. At the same time, MilleaLab became an application that attracted Dewi Hidayati, S. Pd. I., and Gr.'s attention to adapting this spread-out immersive impact.
"First, I was interested out of my curiosity. Incidentally, I have a fellow friend who is associated with Pendekar VR, as she posted on Facebook about VR MilleaLab. I saw that there was old-school learning material, but it looked real. Finally, it would be exciting if this were applied in the classroom. Moreover, students' interest is lacking in old-school learning," said Dewi Hidayati, S. Pd. I., Gr. She also admitted that the factor of students' lack of interest in learning is significantly influenced by smartphone technology. However, if technology such as VR can be implemented well, the impact on the learning process will be excellent.
Furthermore, Dewi Hidayati, S. Pd. I., Gr. added, "Riau Islands usually holds this VR workshop at least once a year. The last one was held in October 2023; I served as the Coordinator. The trainers also came from Pendekar VR. Although many participants were initially confused, the enthusiasm was extraordinary." In addition to working with Riau Provincial Education Ministry, the training also involved IGI Natuna Regency. One major problem with planning and implementation was the distance among Pendekar VR members.
"I want to be not only one educator in Indonesia to adapt but also intend to spread the immersive impact of VR technology in education. With the changing Merdeka Belajar curriculum, educators must learn new learning patterns. One of them is through this immersive technology," said Dewi Hidayati, S. Pd. I., Gr. Furthermore, Dewi Hidayati, S. Pd. I., Gr. believes that student motivation is the starting point for adequate reception of learning materials in the classroom. In the end, Dewi Hidayati, S. Pd. I., Gr. invited all educators in Indonesia to participate in spreading the immersive impact of VR technology in education. "In this sophisticated social media and applications culture, educators also need weapons to compete with it all so that students will be interested in their learning. The immersive technology such as VR is the one we could try," concluded Dewi Hidayati, S. Pd. I., Gr.