Page 20 - spaces4learning, Summer 2022

spaces4learning A/V TECHNOLOGY
A PICTURE IS WORTH
MORE THAN A
THOUSAND WORDS
By Matt Jones
IMAGINE BEING TRANSPORTED TO THE DEEPEST re- gions of space, or the nucleus of a cell, or the interior of a human heart. Imagine visiting the Great Wall of China, or Victorian-era London, or the Wright Brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903. Reading about them is one thing; seeing them all around you is something else entirely. One educational virtual reality solution from Avantis Systems aims to provide students with experiences that they—or anyone—would never be able to see in real life.
ClassVR launched in January 2017 and provides thousands of educational VR resources and structured lesson plans that align with elementary-, middle- and high-school curricula nationwide. Resources are available in subjects from art to biology to chemis- try to language arts to history—and more. Teachers and students can also upload their own 360-degree images and videos to create their own VR experiences. These immersive, engaging experienc- es help students visualize the concept at hand, adding a layer of personal experience to their understanding of the subject matter.
West Baton Rouge (WBR) Parish Schools in Port Allen, La., began the process of adopting ClassVR in spring 2021. WBR serves as a Head Start through twelfth-grade district with about 4,200 students and ten schools: five elementary, three middle and two high. The district’s ClassVR program is run by Dr. Tammy Seneca, Supervisor of Information Systems and Educa- tional Technology, and Stephanie Thompson, District Technol- ogy Facilitator and Professional Developer.
“The kids really get...it kinda breaks down the walls of the classroom, so kids who don’t necessarily have a lot of travel ex- perience or, for example, if they’re reading a book about the Great Wall of China, you know, nine times out of ten, they
haven’t seen the Great Wall of China. But they get to experience it through the ClassVR,” said Seneca. “And so, it really kind of gives them that almost one-to-one kind of feel of what it would be like if they were actually there. I think that’s been the most positive feedback.”
“The teachers are just really excited because the students are so excited,” added Thompson. “They’re just oohing and aahing and ‘Woah, oh my goodness,’ and it just really provides a little bit more concrete examples of what they’re learning about that
20 SUMMER 2022 | spaces4learning.com