Cantor Family Grant: Virtual & Augmented Reality in the Classroom with Oculus Rift
- School Year: 2018-2019
- Applicants: Michael Wilkosz, Lead Teacher, Scott Sampeitro, Anthony Truss (Conard High School), James Genovese (Conard High School)
- School: Hall High School
- Subjects: Visual Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Technology
Students at of all grades at Hall High School have an exciting opportunity to further their STEM and Visual Art skills through the “Virtual and Augmented Reality in the Classroom with Oculus Rift”. The purpose of this grant is to introduce Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality into West Hartford Public Schools classrooms to enhance existing STEM curriculum using the Oculus Rift & Touch Virtual Reality Headset. The value that Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality adds to the classroom is that it can bring components from a digitally created world into a learner’s perception of the real world through the integration of sensory information that can be perceived as a naturally occurring part of the environment. Throughout the school year various curriculum lessons and projects will be implemented to include the use of the VR/AR rig to provide the students a more in-depth look at their designs, models, or rendered environments. This project will help to encourage students to explore the STEM areas and to discover all that these learning concepts have to offer. Students will develop and utilize problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, computer aided modeling skills, computer programming skills, and collaborative skills. Students will be able to tour created 3D environments as well as create and enhance their own environments. Students will also be able virtually hold their own 3D models in their hands and manipulate the models as if it were an actual tangible artifact. These examples and others like them will further enhance the student’s overall learning experience.