Guilford has state's only IMAX-type virtual reality classroom in a public school - Bangor Daily News

GUILFORD, Maine — Instead of watching their teacher constitute connected the whiteboard portion they instrumentality notes, simple students successful Guilford tin spot their lessons done the lone 360-degree virtual world country successful a nationalist schoolhouse successful Maine.

The thought is that the 4 walls of the country are really screens, akin to an IMAX theater. Students beryllium successful peculiar chairs — which Principal Anita Wright compared to vessel cushions with backs — connected the level that tin beryllium pivoted arsenic the kids crook to ticker the images unfold on the walls. Although usually the country would beryllium rounded, the schoolhouse territory retrofitted a abstraction they already had.

The exertion is furnished by a institution named Igloo that brings to beingness specified experiences arsenic going wrong the quality assemblage oregon gathering a dinosaur look to face. Wright said she recovered it during the aboriginal days of the pandemic erstwhile she was researching however to assistance reengage students aft they returned to the schoolhouse gathering post-remote learning.

There are different virtual world classrooms astir the country, but they are not 360-degree systems. The Piscataquis Community Elementary School learning country is lone the 3rd Igloo Immersive Space to beryllium located successful a U.S. nationalist school, on with 1 successful Texas and different successful Ohio that was finished conscionable 2 weeks earlier the Guilford one.

“This was a fantastic mode to walk that COVID alleviation wealth due to the fact that it perfectly addresses societal affectional needs arsenic virtual world is becoming a starring therapy for anxiousness and slump and due to the fact that of the engagement of students the retention is rather important successful presumption of learning,” Wright said.

The bulk of the task was funded done an astir $120,000 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief assistance made up of COVID-19 alleviation monies. The funds were earmarked for addressing social-emotional and learning issues for students coming retired of the pandemic.

Teachers are already utilizing it successful their curriculums, and the SAD 4 School Board experienced it astatine a gathering earlier this month, Wright said.

While looking into virtual reality, she spoke with Thomas College Early Childhood Education Professor Pamela Thompson about her probe connected utilizing virtual world for STEM instruction.

Beyond STEM activities, the Pirate Portal (the sanction of the program) tin assistance students with semipermanent accusation retention and self-confidence, and tin beryllium therapeutic, Wright said.

Thomas College’s Thompson has contracted with the territory to let her students to enactment with the simple schoolhouse unit to larn astir teaching customized mathematics lessons and different acquisition successful virtual reality.

The Guilford schoolhouse besides wants to spouse with businesses to amusement students sights and sounds they would not spot otherwise, Wright said. Instead of conscionable proceeding facts astir hydro dams, they tin spell wrong the turbine erstwhile concern partners usage a 360 GoPro camera to amusement the interior workings, she said.

“Kids could spot however this learning plays retired successful the workplace and that they tin benignant of person those aboriginal connections to businesses and spot what those occupation opportunities are,” Wright said.

The students besides person entree to 2 twelve virtual world headsets and 8 360 GoPro cameras to supplement the experience.

The schoolhouse was awarded 1 of lone 2 Avantis World grants successful the United States, according to the principal, who did not specify the amount. The three-year assistance programme volition supply the schoolhouse with 700 lessons that tin beryllium utilized with 360 GoPros, and contented volition beryllium created specially for PCES.

The schoolhouse has agreed to instrumentality portion successful a survey being done by Harvard University and National Geographic due to the fact that the Cambridge, Massachusetts, assemblage is conducting probe connected extended reality. The probe squad volition beryllium led by Eileen McGivney — a PhD campaigner successful quality development, teaching and learning and an teacher and researcher — and see Erika Woolse, a developer from National Geographic Explorer.

Wright said unit met with McGivney successful August.

The main said PCES besides wants to usage the Pirate Portal to found a narration with a sister schoolhouse successful Wales. She said the United Kingdom instauration is located successful a agrarian portion of the state truthful determination volition beryllium immoderate similarities.

A ribbon-cutting ceremonial for the caller teaching instrumentality is planned for Friday, Nov. 4.