On a recent Thursday, Beavercreek invited the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce director, Steve Dackin, to see how virtual reality technology from San Francisco company PRISMS VR can be used in a classroom at Jacob Coy Middle School.
Students wearing virtual reality headsets could see and interact with a lesson on mitosis, or the way in which cells divide and reproduce. The students can use the remote controls and virtual reality goggles to move through a virtual reality space.
“What I’m hoping is we can create a culture in our state where kids are naturally curious,” Dackin said.
Around the pandemic, the Montgomery County Educational Service Center took advantage of available funds from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and wrote a $100,000 grant using virtual reality headsets to improve algebra scores. The MCESC additionally had a match promise from T-Mobile and a donation of 1,000 devices from Meta.
Districts across the state have adapted virtual reality technology, according to the MCESC. While they might be outside of Montgomery County, the educational service center is coordinating the grant.
Locally, besides the MCESC and Beavercreek, Brookville, Dayton City, DECA, Huber Heights, Miamisburg, New Lebanon, Northridge, Trotwood-Madison and Valley View have all adapted the technology.
Candice Sears, director of institutional services at the MCESC, said districts who sign onto the MCESC negotiated contract with PRISMS will pay about $15 per student and access the entire library of content. Normally, districts would pay $22 per student for one course subject, she said.
Since the pandemic, chronic absenteeism rates have gone up throughout the state and reading and math scores have still not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Districts have been using various strategies to engage students, from adding clubs and classes students might consider fun to giving incentives for students to attend school.
Dackin told the students that he wanted to see more intentionality in helping kids learn how to learn, instead of just expecting students to pick it up themselves.
“It seems to me that this tool provides this kind of opportunity,” Dackin said. “If that’s what this thing can kind of do, then we win.”
Two smaller Montgomery County districts said the technology has helped them engage their students.
New Lebanon superintendent Greg Williams said the VR equipment is typically used for math and science in his district. It helps to engage students in learning experiences, he said.
Students have said the model helps them understand concepts better than just using paper, and it’s just fun.
“Within a click of a button I can take my science classroom inside a volcano to explore tectonic plates, or I can teleport my students to a different planet to discover varying atmospheres,” said New Lebanon eighth-grade science teacher Dakota Schindler. “The novelty of a new technology, and tangible learning style, and ability of complete immersion make it a true revolutionary teaching tool.”
Valley View has been using VR technology too, mostly in Algebra I and high school biology. The students there have said the technology helps them visualize things they couldn’t before, like how cells divide, and helped them understand graphs and equations while seeing them in 3D.
“We knew it would be useful to us because students learn best when they are exposed to real-world problems that allow them to see the relevance of their learning,” said Nichole Thomas, Valley View curriculum director. “Prisms virtual reality platform creates hands-on, interactive experiences that keep students engaged.”
Dayton Public has been using the VR headsets at four schools in the district, EJ Brown, Wogaman, Wright Brothers and Belmont. The headsets are used to simulate career fields. According to the district, some schools are not actively using them just yet while teachers are trained.
Students are immersed into a working situation like a knee replacement surgery and they listen to someone guide them through a portion of the process,“ said Alex Kincaid, district spokeswoman. “These are anywhere from three to five minutes long, but they help a student understand what a part of a job is like. It helps our students determine if the career field is something they would like to pursue.”
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