VR/AR

Three Norwalk schools will incorporate virtual reality, 3D printers, artificial intelligence and other tools from their Verizon Innovative Learning Labs into other subjects, giving students experience with emerging tech.

Southern University in Louisiana will use a $6.2 million grant to expand broadband Internet and create interactive VR spaces and tools for the training of future middle-school teachers and university faculty.

Optimism about the viability of extended, augmented and virtual reality ed-tech tools to enhance instruction and boost participation is growing among educators, according to a survey from ISTE and the XR Association.

In an experimental course at the University of Texas at San Antonio, students use VR headsets to participate in discussions, watch interactive videos of rocket launches, view footage from NASA telescopes and tour the ISS.

According to a recent analysis by the research and advocacy organization Common Sense Media, the seven most popular VR devices in schools collect so much user data that they present serious privacy concerns.

Danbury police officers were able to explore Axon Network's virtual reality training simulator fit for critical thinking and de-escalation. The department did not purchase the equipment, but plan to if it aligns with their budget.

Administrators from the Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Michigan say that users and providers of emerging XR technologies should be conscious of privacy, security and safety challenges.

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections has launched a pilot program using virtual reality technology to improve engagement and relationships between incarcerated parents and their children.

Kids are getting a better chance to bond with parents who are serving time behind bars thanks to virtual reality, a technology that continues to have an increased number of rapidly expanding uses.

The training consists of 10 virtual active shooting scenarios in environments like airports, schools and courthouses, meant to better prepare emergency crews for a variety of situations through a video game engine.

City officials have approved the purchase of new virtual reality training equipment for the police department. The equipment will offer a new approach to training for encounters with people who struggle with mental illness.

All public schools in the state will soon have access to $5,000 worth of state-provided computer science equipment, Gov. Janet Mills announced this week. The initiative will be funded with $3 million in CARES act money.

The online learning platform Inspirit and tech giant Meta will provide qualifying Title I schools with VR education starter kits, which include headset technology and professional development resources for instructors.

Irvine International Academy, which aims to cultivate Mandarin bilingualism and also focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts and math skills, has put $77K toward new virtual reality tools from zSpace.

The Union County, Pa., couple is making interactive maps of small towns throughout their state, starting a business earlier this year that combines nostalgia and a love of history with augmented reality technologies.

Officials at the University of Texas Permian Basin created a robot with a 360-degree camera that can act as a conduit through which remote students can tune in to lectures and interact with classmates.

Residents in the Southern California city will get to experience an underground stormwater project in an augmented reality experience designed to give them a better understanding of both the project and area.

Hoping to stem the tide of declining enrollment and rising tuition, universities have partnered with VictoryXR and Meta to use AR/VR technology to create “digital twin” campuses and make online classes more immersive.