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Learning In 3D: Utica Community Schools 1 Of 5 In Nation To Test Virtual Reality Labs With Students

UTICA (WWJ) - Learning in the classroom is taking a whole new dimension in Utica Community Schools. The district is one of just five in the nation testing new virtual reality labs at their elementary schools.

In zSpace labs, technology blends the real world with the virtual, allowing students to collaborate on activities ranging from exploring the inner workings of the human heart to designing and building circuit boards or examining the physics of the world's tallest buildings – all in a 3D virtual environment.

Alex Lange, a teacher at Ebeling Elementary School in Macomb Township, said it's more than just being in front of a screen.

"There's a lot of manipulation and being able to explore things in a different reality. For example, at Newton's Park you can try things on the moon, things that you can't actually do in the real world," Lange told WWJ's Ron Dewey. "It's wonderful. I absolutely love it."

Each lab includes a set of virtual reality student and teacher stations, outfitted with an interactive stylus and student goggles, as well as a wide variety of educational software ranging from science and physics to engineering and mathematics. Students "lift" virtual-holographic images from the screen and manipulate them with the stylus in actual 3D.

"The kids are continuously engaged, they're working collaboratively and working together, and it kind of gives them an opportunity to explore new things and try things out to see what they like, what they enjoy," said Lange. "It also gives them that benefit of the visual and seeing how things and how it fuses together in the real world."

Utica Community Schools is the first Michigan district offering the virtual reality technology. Superintendent Dr. Christine Johns said the idea is to get kids excited about STEM education and consider a career in hi-tech when they grow up.

"The technology enhances outstanding teacher's instruction to accelerate student learning," she said.

Paul Kellenberger, CEO of zSpace, said the way students will use holographic imagery to learn about math, science, engineering and biology is something that will change the future.

"Here we have third, fourth, fifth, sixth graders who are not that far from the automotive industry, super, super early getting into virtual reality. It's incredibly exciting," he said. "Maybe one of these kids becomes all of a sudden driven to become a scientist at some level, or wants to become an astronaut, or something like that."

Aside from Ebeling, zSpace labs are located in Crissman, Monfort and Schwarzkoff elementary schools.

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