Okaloosa County School District Will Pilot Virtual Reality In Classrooms

In a groundbreaking move, the Okaloosa County School Board has approved the Curriculum and Instruction Department’s proposal to pilot a Virtual Reality (VR) curriculum in three schools. In collaboration with Prisms of Reality, this initiative aims to transform the teaching and learning of Math and Science through innovative technology.

Prisms of Reality is revolutionizing STEM education with its adaptive Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) platform. The platform is designed to engage tactile, kinesthetic, and visual learners by offering a dynamic approach to learning math and science through real-world problem-solving. This initiative seeks to bridge learning gaps and spark student interest in STEM subjects while adhering to rigorous educational standards.

The IVR courses developed by Prisms for secondary mathematics and science comprise standards-aligned modules. Each module includes up to two interrelated IVR experiences. Teachers can monitor student progress via a web-based dashboard, enabling timely interventions. Moreover, offline activities and materials are available to help students connect 3D, 2D, and 1D representations, fostering essential skills for future STEM success.

What sets Prisms apart from other tech solutions is its emphasis on student-centered, active learning to maximize engagement and performance. Teachers are provided with unit-specific instructional toolkits to support this innovative approach, ensuring effective implementation before, during, and after each module. Prisms’ approach empowers teachers and students to explore math and science through movement, experience, and discovery.

The pilot program represents a significant step forward in Okaloosa County Schools’ commitment to enhancing STEM education. By integrating Prisms’ IVR platform, the district aims to create a more engaging and effective learning environment, ultimately preparing students for future success in STEM fields.

However, the arrival of virtual reality in classrooms raises a few potential concerns. In an age where technology captures the attention of young, impressionable minds for extensive periods, the school is a place where children can give their brains a rest from overstimulating screens. Bringing VR to classrooms will end this standard, potentially creating an array of issues for the next generation.

School-aged children spend extensive time glued to screens, with children 8-10 years old averaging six hours of screen time per day and 11-14 year-olds and 15-18 year-olds racking up nine and seven and a half hours, respectively. Introducing a system where students are primarily taught through online programs will only increase the screen time consumed by young minds, thus putting students at risk of falling victim to the physical, psychological, and social effects of excessive screen exposure, such as obesity, vision damage, limited social skills, impaired academic performance, and irregular sleep.

Classroom participation rates have yet to rebound nearly four years after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the introduction of VR in classrooms appears to be a new effort to engage students and ignite an interest in learning, especially after several Okaloosa County schools earned relatively low pass rates on the Florida Algebra and Geometry end-of-course exams. Although the effort may initially prove successful, it is essential to remember that, eventually, the excitement of new VR educational opportunities will wear off as students become accustomed to VR just as they did with cell phones, iPads, and computers. Student engagement rates will likely deflate to their initial level, signaling the need for a profound reconstruction of our educational system that encourages collaboration and peer interaction rather than temporarily using the newest technology to alleviate the alarming issue of uninterested students.