Adventures in VR

Well, we finally got our VR goggles updated and running and the 6th graders finally got to watch their space creations come to (virtual) reality!

Now, it wasn't the smoothest roll-out, but it was worth all the bumps in the road to make it happen. Last month, our 6th graders used CoSpacesEDU to create their own explanation of concepts explored during their space unit. They studied the solar system, gravity, and the patterns created by the interaction of the sun, moon, and earth, and had to show these concepts on CoSpacesEDU.

We spent a full month updating the goggles and reconnecting them to the network as they have sat untouched since COVID. Thankfully, despite having the older goggles (these are now six years old!) we were able to work with ClassVR to get our account up and running again, and transfer the work done on CoSpacesEDU to the ClassVR portal. 

Note: I highly recommend giving yourself a good two weeks to make something like this happen if you're using the older goggles. If you have the newer ClassVR goggles, it works much, much smoother (and yes, now I'm saving up to get a set of the new goggles and retire these older, clunky ones!)

The kids had a blast. They loved seeing their creations come to life! Riding the roller coaster one group made, watching the planets bounce around in a solar system without gravity made by another group - it was lots of squeals of laughter and fits of giggles. We did learn (the hard way) to give your eyes and brain a break every five minutes or so, as the VR world takes a toll on both!