Texas K–12 District Utilizes Federal Grant Money for VR Equipment

The San Isidro Independent School District in south Texas recently announced that it used a federal grant program to purchase virtual reality (VR) headsets for its middle- and high-school students, according to a news release. The district was one of 13 in the Texas Region One Educational Services Center service area to take advantage of the “GEAR UP Pathways to the Future” grant to purchase ClassVR from Avantis Education.

ClassVR is an all-in-one VR/AR headset that features thousands of pieces of educational content across a variety of K–12 subject areas. The package features all hardware and software, tools, training, and support and implementation services needed for school administrators to deploy the technology. Content ranges from the inside of an atom to an Arctic encounter with polar bears to a WWI trench.

“The GEAR UP program has been great for bringing technology and training to our district,” said San Isidro ISD’s GEAR UP facilitator, Cristobal Vela. “ClassVR provides an excellent opportunity to have students experience places that they otherwise would never be able to visit.”

The news release reports that Avantis recently aligned more than 400 of its ClassVR lessons to meet U.S. state standards in science, English/language arts, and social studies. ClassVR equipment qualifies for both the GEAR UP grant and ESSER funds through its ability to help teachers address learning loss.

“Utilizing grant funding for ClassVR is really a great way to support equity in schools because it gives students access to cutting-edge technology and allows those who might not have had opportunities to travel, to experience different places through the power of virtual reality,” said Huw Williams, CEO of Avantis Education. “GEAR UP grants offer a great opportunity to bring technologies like ClassVR into schools to help enhance lessons and support academic success in secondary school and beyond.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • California Boarding School Opens New Inquiry Collaborative Facility

    Cate School, a boarding school in Carpinteria, Calif., for students grades 9–12, recently announced that it has finished renovating a historic dining hall into a new academic hub, according to a news release. The school partnered with Blackbird Architects and Tangram Interiors on the two-story, 16,000-square-foot Inquiry Collaborative.

  • Extron, CENTEGIX Partner for Comprehensive School Security Solution

    Professional audiovisual solutions provider Extron recently announced a partnership with CENTEGIX, which provides rapid incident response technology, to integrate two of their top products in the name of school safety.

  • Kimball Showroom Earns WELL Certified Platinum Distinction

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced that its showroom in New York City has achieved WELL Certification at the Platinum level as dictated by the International WELL Building Institute, according to a news release. The certification demonstrates a continuing commitment to creating environments that promote health, well-being, and productivity.

  • Pudu Robotics Launches AI-Powered, Large-Scale Floor Sweeper

    Pudu Robotics recently launched the newest member of its MT1 series of robotic floor sweepers, the PUDU MT1 Max, according to a news release. The AI-powered, 3D perception robotic sweeper was designed for use in large, complex cleaning environments both indoors and semi-outdoors, like parking garages and semi-open building atriums.

Digital Edition