Maine Department of Education to Host VR Expo for Educators

  • By Staff
  • 05/30/17

The Maine Department of Education wants to foster deeper learning by introducing virtual reality (VR) in the classroom. In June, the department is hosting an expo to familiarize educators with tools that facilitate immersive learning experiences.

The Virtual Reality Immersive Expo will take place at the Maine State Library, June 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Throughout the event, various academic institutions, schools, companies and organizations will hold 30-minute presentations showcasing VR tools that are already being used in classrooms. Participants include Nearpod, ThingLink, HP, Luccia, Bates College, the University of New England and many others. (The event website says the complete list of participants will be updated and to check back for a schedule of presentations.)

Thomas College’s Center for Innovation in Education, for example, will talk about two educational game design courses that were recently added to the education major curriculum in the School of Education. Additionally, the IMRE Lab at the University of Maine will present its “gesture-based virtual reality mathematical making environment” called HandWaver, which puts mathematical objects in a 3D space, the event site states.

Registration for the expo is free.

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