Dreamscape Learn Brings Ed Tech Adviser on as CEO for New $20 Million Venture

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 02/06/23

Dreamscape Immersive, which has partnered with Arizona State University (ASU) to expand its new $20 million Series A STEM education virtual reality (VR) program Dreamscape Learn, has brought on ed tech veteran Josh Reibel as CEO. Reibel has been serving as an adviser to Dreamscape and will lead the company's effort to integrate VR tools into both K–12 and higher education.

Reibel was founding president of Wireless Generation, which pioneered the use of mobile assessment, and brought the company to $100 million in revenue. After selling the company, which was rebranded as Amplify Education, Reibel continued on as CEO of Amplify Learning, developing a digital curriculum there. Before joining Dreamscape Learn, Reibel also served as CEO of Sokanu, a career platform for students and other learners.

Reibel graduated from Harvard University, first teaching high school, then serving as the Ben D. Wood Fellow in Communications, Computing and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University and as associate director of the Institute for Learning Technologies. He holds a Master of Education degree from Columbia University Teachers' College.

Michael Crow, president of ASU, has known Reibel since early in his career, when they collaborated at Columbia. "He's been a tireless champion of pedagogically centered technology that can help to address long standing equity gaps in education," Crow said. "He is the obvious choice to bring Dreamscape Learn to the field."

"As an executive whose career spans classroom teaching, university research and development, and highly successful ventures in both K–12 and higher education, Josh brings both the savvy of a seasoned corporate leader and a deep appreciation of what it takes to capture the imagination of students and bring learning to life," said Walter Parkes, founder of Dreamscape Immersive. "Over the last several months, Josh has been an invaluable adviser to Dreamscape, and we're thrilled to have him now at the helm. His experience reflects a belief that putting technology in the hands of educators can drive powerful outcomes."

Reibel is excited to take on the challenge of bringing immersive VR storytelling to education. "The first time I experienced Dreamscape Learn, I saw the immediate opportunity for an entirely new curricular experience that can captivate students and power deep learning," he said. "Dreamscape Learn is combining cinematic narrative, advanced pedagogy designed by world-class subject-matter experts, and groundbreaking VR technology in a unique way that enables faculty and schools to offer transformational learning experiences that are as rigorous as they are motivating. I'm thrilled to be joining the team to bring ASU and Dreamscape's collaboration to the field."

This rendering demonstrates what the VR lab experience looks like for the user

Rendering of the Dreamscape Learn VR lab experience (Image courtesy of Dreamscape Learn)

For more information about Dreamscape Learn and ASU's pilot VR-enabled biology lab, visit the ASU News story.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • abstract pattern of shapes, arrows and circuit lines

    Internet2 Announces a New President and CEO to Step Up in October

    Internet2, the member-driven nonprofit offering advanced network technology services and cyberinfrastructure to the research and education community has completed its search, which began this past May, for a new president and CEO to take the helm.

  • shield with an AI microchip emblem hovering above stacks of gold coins

    AI Security Spend Surges While Traditional Security Budgets Shrink

    A new Thales report reveals that while enterprises are pouring resources into AI-specific protections, only 8% are encrypting the majority of their sensitive cloud data — leaving critical assets exposed even as AI-driven threats escalate and traditional security budgets shrink.

  • stack of gold coins disintegrates into digital particles against a dark circuit-board background with glowing AI imagery

    MIT Report: Most Organizations See No Business Return on Gen AI Investments

    A recent report out of the MIT Media Lab found that despite $30-40 billion in enterprise spending on generative AI, 95% of organizations are seeing no business return.

  • young man in a denim jacket scans his phone at a card reader outside a modern glass building

    Colleges Roll Out Mobile Credential Technology

    Allegion US has announced a partnership with Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and Denison College, in conjunction with Transact + CBORD, to install mobile credential technologies campuswide. Implementing Mobile Student ID into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet will allow students access to campus facilities, amenities, and residence halls using just their phones.