A very good day in the zSpace

This morning one of my colleagues and I looked at each other, sighed, and said, "It took all year".

We were standing in our brand new zSpace lab at the time, watching a class of English students tour the Globe Theater using our new augmented reality computers.

VR heart dissection

It's May. If you ask any educator how she or he feels in May, the response is usually tired. Testing season is wrapping up, grades are due, students and faculty are looking to next year. This year is no exception, but this, the augmented reality lab, gives me energy to keep going. To keep pushing. Yep, it took all year to get this lab up and running.

Was it worth it?

Absolutely.

Last June my principal brought in a representative from zSpace for a demonstration and our staff was immediately blown away, we knew we had to get the program for our students. This technology is being used in college and university classes to teach students medical procedures, engineering, and much more. Giving our students an opportunity to experience it as 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students would give them such a head start.

Me at the teacher training

Students testing out the zSpace

And head starts are imperative in education. For the last couple of years, educators have been talking about the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how to prepare students for jobs that haven't been created yet. This is the way we do it. We allow them space and time to experience the technology available now and explore. We do it early. We do it now.

Bringing this lab to our school was not easy. There were road blocks, red tape, unanswered e-mails, red tape, and more red tape. Our luck changed last fall when LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner came to visit our school site. We shared our vision and his office was instrumental in getting the approval we needed for the lab.

VR glasses & styluses

The next hurdle was that the laptop lab we wished to purchase is brand new technology and we had to be patient with the company. Once the technology arrived at our school site the room had to be prepped, furniture installed, and training done with faculty members. Did you know someone has to unwrap every pair of VR glasses? Did you know someone has to figure out the extension cord situation for 40 laptops and separate auxiliary chargers?

My colleagues and I have been working 30 minutes and here there getting everything ready in the midst of our day to day responsibilities and today, just today, we finally invited our first class into the space.

Students in the zSpace TODAY!

One of my English teachers, Ms. Hargrove, is the first teacher to use the lab and her students spent time touring and learning about theaters. The 3-D aspect allows them to go into the space and explore while learning. The students just finished reading Romeo and Juliet so seeing the Globe Theater was a great tie-in to their current curriculum.

As I walked around the zSpace this morning and watched the students take to the technology like fish to water I couldn't be happier. The long days, the frustrations, and the set backs are all worth it for days like this. When students are engaged and don't want to stop learning to go to their next class, we know we're on to something. We know we're making a difference.

Students in the zSpace TODAY!

Other teachers out there know that 100% engagement is not something that happens very often. It's something we all dream about though. And today I saw it.

Every single student learning, answering questions, engaging in academic conversation.

Today was a good day. A very good day indeed.