If you remember those field trips you used to take in elementary school, chances are those memories aren’t pleasant: hourlong bus trips, chaperones telling you what to do, and lessons from museum docents who didn’t really seem all that enthused with the material.
San Francisco company Nearpod wants to change that. Spreading the gospel of virtual reality to classrooms nationwide, Nearpod’s idea is a novel one: hook kids up with free VR goggles and test kits and send them on “virtual field trips” in the comfort of their own classrooms. What sort of itineraries are offered? Everywhere from the Great Wall of China and the Palace of Versailles to the planet Mars.
“The three Nearpod co-founders, Felipe Sommer, Emiliano Abramzon, and Guido Kovalskys all have elementary school–aged children,” Nearpod’s vp of marketing Rajiv Parikh tells RealClearLife. “The idea of Nearpod is to enhance student engagement and learning by giving K-12 teachers the most powerful technological tools possible.”
But its use in elementary education is only the tip of the iceberg. ELL and college students are also being introduced to the Nearpod technology in classrooms and lecture halls across the country. In fact, says Parikh, a study done at Dakota State University found that the company’s VR technology was “effective in preventing distraction during live instruction and contributing to better learning outcomes.”
Prices per school start at $2,000 and range upward, depending on size and other factors. Interested in bringing VR into your child’s classroom? Get more information here, and learn more about Nearpod’s technology below.
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