CDI Technologies and ClassVR are partnering to bring virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) kits to students, from grades kindergarten through twelfth grade. The kits are available to rent or to purchase, and contain four or eight headsets depending on your needs.

In the announcement from CDI, the company explains that the kits will include:

  • Standalone VR/AR headsets that eliminate the need for additional mobile devices or Bluetooth controllers. The headsets also feature an intuitive hand and head-based gesture control system to help students navigate and select activities.
  • Curriculum-aligned VR, AR and mixed reality (MR) resources and lesson plans designed to immerse and engage students. Users can also upload and share their own content.
  • A web-based portal that allows teachers to control and manage the headsets, plan lessons, and monitor student progress. Teachers can set “points of interest” on students’ headsets to direct them to certain parts of the lesson and can view thumbnail images of what each student is seeing.
  • Online tutorials and training videos for teachers.
  • A ruggedized portable storage case and 100 GB of cloud storage.

ClassVR suggests these headsets be used as an extension and enhancement of real world experiences. It offers that, after a school trip to the zoo, for example, young students could learn more about the habitats of the animals they saw. Older students, on the other hand, could use this to experience what it’s like in the work place they are considering joining, even starting to gain the training they will need to start in the work force.

“Virtual and augmented reality help teachers engage students in content to help them retain knowledge, but sometimes the technology can be daunting,” said Erez Pikar, CEO of CDI. “ClassVR addresses this challenge by providing teachers with easy-to-use, affordable AR/VR kits that come with everything needed to get started. This technology fits in with our goal of connecting educators with classroom-ready technology that inspires and engages students.”

Getting teachers and students immersed in this new world of tech is a wonderful prospect – familiarization this early on with young students could create so much innovation in the future, just like how one Virgina High School created an AR lab to prep its students for the future.