Strong Partnership Delivers WA's EdTech Innovation for Wheatbelt Schools

Exciting news just in from the Airborne IT headquarters! We are partnering with Atos to deliver complimentary half day VR experience workshops and ICT Review services for up to 13 schools in the wheatbelt region of WA, from 23 Nov - 16 Dec 2020.

Marc French, Airborne IT’s Operations Manager and Pilot, commented that the aim of the VR workshop is to close the gap in accessibility to education technology resources between metro and regional schools. 

By doing so, many flow on and positive benefits can potentially be available for educators and their students in regional and remote WA schools. 

“Our Virtual Reality school program connects students with opportunities such as ‘seeing’ what it is like inside a mechanics workshop for those who want to enter the industry, or what to expect under water in the ocean for kids who live in remote landlocked communities,” explained Marc. 

“Access to this innovation is essential not only from a STEM education perspective but also to support principals and teachers in regional schools who can utilise the technology to excite and inspire students to engage in study, take interest and increase attendance.” 

A virtual reality learning environment is defined as one in which students actively engage with what is going on rather than being a passive recipient. 

Airborne IT’s and Atos’ Virtual Reality program involves students wearing virtual reality glasses, connected to an input device to engage them to interact with virtual events and activities that have been created as learning content. 

Some of the learning content offered in our VR roadshow include:

• Auto mechanic workshop: where students are able to “participate” in building circuits and see and learn the intricacies of servicing a vehicle;
• Underwater world: where students can learn about ocean life, swim with dolphins, turtles and other marine animals and “virtually” experience the ocean’s habitat that they have learnt in the classroom;
• The universe: which takes students’ learning high and above planet Earth, to discover our solar system, our vast universe and even … let the imagination go wild with spring cleaning of space shuttles on Mars.

From these VR environments, Airborne IT and Atos are excited to deliver the following opportunities for WA’s regional and remote schools:

• Virtual field trips - bringing field trips that would normally be cost and time intensive easily to schools all over regional and remote WA;
• Skills training -  helping regional and remote students learn practical skills that they might not be able to access due to distance, without the risk of practicing an unfamiliar skill in an uncontrolled real-life situation;
• STEM Education -  helping to develop 21st century digital learning skills for future career and competitive opportunities;
• Enhanced creativity - helping to spark students’ imagination and gives them a visual insight they wouldn’t otherwise have.
• Improved collaboration - Research shows that virtual (and augmented) reality simulations increase student motivation and improve collaboration and knowledge construction.
• Game-based learning - Game-based learning works because it increases engagement and motivation, and virtual reality can take this to the next level. 

If your regional or remote school and community are interested in Airborne IT’s and Atos’ VR Education service, please get in touch. We’d love to help bring VR learning and its many benefits to your classrooms.