Help me give my students 5 Oculus Go virtual reality headsets to bring them on field trips from the comfort of our classroom.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Borba's classroom raised $1,253
This project is fully funded
My Students
As many of you know, I teach computer science at a public school in Central Harlem. We're blessed to have several programs operating within our building that expose students to engineering, robotics, computer science, programming, and a series of other related topics that we hope light the fire of inspiration that will amount to life-long learning. One of my favorite aspects of my position is the ability to share in the wonder of what occurs throughout some of our investigations with our students.
This year, I want to take those investigations even further beyond the classroom by creating group-based virtual reality experiences for our students to explore.
These opportunities could include trips to distant destinations, tours of vital systems, or immersive exploration around environments designed by students. By helping us acquire a series of friction-less, standalone virtual reality headsets, you will directly impact our ability to make this new leg of our computer science programming a reality.
My Project
This is a project dependent on the timing of developments within the world of educational technology. With all of the buzz surrounding tools such as Google Expeditions, I've been eager to find a virtual reality solution for our classroom that isn't dependent on a separate device, such as a phone, tablet, or laptop, and that doesn't cost a small fortune to make feasible within a class of approximately 30 students at a time. While I don't believe virtual reality will answer all of my EdTech prayers, I do believe it is irresponsible to ignore its power, especially among elementary school students who are so visually influenced and impacted.
Enter the Oculus Go, a standalone virtual reality unit that almost feels like it was partially designed to provide a more budget-friendly answer to virtual reality integration in the classroom.
With 5 VR headsets, I have the ability to run brief virtual expeditions with a small group. For example, if we're discussing different responsibilities among NASA employees, the ability to simulate participation in a rocket launch would create a new avenue of understanding. Additionally, the ability for these experiences to be shared among students creates a whole new lane of dialogue deeper than simply reactions to what's observed through a screen or a page. I digress. I know a campaign like this might seem greedy, but our students deserve to both be ahead of the curve and get access to resources that are potentially more common in schools with more abundant resources.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Borba and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
