Lakeside teacher describes using VR, green screen and student Microsoft program to boost learning
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Summary
Holly Fisher, a fourth‑grade teacher at Lakeside in the Davis County School District, said she uses virtual reality, green‑screen videos and a student 'Junior Microsoft Expert' program to engage students, build background knowledge and model procedures for incoming classes.
Holly Fisher, a fourth‑grade teacher at Lakeside in the Davis County School District, told meeting attendees she uses virtual reality, green‑screen videos and a student “Junior Microsoft Expert” program to engage students and build background knowledge for classroom topics.
Fisher said the tools help students prepare for lessons and demonstrate procedures for future classes. “It gets students excited about learning and also helps my students get some background knowledge on what we're studying,” she said.
Fisher described specific classroom uses: students experienced a virtual Disneyland environment to supplement a school “Disney day,” rode virtual attractions, and explored an Arctic habitat in a science unit on animal adaptations. She said students also produced green‑screen orientation videos to show incoming students “explicitly the procedures and modeled for them.”
Fisher traced the classroom work to professional development. She said that in February 2018 she participated in the Leading Edge program and later visited Microsoft’s headquarters for additional training, and that those experiences inspired her to start a student program she called the Junior Microsoft Expert program. She told attendees she encouraged students to use Microsoft apps to enhance learning across subjects.
Fisher also described a classroom routine she calls “I love you points,” in which she tallies each time she tells students she cares as a way to show appreciation. She said being named a Davis County School District Teacher of the Year was “an amazing experience” and that students volunteered to help highlight the classroom programs during her award interview.
Fisher closed by saying the classroom work aims to give students both skills and confidence. “At the end of the day, I just want my students to walk out of here knowing that they are loved and that we had some amazing experiences together in my classroom,” she said.
No formal motions, votes or district actions were described during her remarks.
