Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Career And Technical Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CTE launches zSpace AR/VR computers funded partly by digital-skills grant; staff report high student engagement
Summary
Career and Technical Education staff demonstrated new zSpace AR/VR workstations purchased with digital-skills grant funding; staff said the grant totaled about $616,000 with a $10,000 district match and that students reacted enthusiastically in early classroom use.
Lake County Schools' CTE director gave the board a demonstration Sept. 8 of newly purchased zSpace AR/VR workstations that will be used in health-science, ag and middle-school classes.
Carrie, the district's CTE director, introduced new teachers and said the zSpace units let students manipulate 3D models (dissections, organ systems, engineering models) using a stylus and an apparent holographic display. Teachers described strong student enthusiasm after initial lessons and said the hardware supports standards-based and problem-based learning that would otherwise be difficult to deliver at the K–12 level.
Staff said the digital-skills grant that funded equipment had about $616,000 in award funds and that the board earlier approved a required district match of roughly $10,000. At the meeting staff also noted that a single zSpace configuration costing about $75,000 would not cover every classroom and that prioritization was necessary. Teachers and students demonstrated the system for board members during the meeting, and staff said they will schedule more classroom time and report on instructional outcomes.
The board received the update; no additional funding was requested at the meeting beyond the previously approved match.
