Broward schools showcase VR, XR and AI pilots aimed at making lessons more immersive and accessible

Broward County Public Schools on Wednesday showcased how extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools are being used in district classrooms, with demonstrations and student testimonials that district staff said aim to boost engagement, close access gaps and provide real‑time instructional data.

District officials brought students, teachers and partner organizations into the boardroom for a hands‑on “excursion” and a series of classroom accounts showing pilots and prototypes ranging from PRISMS VR modules for Algebra I to an accessibility app for VEX robotics controllers that allowed a student to participate alongside peers.

The presentation, led by district instructional leaders including Dr. Fabian Cohen, executive director of academics, and Simone Hollinsworth, chief academic officer, emphasized that XR and AI are being used as tools to personalize instruction and to connect standards‑aligned curricula to immersive experiences. “AI, extended reality, are not just about technology,” Hollinsworth said. “They’re about opportunity. They’re about inspiring curiosity, building confidence, and opening doors for all of our students, regardless of the zip code they live in.”

Why it matters: District staff and teachers said XR and AI can make abstract concepts concrete — for example PRISMS VR modules let Algebra I students move and manipulate 3‑D objects to understand exponential growth or graphing concepts — and provide teachers with dashboards that flag realtime student needs so adults can intervene promptly. Staff framed the technology as a potential equity tool for students who lack access to field trips or specialized labs.

What the demonstrations showed - PRISMS VR (secondary pilot): Dillard High algebra teacher Zaria Howard showed a PRISMS VR module that simulates viral growth and requires students to gather data, graph results and apply algebraic methods inside the headset. Student Tyrese Thompson said the module helped him “grasp Algebra I” by enabling him to manipulate a vertex and see the graph respond inside VR. - Teacher dashboards and scaffolds: Howard demonstrated that when a student presses a “help” button inside the VR experience, teachers receive in‑class alerts and can prioritize in‑person support. She said teachers can also pause headsets remotely and return the class to whole‑group instruction. - PRISMS scope: Staff said there are 10 Algebra I modules now aligned to Broward curriculum and that PRISMS began as a prototype in about 13–14 schools before expansion discussions. - CTE and career pathways: Presentations from Applied Learning and partners (including Junior Achievement’s JA World) described simulated automotive, welding and other career experiences delivered via XR to broaden exposure to industry skills. - Accessibility in robotics: Gabriella McCauley, a teacher at Apollo Middle School, described collaborating with VEX Robotics to develop an accessibility app so a student, Musab, could operate the IQ robot using a modified controller app. McCauley said the developer “immediately agreed and assigned engineers to develop an app that would allow accessibility to the controller.” - Student work in 3‑D and animation: Students from Plantation High and Hollywood Hills shared examples of 3‑D design and animation work in industry tools, and a student from Cypress Bay urged teaching students to “learn how to work with AI creatively and confidently.”

District framing and next steps District staff said pilots are being evaluated with external partners (Hanover, WestEd were mentioned elsewhere in the meeting for other evaluations) and that PRISMS and other pilots are moving from prototype to pilot stages. Dr. Cohen and the academic team said they will look at return‑on‑investment and provide data to the board tied to routine PM3 assessment cycles so the board can consider broader adoption during budget season. Cohen said vendor contracts and grant funding are being used to support prototypes, and leaders said they are looking for sustainable funding and possible grant repurposing.

Quotes from classroom leaders and partners were limited to those who spoke at the workshop. “It helps me grasp algebra,” student Tyrese Thompson said of PRISMS VR. Gabriella McCauley said the VEX accessibility work “has positively impacted Musab because he’s being included. Now he can participate like everyone else.”

What the district will report back: Staff told the board they will provide PM3‑linked data on pilot results, a multi‑year approach for scaling XR and AI tools, and a memo with cost‑savings and budget implications to inform the board’s decisions during budget season.

Ending: District leaders said the next steps are to continue prototype evaluations and to return to the board with student outcome data, ROI analysis and a multi‑year plan that aligns pilot results to the district’s strategic goals. Staff also encouraged board members to visit pilot classrooms and to consider professional development pathways for teachers to use the tools in standards‑aligned instruction.