Classroom Technology

How This Teacher Tapped Virtual Reality to Pump Up Student Engagement

By Alyson Klein — June 27, 2023 2 min read
A young person reaches out from behind a virtual reality headset
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Justin Kosek’s 6th graders usually find the water cycle a somewhat dry topic. (Pun intended). Could adding dragons to the mix help?

That’s what Kosek, a teacher in the West Allis-West Milwaukee school district in Wisconsin set out to answer when he turned the science unit into a virtual reality, project-based learning experience. The assignment: Use VR tools, including a headset and coding program, to create an educational game about the water cycle.

Over about three weeks, students worked in teams and dreamed up all sorts of imaginative scenarios, Kosek said. For instance, one group, whose work Kosek shared during a session at the International Society for Technology in Education’s annual conference here this week, created a game in which a fire-breathing dragon disrupts the water cycle. Players must complete a series of tasks and answer questions about the inner workings of the water cycle to stop the dragon and save the day.

To create that game, students not only had to master the ins and outs of the water cycle, they had to “do such an immense amount of problem solving, collaboration,” Kosek said.

They seemed to enjoy it. In fact, Kosek got calls from parents curious about what had gotten their kids coming home so excited about school, a rarity in the high-poverty community where he teaches.

“I saw higher attendance, I saw students just more actively engaged and wanting to know more,” he said in an interview after the panel.

To be sure, “there are some tech issues,” including connectivity problems, Kosek said. But they weren’t as disruptive as he feared they might be.

The students “wanted so desperately to try [the VR technology] that they were so patient,” Kosek said.

Students at his middle school are also among the most likely in the district to break or lose technological devices, but in this case they took “great care” of the VR headsets because they were eager to use the tech again.

A couple of students got headaches after using the VR headsets, a problem that sometimes happens for people using virtual reality. Kosek urged them to take a break when that happened. And the school generally urged students not to spend too much time navigating in virtual reality environments, since it can cause sensory overload.

Those challenges are common when schools try VR.

Though some ed-tech experts predict VR will be used more widely in schools in the near future, the technology can be glitchy and difficult to manage. Kosek spent up to an hour getting each of his 15 VR headsets ready for classroom use.

Virtual reality devices can also be pricey. (Meta’s Quest VR 3 headset retails for about $500.)

But West Allis-West Milwaukee received a roughly $100,000 grant to help kickstart some of its VR work. And it snagged refurbished VR headsets from Meta, the company that owns the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.

Kosek and others also got professional help from Kwaku Aning, the director of innovation at San Diego Jewish Academy, a private school in southern California, who has significant experience with education technology, including VR.

Events

Curriculum Webinar Selecting Evidence-Based Programs for Schools and Districts: Mistakes to Avoid
Which programs really work? Confused by education research? Join our webinar to learn how to spot evidence-based programs and make data-driven decisions for your students.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Personalized Learning Webinar
Personalized Learning in the STEM Classroom
Unlock the power of personalized learning in STEM! Join our webinar to learn how to create engaging, student-centered classrooms.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
School & District Management Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: How Can We ‘Disagree Better’? A Roadmap for Educators
Experts in conflict resolution, psychology, and leadership skills offer K-12 leaders skills to avoid conflict in challenging circumstances.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Classroom Technology Spotlight Spotlight on Media Literacy
This Spotlight will provide you with strategies to spot AI manipulation, review how media literacy has evolved in schools, and more.


Classroom Technology Then & Now How the 'Sexting' Panic Previewed Today's Debate About Kids' Cellphone Use
As technology evolves, one axiom stays the same: Schools must help students weigh how to responsibly fit it into their lives.
7 min read
Illustration
F. Sheehan for Education Week + Getty
Classroom Technology Opinion What Teachers Need to Know About Classroom Technology
Cellphones and AI can be a blessing for teachers or a burr in their sides. Here's guidance on making the most of today's tools.
1 min read
0724 opinion summer posts tech bander fs
F. Sheehan/Education Week + iStock + TarikVision
Classroom Technology How to Manage Cellphones in Schools: 6 Tips From Teens (Download)
Three teenagers talk about how schools should think about and manage students' cellphone use.
Sets of hands holding phones. Scrolling smartphones, apps mail, applications, photos. cellphone camera.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty Images