Facebook-f Instagram
L3 icon logo
Email Us
Email Us
Home
\
Explore Studio

Explore Studio

Explore The Future of Learning with AR & VR

Step into immersive learning experiences using augmented and virtual reality tools! The Explore Studio is designed to help educators and students engage with content in entirely new ways, making learning interactive, visual, and unforgettable. We invite you to visit the Explore Studio in Room 128, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, to experience these innovative tools firsthand. Our VR          experts are also available to support you. Stop by Office 129 for in-person demonstrations and guidance on turning your ideas into immersive learning experiences!
As an educator, you can integrate technology to bring the world into your classroom, whether that’s    exploring outer space, visiting a zoo, or stepping into historical landmarks, using augmented and virtual reality tools! Through our AR/VR experiences and virtual field trips, the Explore Studio offers hands-on ways to make learning more engaging, interactive, and meaningful for learners of all ages. Explore the sections below to take a deeper look at each area and discover how these tools can support your teaching!

 

AR and VR increase student engagement by making learning more interactive and exciting! They help make abstract concepts easier to understand by turning them into visual, hands-on experiences. These immersive tools also support a wide range of learning styles, allowing students to explore content in ways that work best for them while creating meaningful, memorable learning experiences.

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are immersive learning tools that help transform the way we experience content in the classroom and beyond! These technologies make learning more interactive, visual, and engaging for students and educators of all ages.

Here are some helpful definitions and key terms you may want to be familiar with:

      • Augmented Reality (AR) enhances the real world by layering digital content, like 3D models, images, or animations, onto what you see in your physical environment! AR allows you to interact with digital elements while still engaging with the real world around you.
      • Virtual Reality (VR) fully immerses you in a digital environment, allowing you to explore places and experiences that wouldn’t be possible otherwise!  VR places you inside a simulated world where you can look around, move through spaces, and experience learning in a completely new way.
      • 360° Experience refers to digital environments or videos that let you look in every direction, creating a more immersive “you are there” experience—even if you’re not fully inside a VR headset!
      • Immersive Learning is a style of learning that uses AR, VR, and other interactive technologies to actively engage learners in experiences rather than  just presenting information.
      • 3D Models are digital representations of objects that can be viewed, rotated, and explored in three dimensions, helping learners better understand complex concepts.
      • Simulation is a recreated environment or scenario designed to mimic real-world situations, allowing learners to practice, explore, and experiment safely.

Together, AR and VR create opportunities for immersive learning that go beyond traditional instruction, helping learners explore, discover, and understand concepts in a more meaningful and memorable way!

In the Explore Studio, you can experience immersive learning in a variety of ways! Explore YouTube 360 videos to take virtual field trips and look around real-world environments from every angle. Use Meta Headsets to step fully into virtual reality experiences where you can interact with digital worlds. You can also engage with Tilt Five, an augmented reality system that brings 3D holographic-style content into your physical space. Together, these tools give you multiple ways to explore AR/VR and discover how immersive learning can transform teaching and learning!

Virtual Field Trips Explore the World Without Leaving the Classroom

Where could your students go in the next 15 minutes if the bus didn’t limit you? A virtual field trip is a standards-aligned, guided learning experience that transports students to locations they may not otherwise be able to access. These experiences bring learning to life through immersive content such as 360-degree environments, interactive elements like clickable hotspots, expert guidance through narration or interviews, and accessible formats including live streams, videos, and interactive websites. Virtual field trips can take students anywhere, from museums and nature environments to historical sites and global events, and are often aligned with classroom standards, such as 2nd and 3rd grade social studies connections developed through collaboration between education and educational technology courses.
Virtual field trips can also be designed at different levels of depth and interaction, from simple view-only experiences to guided explorations with student interaction, all the way to student-created immersive worlds where learners become designers of their own experiences. These experiences help reinforce key concepts, increase engagement, and provide equitable access to learning opportunities beyond the classroom. Educators can begin building a virtual field trip by starting with a standard, choosing a destination, adding interactive elements, and capturing student thinking, using tools such as Google Earth, ThingLink, Canva, Genially, and Nearpod VR to bring these experiences to life.