No Shhing Here

With all the options for Virtual Reality, what did we select? We’re now the proud owners of four Oculus Quest headsets! The incredibly immersive experience combined with the benefit of an all-in-one device convinced us that this was the best choice for instructional options. One of my favorite things to do is to let our students open packages, and the VR headsets were no exception. This group of study hall students had the privilege of unboxing the new arrivals and it was so fun to watch their excitement. Unboxing the Oculus Quest  Now that the new devices were here, it was time to get them up and running. Because I don’t have administrative rights or passwords to our wifi networks, this was a job for our super-star LAN-tech Tom. The set-up was not difficult, but you will be required to install the Oculus app on a cell phone or iPad which walks you through the process. Initially, Tom used his own phone to set-up the devices, but ultimately it made sense to use my phone ...

This fall, I attended a local library conference and got to try out VR goggles for the first time. We've used Google Cardboard at home, but it was a very different experience to use VR on the Oculus Quest.  The workshop session was a great introduction to the educational applications of VR, and helped me decide that it was time to start exploring the technology in my district.  If you're interested in exploring VR in your library, there's a lot of different options available at a WIDE range of price points. When you start investigating VR headsets, you'll notice they come in one of three varieties:  Mobile - the VR headset is really just a viewer - some kind of box with lenses. These devices are powered by a cell phone that slides into the viewer. They aren't nearly as immersive as other types of VR because their ability to track motion is much less sophisticated. Though, these devices are the cheapest if you already own a cell phone. Prices start ...