Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Northside ISD Honored for Innovative AR/VR Tech Use

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 04/15/24

San Antonio's Northside Independent School District (NISD) has been selected as a zSpace District of Distinction (DOD) for its implementation of the company's augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology in science education classes across two dozen middle school campuses.

The invitation to be a DOD means the district's purchase and innovative use of the technology qualifies it to collaborate with zSpace and other school districts to promote "best practices and advancements in education," comply with data security policies and regulations, work toward "automated efficiency," and serve as a model for school districts.

In fall 2022, NISD purchased 550 Inspire laptops and 24 All in One (AIO) devices. District leaders, educators, and IT personnel collaborated to implement the technology and develop and incorporate relevant lesson plans into the science curriculum.

zSpace's AR/VR technology allows students to use interactive and lifelike AIOs with a pen-like stylus that has built-in tracking to visualize, pick up, examine, rotate, dissect, and manipulate virtual objects. A head-mounted display is not required.

The company said this kinesthetic ed tech allows students "learn by doing in an environment where it is easy to undo mistakes, make changes, and not worry about material costs or clean up" or the risks of being exposed to potentially dangerous elements in the real world.

Specifically NISD has used their equipment to comply with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) science standards, said Sheena Shoemaker, zSpace senior customer success manager in an e-mail, in some of the following ways:

  • Sixth-grade students have used it to "visualize Earth's rotation on an axis around the sun and how it affects the seasons;"
  • Seventh-grade students have used it to "run and visualize force and motion experiments, data collection, and graphing skills;" and
  • Eighth-grade students have used it to "visualize atoms and compounds related to chemical formulas."

Visit zSpace's technology page to learn more about how its AR/VR software works.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • Abstract glowing network nodes forming conversation bubbles

    OpenAI Intros Dots, AI Agents that Continue Working Between User Conversations

    OpenAI has introduced Dots, GPT-6 Astra-powered agents that run on their own cloud computers, using connected applications to carry on with assignments between conversations and incorporating users' feedback as they go.

  • Class CrunchLabs YouTube channel

    Mark Rober's Class CrunchLabs Courses Now Available for Free on YouTube

    Class CrunchLabs, the suite of free curriculum resources from NASA engineer turned YouTube science communicator Mark Rober, has released its first two courses on YouTube.

  • education funding and graduation symbols on wooden dice

    What Is the Education Freedom Tax Credit and How Will It Work?

    The federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) is a new source of funding for education that could benefit 90% of students in states that have opted in to the program. However, some confusion and misconceptions exist surrounding details of the program, including which programs may qualify, how parents can apply for scholarships, and how public school students can benefit.

  • circuit patterns

    Anthropic Intros Lower-Cost Claude Sonnet 5

    Anthropic has launched Claude Sonnet 5, positioning the model as its most autonomous mid-tier offering to date and a lower-cost alternative to its flagship Opus 4.8 system. The company said the model can plan multi-step tasks, operate tools such as browsers and terminals, and complete agentic work at a level that previously required larger and more expensive models.