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XR for Educators
Are you an educator curious about using innovative technology to meet educational goals? Want to bring more interaction into the online learning space?
Extended Reality (XR) is an umbrella term used to describe immersive technologies that can merge the physical and virtual worlds. It is used in education and training to enhance student learning and engagement in classroom and at home, as well as to increase knowledge retention for students.
Denis Gracanin, Associate Professor of Computer Science from Virginia Tech, explains how XR technology works and the hardware and software needed to bring it into the classroom.
XR for Educators is designed as a 4-session online workshop: 3 class sessions and 1 Saturday morning STEM+ lab dedicated to demonstrations and discussions. For November, the schedule has been adjusted to better accommodate teaching schedules:
- FIRST SESSION FREE
A recording of Session 1, What is XR?, is available for asynchronous viewing. Registration is not required to access the recordings.
Topics: XR Basics, XR & Education, XR Examples, XR & Gaming. - FLEXIBILITY
Session 2 and Session 4 live online sessions will be offered twice – once at 4-5pm and repeated again at 7-8pm. Attendees may attend either or both sessions. Recordings of the live sessions will be posted on the Canvas site the day after the session. - ACCESSIBILITY
Internet access is required to attend the workshop, however, you do not need special XR equipment to participate in the workshop. Attendees will meet for live sessions in ZOOM and access the workshop’s demo XR space online from their computers.
Instructor
Dr. Denis Gracanin is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and a Faculty Affiliate at Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, Virginia Tech. His research interests are at the intersection of Human Computer Interaction and Internet of Things, including eXtended Reality, Smart Built Environments and distance collaboration/education.
STEM+ by CLS
STEM+ by Commonwealth Learning Systems (CLS) develops online STEM education focusing on emerging technologies and job skills. Our goal is to support learners and educators in innovative, accessible ways – online, hybrid, and in-person at our STEM+ lab at the Roanoke Higher Education Center.
What is XR?
Registration Not Required to access this recording
$35
Includes live online sessions and access to workshop’s Canvas site for one month following the workshop.
*Weekday sessions
repeated at 7pm to
accommodate educator schedules
Session 1: What is XR?
Watch online at your convenience before first live session.
Session 2: XR Technology: Hardware, Software & Online Services
Wednesday,
November 11, 2020
4-5 pm or 7-8pm*
Session 3: STEM+ Lab Demonstrations & Discussions
Saturday,
November 14, 2020
10am – 12pm
Session 4: XR for Education & Training
Wednesday,
November 18, 2020
4-5 pm or 7-8pm*
Categories
XR for Educators – ONLINE WORKSHOP
eXtended Reality for Educators
Are you an educator curious about using innovative technology to meet educational goals? Want to bring more interaction into the online learning space?
Extended Reality (XR) is an umbrella term used to describe immersive technologies that can merge the physical and virtual worlds. It is used in education and training to enhance student learning and engagement in classroom and at home, as well as to increase knowledge retention for students.
Denis Gracanin, Associate Professor of Computer Science from Virginia Tech, explains how XR technology works and the hardware and software needed to bring it into the classroom.
The workshop meets online four times: Wednesday – Friday evening followed by a Saturday morning workshop. The online sessions include presentations, demonstrations, and discussions.
All sessions will be recorded and available to registrants after the live sessions.
Topics
- WEDNESDAY: What is eXtended Reality (XR)?
- THURSDAY: XR Technology: Hardware, Software & Online Services
- FRIDAY: XR for Education & Training
- SATURDAY: Demonstrations & Discussions
Instructor
Denis Gracanin, Ph.D.
Dr. Denis Gracanin is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and a Faculty Affiliate at Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, Virginia Tech. His research interests are at the intersection of Human Computer Interaction and Internet of Things, including eXtended Reality, Smart Built Environments and distance collaboration/education.
Dates
Wednesday, October 21
Thursday, October 22
Friday, October 23
7:00pm – 8:15pm
Saturday, October 24
10:00am – 12:00pm
Registration
$35
STEM+ CONNECTIONS is an online series of workshops, events, and courses designed to help educators learn more about technologies for our rapidly changing educational landscape.
http://education.edu
Thursday, October 1, 2020 6PM – 7PM
Open House is free and open to the public.
Attend the RHEC Fall 2020 Virtual Open House and learn about the more than 200 degree, licensure, and certificate programs currently being offered at the Roanoke Higher Education Center.
Register to receive instructions on how to attend this online meeting
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Tech on Tap Online Event
No Camp? No Problem!
STEM Ideas for Family Summer Fun
Thursday, June 18, 2020
4:00pm – 5:00pm
With kids at home this summer, you need a game plan. Join two Virginia Tech STEM education specialists, Jim Egenrieder and Erika Bonnett to learn about outdoor and indoor activities in which families can have so much fun they won’t realize how much they’re learning.
About Tech On Tap
Learning happens everywhere. Tech on Tap is a regular community speaker series that informs, educates, and raises questions about the impact of new technologies on society, equity, and policy. Topics include the types of issues and problems Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus in Potomac Yard will explore.
Tech on Tap partners: Port City Brewery, Alexandria Library, and Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, VT College of Agriculture and Life Science
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Google Colab
colab.research.google.com
Google’s Colaboratory, or “Colab” for short, is a free online resource used for sharing code, documentation, and visualized data. Google Colab runs code using Jupyter Notebook, an open-source web app used to create and share documents that can run live code and visualizations. Colab itself runs on a virtual linux operating system. The programming language that can be run live in Google Colab is Python, while Markdown code can be used to format and organize the Colab documents. Google Colab is a very engaging and interactive way to run code, examine data and share ideas on the web.
What you’ll do there: With Colab you can write and execute Python in your browser. Students in STEM+ Data Analytics course will learn to use Colab as a part of their assignments. One of Colab’s best features is its ability to run live code, which makes teaching and learning Python a lot more engaging and intuitive. In addition to learning Python, students will also learn how to format their documents by using the Markdown language. With these two tools, students will be able to use Python to visualize and analyze data in conjunction with Markdown to clearly format and organize it.
For parents/privacy: Students will need a Google account to use Google Colab, as Colab is an app made by Google. Google accounts are free to create and require some basic information, such as first and last name, a username and a password. Here is Google’s privacy policy.
Additional resources: There is a lot to learn about Google Colab, Markdown, and Python – most of which is not covered in the STEM+ Data Analytics course. Here are a few safe additional resources for your convenience:
- Google Colab
- An Introduction to Google Colab (Video by Reza Tasooji)
- How to navigate Google Colab (Video by Reza Tasooji)
- Colab’s own introduction page
- Colab’s basic features as explained by Colab
- Markdown
- A markdown overview website
Main Link: www.education.edu
STEM+ by Commonwealth Learning Systems lab is located in Suite 813
The Roanoke Higher Education Center (RHEC) in historic downtown Roanoke develops partnerships and maintains a state-of-the-art facility that provides citizens of the Roanoke region access to training, certifications, and degrees.
undergraduate and graduate programs from member universities- testing center
- customized training
- education fairs
- meetings and conferences
Categories
Drones – Learn to Fly
Learn to Fly Drones is a new online, interactive class that introduces drone basics to students of all ages —– before they send drone equipment into the air.
Designed and led by Virginia Tech instructors, the course reviews drone basics, explains the steps to earning a Drone license, and allows students to practice navigating drones in simulation BEFORE taking equipment aloft.
How it Works
Learn to Fly Drones! will be offered Summer 2020.
Students login to a virtual classroom from the STEM+ website. The virtual classroom outlines the weekly schedule of activities, videos, and assignments.
The schedule includes live online Zoom sessions with the course instructor. These sessions anchor the course for students. and provide interaction and encouragement. Live online sessions may include class demos, Q&As, or general discussions about data analytics in our current world.
STEM+ may be allowed to offer optional in-person afternoon labs at the Roanoke Higher Education Center (pending state guidelines and restrictions). When we have more information, we will share it with the registered students.
Explore Data Analytics is offered through STEM+ by Commonwealth Systems.
Contact Us
Questions? Would you like to register? Let us know. Fill out the form and we will get back to you ASAP
Level
Dates
TBA
live online sessions with instructor
Fee
TBA
Limited scholarships are available.
Instructor
Dean McIntyre
Categories
Explore Data Analytics Summer 2020
Explore Data Analytics is a online, interactive class that introduces high school and community college learners to the fast growing field of Data Analytics.
Designed and led by Virginia Tech instructors, the course explores the science of learning and making conclusions from data with hands-on activities and live daily interactive Q&A sessions.
Data Analytics is currently not offered in most high schools, yet it is one of the fastest growing career paths in the nation. The demand for technical expertise is out-pacing supply. Technical expertise is needed to develop new methods, tools, and infrastructures required to support novel big data analytics operations in industry, government, and academia.
.
How it Works
Explore Data Analytics is a 4-week course, Monday through Friday, starting beginning July 6, 2020.
Students login to a virtual classroom from the STEM+ website. The virtual classroom outlines the weekly schedule of activities, videos, and assignments.
The schedule includes daily live online Zoom sessions (weekdays) at 11:00 a.m. E.T. with the course instructor. These sessions anchor the course for students. and provide interaction and encouragement. Live online sessions may include class demos, Q&As, or general discussions about data analytics in our current world.
STEM+ may be allowed to offer optional in-person afternoon labs at the Roanoke Higher Education Center (pending state guidelines and restrictions). When we have more information, we will share it with the registered students.
Explore Data Analytics is offered through STEM+ by Commonwealth Systems.
Level
Advanced high school, community college, and non-student adult learners.
Dates
July 6 – July 30
11 a.m. weekday live online sessions with instructor
Fee
$175*
for 4 week session
*Limited scholarships are available. See Scholarship section above.
Instructor
Reza Tasooji
Doctoral candidate in Computer Science at Virginia Tech