Posted on 2024-03-02
By Eric Hawkinson
Learning Futurist
In an unprecedented move, the Kentucky Department of Education has embarked on the largest school district-led VR deployment in the United States, led by Dr. Shannon Putman. With a background in special education and VR, Dr. Putman is pioneering a transformative approach to learning that integrates virtual reality into classrooms across Kentucky. With a background in special education and a passion for immersive technologies, Dr. Putman is not just pioneering; she’s transforming the way we think about learning in the digital age. Her journey from a passionate educator to the architect of the largest school district-led VR deployment in the United States is a testament to her belief in the power of virtual reality to make education more accessible, engaging, and effective for students of all backgrounds.
I (Eric Hawkinson) sat down with Dr. Putman to talk about this historic roll-out, its origins, its challenges, and about the trends in immersive learning in K12.
However, Dr. Putman’s vision extends beyond mere technology deployment. She emphasizes the importance of a phased approach, prioritizing career technical centers and special education, and advocates for a shift in mindset among educators towards the integration of VR as a complementary educational tool. Her work highlights the potential of VR to empower teachers, enhance learning outcomes, and prepare students for a future where digital literacy is paramount. As we delve into the transformative journey of Dr. Putman and the groundbreaking VR deployment in Kentucky, we’re reminded of the potential of technology to reshape education. But at the heart of this story is a visionary woman, whose dedication to her students and belief in the power of learning drives Kentucky’s leap into the future of education. The woman behind the headset is not just leading a technological revolution; she’s inspiring a new generation of learners and educators to imagine the possibilities of what education can be.
From Vision to Reality: Dr. Shannon Putman’s Journey
Dr. Putman’s journey into VR education began with a deep desire to make learning more accessible and engaging for all students. “It’s been an incredibly exciting year… opening up my own company, Consulting, and deploying 2,450 headsets across the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky,” she shared during an interview on the “VR in Education” podcast. Her project, fueled by the belief in VR as a tool rather than a replacement for traditional teaching methods, aims to revolutionize education in Kentucky.
Dr. Putman’s map of counties currently covered by the initiative
The Kentucky VR project, supported by COVID funds, has been a mammoth task involving careful planning, device selection, and content curation. The Meta Quest 2 was chosen for its balance of price and features, managed efficiently through ManageXR. This platform enables remote management of thousands of devices, ensuring that VR can be seamlessly integrated into the learning process. The project features a wide range of content, from ENGAGE’s virtual campus to CareerView XR’s immersive job exploration platform and XReps’ gamified learning experiences. These platforms were selected for their ability to cater to diverse learning styles and objectives, highlighting the project’s commitment to providing valuable, engaging educational experiences.
Dr. Putman’s strategy involves a phased deployment, with the first phase focusing on career technical centers and the second on special education. This approach allows for iterative learning and adjustment, ensuring the project’s success. A key goal of the project is to empower educators to incorporate VR into their teaching toolkit. Dr. Putman emphasizes the importance of changing the mindset around technology use in education: “It’s not about finding an app for that… we already have what we need, we just need to change our thinking about how we use it.”
A Conversation on the Promise and Challenges of VR in Education
In a recent discussion, Dr. Putman shared the intricate details and challenges of scaling VR technology within Kentucky’s school system. My(Eric Hawkinson) enthusiasm for the educational potential of VR complemented Dr. Putman’s grounded insights into the complexities of its deployment.
Our conversation highlighted the transformative potential of VR in creating immersive and participatory educational experiences. However, Dr. Putman pointed out the logistical hurdles of managing VR headsets in schools. I brought up data collection and privacy concerns, which she said was particularly concerning with the deployment of Meta hardware, I agree. This discussion emphasized the importance of giving educators control over the technology, ensuring its ethical and effective use in the classroom.
In a rich conversation about the groundbreaking VR deployment in Kentucky’s education system, Dr. Shannon Putman, with her roots in Syracuse, New York, and now deeply embedded in Kentucky’s educational landscape, shared her journey and insights. I(Eric Hawkinson), bringing an international perspective from his 20-plus years in Japan, explored the nuances of implementing VR in education with Dr. Putman.
The Genesis of Kentucky’s VR Initiative
Dr. Putman’s transition from a classroom teacher to spearheading the largest VR initiative in Kentucky’s schools is a story of passion meeting opportunity. She remarked, “I was approached…I got connected to somebody at Kentucky Department of Ed, and they had COVID funds…I went for it, and I bid and I got it.” This initiative wasn’t just a project for her but a culmination of her dedication to enhancing education through technology. Dr. Putman’s autonomy in this project was clear: “Literally, everything every decision that was made, everything was all me.”
Challenges and Triumphs in VR Deployment
Addressing the logistical hurdles of deploying VR, Dr. Putman highlighted the comprehensive training and onboarding process for schools, “Within two weeks, I’ve gone to every single one and done my initial training.” This monumental task underlines her commitment and the potential she sees in VR to transform educational experiences. However, the journey of integrating VR into educational settings extends beyond initial excitement and faces tangible obstacles.
Article Link: https://medium.com/ready-teacher-one/oculusconcerns-feb5ed0afa70
Educators and developers express growing frustration with Oculus, pointing out several significant challenges before adopting VR in classrooms extensively. From my experience as Research Coordinator of MAVR, I echo these concerns, emphasizing the need for the immersive education community to voice these issues to Oculus/HTC and other hardware manufacturers. The VR Learning Lab in NZ’s sentiment, “Why we don’t recommend Oculus Go for schools,” resonates with our observations, particularly around the constraints posed by closed consumer-facing business models.
One glaring issue is Oculus’ restrictive policies, such as forcing the ‘Virtual Desktop’ application to remove the feature allowing SteamVR games and content streaming to Oculus Quest. This limitation not only reduces flexibility and content accessibility but also hinders development and testing efforts. The opaque app approval process further compounds the frustration, leaving developers in the dark about rejection reasons and without a path to recourse. At the time, the mandatory Facebook login requirement, privacy and data collection concerns were escalated. VR’s immersive nature requires precise tracking of user movement and position, raising alarms about the extent of personal data that can be extracted from tracking information. As educators, the challenge of anonymizing student data in such a context is daunting.
When the original article was released in 2020, these were the concerns we faced at educators using Meta Quest. Let’s take a look and compare what is now happening in Kentucky to see what progress has been made.
Challenges Faced in Classrooms:
- Social Media Integration: Districts outright reject devices with embedded social media platforms, such as Facebook, making Oculus Go a non-starter in many educational settings.
- Setup Complexity: The requirement for each headset to be paired with a phone for setup is impractical for deploying multiple devices in schools, turning a straightforward process into a logistical nightmare.
- Content Distribution: The lack of curriculum-aligned content in the Oculus Store highlights a significant gap between available resources and educational needs. The closed system approach, reminiscent of the iPad’s initial challenges in education, severely limits content accessibility and diversity.
- Device and Content Management: The hurdles in managing devices and distributing content efficiently, such as the cumbersome process of entering Developer Mode and the intricacies of managing multiple devices through a single app, highlight the system’s lack of suitability for educational environments.
- Privacy and Data Collection: The invasive data collection practices associated with VR devices, especially with the integration of Facebook logins, raise significant privacy concerns. The potential for tracking data to reveal sensitive information about users is particularly troubling in an educational context.
We have revisited challenges to mass adoption here at the Future Hub at the Kyoto University of Foreign Studies where I (Eric Hawkinson) have lead a team to design and connect some immersive learning labs around Asia and world. We got together in 2023 to share challenges in mass adoption to AR/VR in educational contexts. The results of this research is to be published in 2024. But here is the keynote of the event that is available on YouTube.