Extended Reality in Public Schools

Meeting

By Lila Faria

What does the XR Lab do? In addition to exploring new virtual and extended reality technology, much of our daily work revolves around the application of innovative technology to education. We ask ourselves, “How can we use new technology to improve the experience of teachers and students?”

While the focus of our work revolves around higher education, we do receive the occasional inquiry from public K-12 educators. For this reason, we have compiled the following resources. Public school educators can use these tools to add extended reality to their own classrooms!

If you don’t feel like you have enough time to explore all these tools on your own, myself or a member of our team would love to set aside a time to talk through them with you. You can connect with us by reaching out to xrlab@bellevuecollege.edu

This list will start with resources you can use on Chromebooks. Due to Chromebooks’ lower price points than other laptops, many schools have been adopting them as tools for remote learning. Unfortunately, Chromebooks’ limited functionality can make many programs glitchy – even when the Chromebooks are new. As a result, finding modern, engaging content that is also accessible via Chromebook is a challenge I have heard from a variety of public-school teachers. 

Most of the tools my coworkers and I are currently using are not accessible via Chromebook due to installation requirements. However, after my team and I spent a couple meetings doing some brainstorming, we came up with the following resources that should be accessible to those on Chromebook:

  • When using Chromebooks, I have found the most success using tools and websites that can be accessed in-browser rather than via external download. Here are some that might interest you:
    • I’ve heard some amazing things from teachers using Flipgrid. Apparently, it’s like educational TikTok!
    • BrainPop – Primarily geared towards elementary and middle public school students, BrainPop is a leader in the online learning field. They primarily use games, comics and stories to craft their learning experiences
    • Khan Academy – One of my less favorite platforms (but with a cult following), Khan Academy provides videos that can help walk students through a wide variety of topics!
    • Some in-browser Virbela alternatives for giving students autonomy over their own experience:
      • Gather.town
        • Free for under 25 users (so you could use it for group projects or office hours right away); pricing for over 25 users here. 
        • Gives autonomy to the students by giving them each a character they can control themselves (like Virbela)
        • Note: I have had success using Chromebook to attend events on Gather in the past, but I have had trouble when (a) one on the platform, joining groups of over 3-4 people using a Chromebook or (b) attending Gather events with over 80-100 people in attendance
    • Subject-specific in-browser tools:
      • Social Studies
        • PeaceMaker – Videogame developed to teach students about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
        • Within:
    • Science
      • Scratch
        • Built in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, Scratch is a (rather famous) gaming tool used to teach younger kids how to code. Using a visual coding language, Scratch allows kids to build simple animations.
      • Microsoft Kodu
        • Like Scratch in that it is a simple visual programming language. However, this version can be used to create games, rather than animations.
      • Code.org
        • Interactive computer science education that uses games like Minecraft to craft their learning experience. Built for a younger audience (elementary/middle schoolers, primarily for public schools), Code.org is a global leader in interactive computer science education
      • w3schools.com
        • Website that students can use to learn a wide variety of programming languages.
        • Also see: FreeCodeCamp.org
      • Brackeys (on YouTube)
        • Engaging Game Dev tutorials for folks who want to learn how to build their own video games 
      • CNN VR
      • Aquatic Life in Cuba
  • If your organization is open to investing in new equipment, the following option might interest you:
    • Google Cardboard
      • Useful IF students have access to smartphones (which I know is not always the case)
      • Gives students access to VR experiences without the price tag of a VR headset
      • Can be upgraded to Google Daydream, budget permitting
    • Zoe
      • A standalone application that allows students to build their own 3D virtual environments
      • Accessible via VR headset, Unity, or Mobile App

  • Finally, if you still feel like looking for more options, I highly recommend connecting with other educators around the world who are in your situation. There has been a lot of buzz in the edtech/alt ed communities about how to help foster more interactive and dynamic virtual instruction. Here are some virtual events I’ve attended, which are often frequented by educators asking these types of questions:
    • New York EdTech Meetups
      • Honestly my favorite regular events to attend when I was networking in the edtech space in 2020. Occurring about once a month, these events are run well (by some amazing organizers, including the incredible Jessica Millstone) and provide an opportunity to meet lots of folks working in education, technology, edtech, educational policy and more. Currently remote, so they should be easy to reach.
    • Seattle EdTech Meetups
      • The Seattle addition of the NY EdTech Meetups. Let me know if you plan on attending and I’ll be sure to log on. 🙂
Lila Faria walking around a Gather.town environment she co-designed with David Wikstrom for Global Game Jam 2021
Lila Faria walking around a Gather.town environment she co-designed with David Wikstrom for Global Game Jam 2021


Lila Faria is the Program Specialist at Bellevue College’s XR Lab and the Global Chapter Digital Community Manager at Singularity University. She has an individualized degree in, “Alternative Educational Environment Design” from NYU and multiple years of experience working as a teacher and educator in public schools, Montessori and dance educational environments.

Last Updated September 21, 2023