Dinwiddie County Public Schools have recently incorporated virtual reality zSpaces into their high school and middle school curriculums during the 2024-2025 school year, paving the way for innovative education. This state-of-the-art technology was generously provided to the district via the Virginia Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education Competitive Grant for Skilled Trades Programs.
The implementation of these devices at the high school level was strategically introduced into two classes: Introduction to Health and Medical Science and Veterinary Science. These classes were deemed to be the programs that would most benefit from the programs due to the increased demand from the labor market data concerning the Crater Region. The collaboration of the Instructional Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT) and two classroom teachers brought traditional learning into a new, multifaceted classroom experience.
The zSpaces give students a tactile experience in exploring canine and human anatomy. In Mrs. Susan Wilson’s Introduction to Health and Medical Science Class, students use the Visible Body+ application that allows students to explore the human body, including the names, pronunciations, and descriptions of various body, including the cardiovascular, nervous, and skeletal structures. Students can remove layers of the body to expose and manipulate the remaining structures with their stylus; the program is immersive enough that it even allows the student to feel the pulse of the heart through the stylus. Mrs. Wilson comments, “In a culture where students are used to being stimulated by technology, these units allow the students to have an immersive anatomy and physiology experience. Complete organ systems can be displayed on the screen and brought into 3-D for dissection. Students can examine each organ system closely, identifying the organ, its relationship to others in the body, pronunciation, and pathologies. It is truly an amazing experience and enrichment to learning as students can “see it” in real life”.
In Mrs. Bishop’s Veterinary Science class, the Canine Anatomy application also allows students to immerse themselves in a three-dimensional canine model, including manipulating the integumentary, reproductive, and circulatory systems. The students adapted to this technology rapidly, using their stylus to zoom in on specific areas, dissect body layers, and rotate models on the zSpaces. Mrs. Bishop feels the zSpaces are a modern and innovative tool that brings canine anatomy alive in a way that cannot be replicated in a text or picture format.
This type of interactive learning allows the pace and journey of virtual reality and anatomy to be determined by the students. By utilizing this advanced technology, students learn content while sharpening the essential skills of collaboration, technological proficiency, and digital literacy. With the assistance of the Virginia Department of Education, Dinwiddie County Public Schools are continuing their commitment to foster an environment of citizen leaders who are proficient in the constantly evolving digital skills needed in the workplace.
Authorship Information
Caitlyn Raikes is an Innovation Specialist at Dinwiddie County Public Schools. She has a decade of experience in education, having previously taught History and Social Sciences.