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By Garth Meyer
Gazette Reporter 

Virtual reality at Colfax H.S.

 

April 11, 2019

James Hahn

Nichole Kopp of the Whitman County Library adjusts a headset on junior James Hahn Monday in Christopher Clausen's class.

A new virtual-reality program funded by a state grant at the Colfax library made its way to Colfax High School Monday, taking a group of juniors through a demonstration of the path of blood.

The library's Nichole Kopp and James Morasch presented it to students in Mr. Clausen's Human Body Systems class.

"So what do you think when you hear the term 'virtual reality'?" said Kopp, teen and tech librarian.

"A digital playground," said one student.

"A gaming experiment you're in," answered another.

Kopp told of the experiences available on the Oculus Rift system they brought from the library, including the launch of the Apollo 11 rocket.

"It's pretty wicked wild," she said. Kopp mentioned another virtual experience; climbing Mount Everest.

"Can you fall off?" one kid said.

"No, but ice falls on you," said Morasch, systems administrator, as he set up the devices on one side of the classroom.

"We haven't gotten to the circulation system yet, so this is great," said Clausen.

Kopp asked students further questions.

"Creating virtual reality content, that would be a career path," she said, then called for the first volunteer.

James Hahn raised his hand.

Once set up, with a thick black goggle-device over his eyes, he pressed the hand device to start.

"I see blood, and cells... Whoa, this is trippy," Hahn said. "This is making me sweat."

He turned his head to each side, up and down.

"I feel like, wind on me," he said.

"I turned the fan on to circulate some air since its so warm in here," Clausen said.

Hahn continued his experience, inside a separate world from the sixth-period class on the second floor of the junior-senior high school.

"Infected tissue," he said.

Jesse Gladwill started next on the second headset.

"I feel like I'm gonna fall off the back," he said.

Hahn was now further into the path of the bloodstream.

"Looks like licorice. Twizzler town," he said.

Hahn exchanged a few comments with students who watched him – and a T.V. screen which showed in 2-D what he saw in 3-D.

"So this is the front of the classroom?" Hahn asked.

No, came the answer, it was behind him to one side.

"Oh my God, I thought it was over there..." he said. "Why does the music sound like I'm gonna get stabbed?"

More talk came in the background.

"This is an educational experience," said Kopp.

"So the antibodies aren't fighting off the viruses," Hahn said, deciphering what he saw.

Soon his 12-minute run was over. He took off the headset and walked back to the table he came from.

"I visited a different world, not even a scratch," he said.

On the other side of the classroom, Gladwill was still immersed.

"Oh, they're forming everywhere," he said. "What is this, like Ebola or something?"

Kopp asked what other things the students would like to see this with.

Skiing, came a suggestion.

"We don't have skiing. We have Chernobyl," Kopp said. "Take a little walk with your Geiger counter."

State of things

"You could watch the game tonight on this," Morasch said, a 19-year veteran of the library's technology department.

CBS has offered a virtual-reality broadcast of NCAA tournament basketball games for the past four years, at $2.99 per game.

"That's where the money can be made," Morasch said.

Virtual-reality experiences such as what the library offers are for age 13 and above.

"They don't know how it affects brain development," said Morasch.

First made available in the late 1980s, the early virtual-reality goggles sold for as much as $100,000.

Now with better technology and costs down to $200 or less for certain versions, the new sets are being touted for use for games, telepresence (an enhanced version of video-conferencing), design, architecture, emergency training, phobia therapy and more.

Second group

Next came the first girl in class to put the headset on, Skylre Sakamoto-Howell, stepping forward in a new "Cozumel, Mexico" long-sleeve shirt from spring break.

"What do you think, Skylre?" asked Mr. Clausen.

"It's cool," she said, her head turning behind her.

Lilly Swan was next.

"This is weird," she said as Morasch helped adjust the headset on her.

A few minutes later, as she stood still, Morasch asked if Swan was alright.

"Yeah," she said.

"Are you doing okay?" Kopp asked the next girl underway, Averi Mackleit. In the background, more students sat and waited their turn, a few phones out.

"Yeah," Mackleit said.

Nick Klaveano had gone before them.

"Amazing," he said afterward. "I could see it becoming a bigger thing."

"It was a lot of fun," Sakamoto-Howell said later. "It was kind of weird, it felt wobbly.... I feel like younger kids would like this for games and stuff."

"I was scared to walk around," said Swan, after her turn. "It was just cool to see how everything looked."

Would Mr. Clausen be going?

"I will go after you've all had the chance," he told the students. "I'm sure it will be hilarious to watch me but not until you all can go."

The class

Human Body Systems is a science elective at Colfax High as well as a Career and Technical Education credit and part of HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) learning.

"I plan to have them back this year," Clausen said of Kopp and Morasch. "Anytime the kids can play with technology is a good thing. Especially something potentially useful in their professions."

In light of studies coming out on smartphones, social media and screen time in recent months, is there a potential downside to this?

"I don't think so," said Morasch. "But as I say with any technology, if I had those sorts of answers I probably wouldn't be working for the library. With anything like this, the biggest thing is you have to approach it with balance."

State grant

The funding grant comes from the Washington State Library, byway of the University of Washington Information School, which focuses on the relationship between information, technology and people. The school held its inaugural "MisInfoDay" March 27, inviting 200 high school students to learn about misinformation and tactics to discern it.

A total of 40 headsets were sent to libraries around the state. In Colfax, the program started last Wednesday, to run until Aug. 1, with half-hour appointments.

Users may cue up one of 27 experiences, such as the trip through the bloodstream, the summit push on Everest and street level views around the world.

The headsets are made by Oculus Rift, the Facebook-owned company it bought for $2 billion in 2014.

Kopp and Morasch will visit Oakesdale Thursday to present to Joey Reed's chemistry class for juniors and seniors.

"You feel like you are there," said Kopp. "If somebody didn't talk to you during it, you would lose connection to the outside world. I'm not a video gamer, I was surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did."

"I think this is a good supplement," Morasch said. "I think it'll be a really a good learning tool."

Author Bio

Garth Meyer, Former reporter

Author photo

Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.

 

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