ISTE 2024 - DENVER, CO - Avantis Education/ClassVR - Chris Klein

·20 min·1 clip

Chris Klein reveals why Avantis Education, an OG in classroom VR, is deliberately less flashy at ISTE 2024.

This episode of EduTechGuys features an interview with Chris Klein from Avantis Education, recorded at ISTE 2024 in Denver. Klein opens by noting the company's shift from being flashy to focusing on thoughtful refinement, positioning Avantis as an OG in educational VR/AR with seven and a half years of experience. He describes the current industry phase as one of contraction, prompting a return to roots to ensure they are making VR easy for teachers. Key announcements include redesigning their management portal to be more like Netflix or Amazon for easier content discovery, embedding teacher and student notes directly in the platform, and allowing 3D model previews without a headset. A major content expansion is highlighted: adding 300,000 high-definition 360-degree images to Eduverse for instant virtual field trips. All training materials are now free and embedded. Klein contrasts these 'steak' platform enhancements with 'sizzle' like potential premium content, such as 8K immersive wildlife videos with Jane Goodall or interactive language labs where students practice ordering coffee in France with AI feedback. He also discusses exploring social-emotional learning applications in VR. The interview peaks with the reveal of the first prototype of a six-degree-of-freedom (6DOF) ClassVR headset, developed over a decade and shown at ISTE, emphasizing a deliberate, education-first approach unlike gaming VR. Klein concludes by stressing the importance of teacher input, stating that any product must be better than teaching with a 'wet paper bag,' and positions Avantis as a steward for schools in VR adoption.

As heard by us

A candid conference conversation that keeps returning ClassVR to classroom time and teacher use.

Chris Klein's ISTE 2024 conversation is strongest when it treats ClassVR as a product still being shaped by classroom reality rather than as a finished success story.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want VR talk that treats planning time as seriously as the headset.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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