NW Tallahassee school uses virtual reality to increase student success

• Recently, virtual reality equipment was introduced into the curriculum at Franklin Academy.
• The money to buy the equipment was provided to the school by the Leon County Board of Children’s Services, its leaders say.
• Watch the video to see the equipment in action and hear from students about its benefits.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

Virtual reality is a major theme in classrooms at Franklin Academy.

This is equipment that education leaders tell me increases not only enjoyment, but also confidence, grades and reduces dropout rates.

“You can use virtual reality with different people and go to different worlds,” said student Camya Peterson.

Peterson travels the world.

Not really. He continues to learn in the classroom in Northwest Tallahassee, where Franklin Academy students use virtual reality to travel the world and pursue their educational goals.

You can go to England, you’ve never been there. In this room you think you are in England. This is very encouraging,” said Margaret Franklin, executive director of Franklin Academy.

Franklin stated that she has seen how virtual reality has contributed to student success.

“I really believe that students should learn at their own pace,” Franklin said.

VR is one way Franklin can customize the student experience.

The VR headsets were funded by recent funding from the Leon County Children’s Services Board.

Franklin said their work has an impact on Leon County schools.

“I work directly with the system to weed out these kids and prevent them from dropping out so they don’t feel really bad about themselves,” Franklin said.

By capturing these students, Franklin said, they create a curriculum that addresses their individual needs, which allows them to return to the school system when they are a little older.

Community support from organizations like CSC enables them to expand this experience.

“You don’t know how high you can go until you spread your wings and fly,” Franklin said. “We should be able to give these kids that chance.”

Franklin Academy currently has 3 locations in Leon, Gadsden and Jefferson counties. Leaders said they plan to continue to expand the number of academies in the state.