The learning and design team has been working on creating fun ways to present this complex scientific inquiry process to students from 6th through 8th grade. Once an initial idea was developed, we invited our first group of middle school playtesters to participate in a paper-prototype-based playtest. Our goal was to gather insights from our target audience regarding the learning content and the interaction mechanics to identify areas of improvement.
In this round of our playtests, we distributed paper prototypes of information about students’ sample molecules and the reference library to our playtesters. We observed how they interacted with the material. Our playtesters enjoyed the collaborative aspect of the experience, particularly when they discussed their reasoning for selecting molecules for further testing with their team. In addition, each playtester explained how they approached the task and provided us with feedback on ways to support students in disentangling this task and further encourage collaboration.
Based on this round of playtesting, our team made adjustments to the design and developed the first digital prototype of this activity. Using this digital prototype, we conducted another group playtest with four new playtesters. Our playtesters reported that they found VenomColab to be “super fun and interesting” and that they “learned stuff too and had a great time.” We also received great feedback from this group that emphasized the need for further scaffolding to help students with this complex scientific research process.
These playtests were extremely helpful in our iterative design process. Our team has now landed on a new version of this activity! This new version features a guided analysis of the sample and reference molecules, and embedded more instructions to promote collaborative exploration. We are super excited to bring this version to our partner schools next month!
]]>Killer Snails presented two talks on Monday:
“Promoting Science Identity Exploration: An Analysis of the Game Design Features in WaterWays.” TzuChin Chen (Killer Snails). Hana Haddad, (New York University), Corinne Brenner, (Killer Snails)
“Bringing Science to Life: Collaborative Science Education with VenomCoLab.” Ming Chen (CUNY Graduate Center), Corinne Brenner (Killer Snails), Dr. Russell Miller (CUNY Graduate Center), Dr. Bruce D. Homer (CUNY Graduate Center), Jessica Ochoa Hendrix (Killer Snails)
Both talks centered on recent products- WaterWays which launched in summer of 2023 and VenomCoLab which is still in development.
Tuesday was a day of playtesting in person, so we brought Chapter 1 of VenomCoLab and received some great feedback during the two rounds of playtesting!
In addition to getting feedback on our own game, we also got to play other people's games which was really fun and "Red Tape: Bureaucracy in Action" brought by folks from the University of Missouri was a particular favorite!
]]>Our team grew this year and we accrued new honors!
Awards- We received our first Extended Reality Patent- a huge highlight, given that fewer than 13% of patent holders are women. Killer Snails is extremely fortunate to have the support of the National Institutes of Health TABA funding, which enabled us to secure the patent. We are looking forward to sharing our story to support more small businesses in achieving patents.
In addition, WaterWays, our newly released grade 3-5 science curriculum supplement, won an international silver medal from Serious Play! This prestigious honor wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions of all on our team and the educators and students who iteratively tested and provided feedback during the development!
WaterWays launch at NY Aquarium
Sales & partnerships- We launched WaterWays! WaterWays was developed in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Hudson River Park, and Mt Sinai! WaterWays is now in use in school districts across the country, including California, Arkansas, Virginia, and North Carolina, and will soon be appearing on Science Friday!
Thought leadership
2023 also included our first international conference speaking opportunity! The International Serious Play Conference took place in Canada and our Director of Learning, Corinne Brenner, led a workshop on using Augmented Reality.
In addition, we published papers, tabled at the National Science Teachers Conferences in Atlanta and Kansas City, and gave talks this year at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC! That wasn’t our only DC trip- this spring we also went to Washington DC to speak with Congress on behalf of education technology companies across the country. In addition, our CEO Jessica Ochoa Hendrix, also served as a judge for the Children and Family Emmys as well as a judge for Games for Change and served as a panel reviewer for the National Institutes of Health.
Product Development
In addition to completing WaterWays, we have been actively working on VenomCoLab, our first collaborative experience for students in grades 6-10. We've partnered with three schools who are iteratively developing VCL with us, and we are so excited to continue developing it in 2024 when we will start our national Randomized Control Trial (RCT) to examine the effectiveness and impact of VenomCoLab!
Thank you to all our collaborators, partners, and the children whose love of Killer Snails products inspire us to new heights in 2024!
]]>VenomCoLab is an inquiry-based, collaborative science experience for 6th-10th grade students. Over 5 class periods, students take on one of four scientist roles: Zoologist, Biochemist, Molecular Biologist, or Pharmacologist and work together to study venom. Each group of students studies a venomous organism like marine snails, snakes, sea anemones, or scorpions to find peptides or proteins from venom to use as potential treatment for health problems including pain, cancer, blood clotting, or autoimmune diseases.
The students in each role performs distinct tasks using personalized websites and augmented reality or webVR on a computer or tablet. Students learn from each other and collaborate during activities like lab meetings and experiments, working toward their goal of developing new treatments.
We brought VenomCoLab to one of our partner schools November 30th and received excellent feedback from the students!
Students loved how they could have a lab meeting with each one occupying a different role and they could learn a lot about venom. They loved the teamwork activities and also liked how the program allowed them to proceed with the individual learning at their pace.
In addition, the students gave feedback on ways to continue improving VenomCoLab and what they hoped they would learn in future modules! We are thankful for their time and the feedback they provide to help improve and further build out VenomCoLab!
]]>As of 2019, women comprised only 13 percent of all inventor-patentees in the United States the Killer Snails leadership team– Jessica Ochoa Hendrix, CEO and co-founder, and Dr. Mandë Holford, co-founder–is honored to add to that number.
Killer Snails' patented integrated learning system transforms children's learning experiences by seamlessly combining a virtual world, individualized journal and educator dashboard with real-time updates. This system provides progressive education tailored to each child's unique needs.
Key Features of the Integrated Learning System (Patent No. 11,763,691):
The method and learning system platform for extended reality digital hybrid education was developed with Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health.
]]>This conference is always a highlight for us- dozens of educational games are represented and interesting talks are led by practitioners in the EdTech field!
If you are in the Washington, DC area, please join us at:
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At our WaterWays event, we aim to inspire and engage attendees in the spirit of water conservation and environmental health. Together, we will explore the importance of preserving our water resources and adopting sustainable practices.
We invite you to be an active participant in this celebration of our waterways. Together, we can make a significant impact on water conservation and create a stronger, more resilient community.
Join us as we make a splash for water conservation and create a brighter, more sustainable future for all. We can't wait to see you there!
]]>Killer Snails Launches Immersive Environmental Science Curriculum Supplement for Grades 3-5
[New York, June 13] – Killer Snails launched WaterWays, an innovative 3rd-5th grade science curriculum supplement focused on water ecology and environmental health. Developed with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Hudson River Park, and Mount Sinai, WaterWays aims to cultivate a generation of informed, passionate students committed to preserving our planet's health.
WaterWays is a five-module program enabling students to explore interconnected issues such as plastic pollution, air and water quality, and marine biodiversity. Through personalized websites and augmented reality or webVR technologies on computers or tablets, students embark on a journey of scientific inquiry, gathering data, constructing models, and developing hypotheses to tackle real-world environmental challenges. Each module explores a specific theme, offering a diverse range of learning experiences.
Created with support from the National Institutes of Health, this research-backed program piloted with 900+ children and 40 teachers over the last two years and can be purchased for less than $8 per student. As a third-grade teacher from Martinsville, Virginia said “My class was drop-a-pin quiet, they were so absorbed!”
“WaterWays offers students a unique avenue to delve into complex conservation issues in an engaging and relevant way, " said Karen Tingley, Director of Education, Zoos and Aquarium, Wildlife Conservation Society. “Through the integration of AR and other digital learning tools, students are motivated to truly grasp these concepts and collaboratively develop impactful solutions.”
“WaterWays is an exciting educational tool to teach students about the importance of their local environment through fun and interactive gaming,” stated Carrie Roble, Vice President of Estuary & Education, Hudson River Park. “We look forward to incorporating WaterWays into our field trip programs focused on water pollution, local ecology and environmental justice.”
Aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and the Connections to Excellence in Environmental Education, WaterWays provides a unique opportunity for students to apply their knowledge in designing solutions for pressing environmental issues. "WaterWays extends students' knowledge about how water connects people and the environment, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills," noted Jessica Ochoa Hendrix, CEO & CoFounder of Killer Snails.
"With Waterways, students are able to gain valuable experiences in water ecology, environmental health, and scientific research that contributes to the health and well-being of all communities." observed Luz Guel, Director of Community Engagement & Environmental Justice, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Students are able to apply these concepts in their own communities and develop research that leads to action.”
“Innovative programs like WaterWays help inspire the next generation of scientists and advocates that will support the health of not only the Hudson River, but our planet, too,” Roble added.
Killer Snails is a small, woman and minority-owned business that creates award-winning, immersive game-based science learning experiences. Founded by a scientist, an educational psychologist, and an MBA, the goal of the company is to inspire a love of science in students. WaterWays was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Science of the National Institutes of Health under award number R44GM139577.
Click to tweet: https://ctt.ac/U338X
]]>Science education plays a vital role in shaping young minds and fostering a deep appreciation for the world around us. To enhance the learning experience of students in grades 3-5, we are excited to launch WaterWays, an immersive science curriculum supplement that brings the wonders of environmental science to the classroom. As part of the launch, we were delighted to hold events at the renowned New York Aquarium and the stunning new classroom at Hudson River Park's Pier 5.
Science education is more than just memorizing facts and figures; it should inspire curiosity and spark a lifelong love for learning. By providing immersive experiences, WaterWays captivates children and creates lasting memories. WaterWays aims to achieve this by placing students in the role of scientists as they explore five unique topics: Sharks & Plastic, Water’s Journey, Restoring Ecosystems, Nature-Based Solutions, and Evaluating Progress.
WaterWays is designed as a curriculum supplement that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards for grades 3-5. Each module includes a call to action, gathering data, answering questions, constructing models, and developing and testing hypotheses. WaterWays encourages students to think critically and develop a deeper understanding of the intricate ways in which water impacts humans and humans impact water.
To celebrate the launch of WaterWays, we partnered with the prestigious New York Aquarium, home to an awe-inspiring array of marine life. During the launch event, children had the opportunity to engage with a shark in augmented reality and complete mazes to learn about the many ways plastic ends up in the ocean. They witnessed firsthand the importance of conservation efforts and the interconnectedness of all living beings.
In addition to the New York Aquarium, we were thrilled to hold a launch event at Hudson River Park's Pier 57. This iconic location offers a unique blend of history, ecology, and innovation. Children participated in hands-on activities that highlight the significance of the Hudson River ecosystem and the role oysters play as a keystone species . They learned about water quality, the impact of human activities, and the importance of environmental stewardship.
WaterWays not only aims to provide students with an immersive learning experience but also supports educators in delivering impactful science instruction. We provide comprehensive teacher guides, resource materials, and ongoing professional development opportunities to ensure that educators are equipped with the tools they need to create engaging lessons and foster scientific inquiry.
WaterWays represents a leap forward in science education for students in grades 3-5. By offering an immersive curriculum supplement, we aim to ignite a passion for scientific exploration and instill a sense of responsibility towards the world's aquatic ecosystems. Launch events at the New York Aquarium and Hudson River Park's Pier 57 provided students with unique opportunities to witness the wonders of marine life and develop a deeper understanding of environmental conservation. Join us on this exciting journey as we empower the next generation of scientists, thinkers, and stewards of our planet.
Together, let's make a splash with WaterWays!
]]>Killer Snails presented WaterWays at our first New York State Marine Education Association Conference this weekend! We really enjoyed meeting with so many marine educators and learned a lot from the other presenters.
We heard from Captain Dave, founder of SqualusMarine, which films dives in the Long Island Sound among other places. We also heard from Rocking the Boat, a non-profit in the Bronx that teaches youth to build wooden boats!
The conference was quite well run and super interesting. Killer Snails is looking forward to staying in touch with these local marine focused organizations!
]]>Cone snails are one of the most venomous creatures in the world. Their venom contains a cocktail of toxins that can be deadly to their prey, but it turns out that these toxins could also be used to cure certain diseases. In fact, scientists have been studying cone snail venom for years, hoping to find new treatments for a range of medical conditions.
Recently, our two interns at Killer Snails, Wynton and Mikey, had the opportunity to visit Mandë's lab, where they learned about the exciting research being conducted on cone snails and their venom. During their visit, the interns were given a tour of the lab and were able to see firsthand how scientists are working to isolate and study the different toxins found in cone snail venom.
One of the primary uses of cone snail venom is for pain relief. Some of the toxins found in the venom can block pain signals from reaching the brain, making them a promising candidate for the development of new pain medications. In fact, a drug called Ziconotide, which is derived from cone snail venom, has already been approved by the FDA for the treatment of chronic pain.
But the potential uses of cone snail venom don't stop there. Researchers are also investigating its potential as a treatment for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, and even cancer. Some of the toxins in cone snail venom have been found to have neuroprotective properties, meaning that they could potentially help protect the brain from damage caused by these diseases.
Of course, studying cone snail venom isn't without its challenges. Cone snails produce hundreds of different toxins, each with their own unique properties and potential uses. Isolating and studying these toxins is a complex and time-consuming process that requires a great deal of expertise and resources.
However, the potential benefits of studying cone snail venom are clear. By unlocking the secrets of these fascinating creatures and their venom, researchers could develop new treatments for a range of diseases, improving the lives of millions of people around the world.
As the interns left Mande's lab, they couldn't help but feel inspired by the groundbreaking research being conducted there. They knew that they had witnessed something truly special, and they were eager to see what the future holds for the study of cone snail venom and its potential to cure diseases.
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Killer Snails was thrilled to attend the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference in Atlanta as a vendor in the Exhibit Hall! The conference was an opportunity to showcase our newest technology, WaterWays, and interact with science educators, and gain insight into the latest trends and techniques in science education.
One of the biggest delights of exhibiting at the NSTA conference is the chance to connect with science teachers from all over the country, as well as international educators.
The exhibit hall was packed this year!
After a few years away due to the pandemic, it felt amazing to see the sheer number of people who were eager to enter. We were thrilled to share our products and services, answer questions, and demonstrate how they can benefit science education. We saw old friends and met new ones!
It was also a great opportunity for us to interact with our customers, gather feedback, and gain insight into their needs and interests.
]]>We visited the amazing 8th grade students of North Star Academy's Downtown Campus and they gave us some fantastic feedback!
In Venom CoLab students learn how four different types of scientists (Biochemist, Molecular Biologist, Pharmacologist, Zoologist) study venom-producing organisms to discover compounds with therapeutic potential. Students work in teams in this collaborative AR multiplayer experience.
One aspect that the students mentioned really enjoying was learning more about each of these types of scientists and how they could work together.
If you teach 6th-8th grade and are interested in piloting VenomCoLab please reach out to info@killersnails.com- we'd love to hear from you!
]]>The NY Tech MeetUp has been running for more than 18 years and is a fantastic resource for the NY Tech community. They will be opening their own space in 2023 and we are excited to see them there!
]]>In prior year’s this conference has led to Killer Snails consulting with UNICEF and this year, we met some wonderful folks from Teach For All and from Reflective Learning and hope to develop collaborations with them both!
]]>We gathered some useful feedback and were delighted that the students enjoyed the experience!
Favorite quotes included:
We look forward to bringing more immersive experiences to Bank Street in the future!
]]>Team Killer Snails loved showing off WaterWays, our immersive experience focused on water stewardship, to the many thousands of children who attended!
]]>Each panelist shared a bit about their entrepreneurial journey and shared their forecasts on the growth of the Latinx population and market in the United States. The packed room of students asked insightful questions, and shared their own concerns and areas of interest.
As a certified Minority and Women owned Business Enterprise (MWBE), Killer Snails loves celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month!
]]>The Killer Snails team always hires at least two educators to provide content expertise as well as to provide feedback on the development of our products. Teacher voice is one of the most valuable tools we incorporate into all our products.
VenomCoLab is a collaborative science experience where students, in distinct roles as scientists, work together to find ingredients in venom that can be used in medicines for humans. Each group of students has a goal of studying one type of venomous organism like marine snails, snakes, sea anemones, or scorpions to find a potential treatment for health problems like pain, cancer, blood pressure, or diabetes.
Looking forward to working with Ken and Ashley on this new product!
]]>By TzuChin Chen
This summer, I joined Killer Snails’ learning team as a research intern, focusing on user research. As I worked towards my Master’s degree in Games for Learning at NYU, my goal for this internship was to gain hands-on, industry experience in educational games-related user research. The Killer Snails team offered me the opportunity to design and conduct a user study on the usability of the educator dashboard for WaterWays, Killer Snails’ latest project. The educator dashboard seeks to provide teachers with information regarding their students’ progress, responses, questions, and comments.
The research began with the learning team carefully parsing out the usability goals of the educator dashboard for it to serve its intended purpose. These goals include easy access to different classes’ dashboards, individual students’ work in WaterWays, and the students’ questions and comments. With the usability goals in mind, we put on our user goggles to test the educator dashboard ourselves and identified areas that need further improvement. Based on the first round of internal testing, we designed and developed a prototype of an alternative version of the educator dashboard that presented different information and navigation options compared to the existing version.
To test the current design, and see if the alternative design might be a better match with teachers’ expectations, we invited 5 elementary science teachers with varying levels of experience with WaterWays and other online learning management systems to participate in this user research study.
Over the span of one week, we met with each of our participants individually via Zoom to conduct the testing sessions. The testing session itself was comprised of three parts:
As we were conducting the testing sessions, we were delighted to find out that our participants loved the information provided on the current dashboard! One participant commented that the current educator dashboard was “a lot less clunky than other educator dashboards.” Another participant stated, “I didn’t have any negative experiences [with the educator dashboard].” The visual presentation also received a lot of compliments. Overall, our participants expressed both satisfaction and excitement about WaterWays’ educator dashboard.
Nevertheless, some usability issues were observed. Specifically, there were issues with navigating from one view to another on the educator dashboard, which caused some confusion and made some information more difficult to access than expected. Our participants pointed out features on the alternative design that were helpful to them and kindly proposed other potentially useful features that were not available on the current educator dashboard.
Based on the user testing results, our learning and development team are working together to finalize the design of the educator dashboard to address teachers’ needs:
Killer Snails is super excited to take our innovative educator dashboard to the next level!
Come see us at National Science Teachers Association Conference!
We are SO EXCITED to have a table at NSTA Chicago this year! We haven’t tabled at a conference in over 2 years so we are excited to start seeing educators and colleagues again.
NSTA has always been one of our favorite conferences as we get to meet so many brilliant educators and catch up with educator friends from across the country.
If you are attending NSTA 2022 in Chicago, please come by Booth 429!
]]>Concept art for the upcoming VenomSquad experience
Starting July 1st, Killer Snails will begin work on a new collaborative augmented reality experience for middle school students called VenomSquad! This grant is a FastTrack Small Business Innovation Research award that funds development for the next 2.5 years.
VenomSquad will put students in the role of scientists collaboratively solving an exciting real-world science problem: finding new, non-addictive pain therapies based on the venom of extreme creatures like scorpions, snakes, and cone snails. VenomSquad is an inquiry-based, collaborative, multiplayer experience.
If you are interested in piloting VenomSquad with your 6-8th grade students, please reach out to us at info@killersnails.com. Piloting will begin in October of 2022 and will last for 1 class period. Piloting can take place anywhere in the US and we are looking for a range of rural, suburban and urban settings!
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Beautiful wooden plaque from SBA
SBA New York 2022 Small Business Person of the Year
Jessica Ochoa Hendrix, CEO & Co-Founder of Killer Snails, was named New York’s Small Business Administration Small Business Person of the Year! She was honored to receive the nomination and delighted to take part in a virtual ceremony with leaders from the SBA.
Jessica Ochoa Hendrix, CEO & CoFounder Killer Snails
The SBA has played a large role in supporting Killer Snails through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grants, the Emerging Leaders program and through mentoring offered through SCORE and the SBA Women’s Business Centers. Killer Snails has grown each year since its founding in 2016 in both revenue, staffing, the number of students and teachers reached.
Killer Snails is thrilled to have received this honor and looks forward to continuing to grow with support from the Small Business Administration!
]]>Photo of Arthur H. Kopelman, Ph.D. President, Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island
Killer Snails and partners Hudson River Park, Wildlife Conservation Society, and The Mount Sinai Transdisciplinary Center on Early Environmental Exposures, have been developing WaterWays, an augmented reality (AR) experience aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards.Elementary school students work in augmented reality (via iPads, Chromebooks, or other tablets) and personalized online science journals to gather data, answer questions, construct models and develop and test hypotheses.
In WaterWays, students get to study organisms like mako sharks and learn more about human impacts on water, and water's impact on humans. While developing knowledge of the connections between ecology and human health, students will also apply that understanding to come up with solutions to problems like plastic pollution.
Photo of the filming of Caitlin Bartlett from the Wildlife Conservation Society who helps harbor seals at the New York Aquarium
One of the more fun parts of our job is when we get to take field trips to film and photograph the seals! Here in New York, you can see the seals up close at the New York Aquarium OR you can go to Long Island and see seals in their natural habitat! We went to both locations to film and photograph the seals to include them in module 3 of WaterWays. Not only did we learn a lot, but we are also super excited to see what the students will think!
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We were delighted to run a workshop for 30 of Math for America’s master teachers titled “What's in a Game? Games as a Tool for Teaching Science!” Through a pre-event survey and participants’ discussion, we learned that more than 70% of our participants already used games like Jeopardy and Kahoot in their classes, but wanted to learn about more options, and what they could be doing to get the most out of those games.
Our discussion started with an observation: In big, complex, AAA-games like Red Dead Redemption, Spore, Assassin’s Creed, or Animal Crossing: New Horizons, people can spend hours on very complex missions and tasks. Players report learning about topics like ancient civilizations and plant genetics as a result of their gaming, purely out of their enjoyment of the challenge and own curiosity about the game’s world. This observation has spawned a lot of academic research into what makes games so motivating, and how to make games that intentionally lead to great experiences and strong learning outcomes for students.
One of the keys to game design in education is to make sure the game mechanic – the actions that a player can do, and what happens in the game as a result – is aligned with the learning mechanic – the pattern of behavior that forms the essential learning activity that is repeated throughout a game (Plass et al., 2013). After analyzing the game mechanics in different kinds of games, we talked about how games can be designed to achieve different learning outcomes. More examples of games showcased learning objectives from Bloom’s Taxonomy like remembering information, applying rules, and creating hypotheses (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001).
Participants then split up into groups based on subject matter and grade band to try designing their own games. Examples like a transcription & translation relay, adapting March Mammal Madness to highlight finch beaks’ adaptations to different food sources, and a chemistry equation-balancing game emerged from the teachers’ discussions.
Throughout the conversation, we shared research-based recommendations for how to get the most benefit from games in classrooms, including thinking about when the game is being used (to introduce ideas, as practice, or as an assessment?), using competition and collaborative groups to encourage student sharing and clarifying ideas for each other, and building in time after the game to reflect on what the different elements of the game represented, discussing how and why different strategies might work, and what the game got right about the science, versus where the game designers might have taken creative liberties.
Thanks to the teachers for providing such a lively discussion, and sharing your ideas!
Anderson, L.W. (Ed.), Krathwohl, D.R. (Ed.), Airasian, P.W., Cruikshank, K.A., Mayer, R.E., Pintrich, P.R., Raths, J., & Wittrock, M.C. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Complete edition). New York: Longman.
Plass, J. L., Homer, B. D., Kinzer, C. K., Chang, Y. K., Frye, J., Kaczetow, W., Isbister, K., & Perlin, K. (2013). Metrics in simulations and games for learning. In M. S. El-Nasr, A. Drachen, & A. Canossa (Eds.), Game analytics: Maximizing the value of player data (pp. 297–729). New York, NY: Springer.
]]>Team Killer Snails attended our first SXSWEDU conference this week and we had an amazing time!
Director of Learning Corinne Brenner facilitated a panel called “Designing XR for Hybrid Learning” with idris brewster of Movers & Shakers, Lisa Castenada of Foundry 10, and Joel Sadler of Stanford University. The extremely well attended (and enthusiastic!) crowd enjoyed learning more about the types of projects that each of the panelists developed.
In addition to this panel, we loved hearing from Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on his goals for K-12 education and a powerful panel on “When Culture Wars Come to School” featuring award-winning author George M. Johnson, Antonia Hylton and Mike Hixenbaugh of NBC News and Carolyn Foote Free Range Librarian/Library Consultant.
We learned so much from so many of the panels that we won’t list them all but a couple other favorites were: “Building Pathways to STEM with Space” with Albion Bowers of NASA Allison Bravo of iLead California, Kathleen Fredette of iLEAD CA Charter Schools, Michael Lewis of NanoRacks and Lauren Milord of DreamUp.org. Another favorite on Virtual Reality use in schools was Fail Safe Experiential Learning with Immersive VR with Mark Milliron, Mamie Pack and Aaron Popham of Western Governors University's Teachers College. The team is using virtual reality to enable teaching students to practice high stakes conversations in virtual reality before leading those conversations in a classroom setting.
Team Killer Snails had an amazing time and we are already looking forward to attending again!
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