South Central Los Angeles has a bad reputation. Both movies and real-life crime stories have shown that.
Carlos Oyarbide is familiar with the reputation of being a regular visitor.
I teach there because there's truth in the violent stereotype. It has a good sense of community and loyalty to immigrants. The community has a spirit of entrepreneurship.
The spirit has been used at Mr Oyarbide's school. The trial site for the scheme was the school and it was designed to help students with a limited grasp of the language.
Metaverse is a collection of virtual reality worlds that can be accessed through a browser or virtual reality headset.
The idea behind the scheme is to use the power of virtual reality to replace traditional teaching methods and give students the chance to explore a virtual world.
It's not new that virtual reality can be used to improve learning. According to a study done in 2020, students using virtual reality could learn up to four times faster than they would in a traditional class.
The price of virtual reality headsets has fallen, making them more affordable.
Mr Oyarbide was attracted to the idea that his students could focus better.
I've been teaching for a long time. Paying attention is not a good idea if children can figure out things. I wanted to learn from books for a period and then use virtual reality.
Many of his students were able to learn a new language with the help of a virtual reality environment.
They used the technique to practice their language skills.
A typical task done by his students in the classroom is to build a shop while learning the English language.
Students use the equipment for a couple of hours a week.
They can feel intimidated speaking in English, but when it's just them and a virtual reality headset, that's completely different.
Despite the positive impact virtual reality has on his teaching methods, Mr Oyarbide is not a big fan of the hype surrounding it.
There are many advantages to a traditional classroom setting according to him.
The approach to teaching through books isn't changing. You won't be wearing a headset for four hours a day. It allows you to reduce teacher talk and create a space for a student to grow.
Marco's parents moved to LA.
I'm the first generation of my family to graduate from high school. I learned how to use my own resources in high school.
He missed out on the newer headsets that are now used.
Instead, he used a cardboard viewer attached to a phone and software to experience virtual reality.
He says that his high school's use of technology was important for his academic development.
He likes the idea of virtual reality, but he can also be critical of how technology is taken for granted by younger people.
We are digital natives, but we don't have enough discipline. We fall to the temptations.
He was able to overcome any distraction and win a scholarship to study at a prestigious Ivy League university.
A non-profit organisation dedicated to introducing students at schools in disadvantaged areas to emerging technologies employs him today. The headsets for the virtual reality were given to the college by exponential destiny.
The firm is run by Marcus shingles. He was a high-flying business consultant at top-tier firms where he demonstrated new technologies to business leaders and contrasted himself with his students.
He says he's a rich white man.
He is helping teenagers who have never considered a career in technology to think about it.
It's clear that the internet is evolving, so we take the time to show students that developing products in the metaverse doesn't require hard coding.
The falling price of virtual reality headsets could make the technology more accessible.
Students who do not see themselves as tech-oriented are attracted to this approach.
Many of the students that went through the program are now working at other schools.
One of them is the daughter of a Salvadoran father and a Salvadoran mother.
I heard about a new class and decided to take it to see what it was like.
She was attracted to a virtual approach to building computing programs that bypassed traditional coding techniques and made her feel better about herself.
No-code coding is a method that is powered by artificial intelligence.
Students in the US and overseas are likely to see these techniques in the near future.
There are four projects running in four schools at the moment, with plans to introduce the system to two more in the US and four more outside the US.
Juan Felix, a former student at the college, is teaching a class of students with limited English who are using technology.
He shows his students how to cover letters and apply for jobs in a virtual world.
It is insane. They don't speak English as a first language and haven't been exposed to technology before but they learn quickly.
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