A new technology has recently been introduced to the Athens Drive science curriculum. In January, students had the opportunity to participate in a new upbringing of learning through virtual technology called zSpace.

zSpace, a technology new to Athens Drive and thousands of students across the country,  has developed a hardware and software solution that allows students to manipulate virtual, 3D objects. These objects can range from body parts such as the human heart to complex machines such as helicopters, all with the goal of helping students learn and understand concepts such as math, physics, engineering and biology.

“This new way of learning is important for students; I think it would be great to use zSpace in conjunction with real in class dissections but not replace them. zSpace is nice because the things we cannot afford to dissect like the heart, brain and digestive system we would be able to dissect with zSpace,” said Sherry Wantz, anatomy teacher.

Athens Drive has recently purchased a class set of zSpace technology that will soon be available for use next school year. By having this technology available to students it will not only help students comprehend more of the material they are learning, but also further develop the curriculum at Athens.

This new addition to the science department will work to establish teamwork and collaboration among students. While using zSpace, students work together and communicate during the dissections, one student being the driver and one being the writer. The driver controls the movement with sensor glasses while the writer controls what goes on in the dissection. Both positions playing an important role; without one of these positions the dissection would be difficult to complete.

“zSpace is really interesting, I think it will end up being a really good investment for the school because it will not only help students learn in a more effective way, but it will also be fun to use. And on the plus side dissections will not be as gross and messy as they tend to be in real life,” said Yusraa Rashidi, junior.

zSpace encourages interaction and group collaboration and it empowers students to “learn by doing” in a virtual environment where it is easy to undo mistakes, make changes and not worry about material costs or clean up. At the same time it will improve the knowledge of students and the hands on learning at Athens Drive.