The Mozilla Gigabit Community Fund, a partnership with the National Science Foundation and US Ignite, moves next-generation technology out of labs and into classrooms and other learning spaces in Gigabit cities across the United States.
This month, the Gigabit team has been hard at work to connect gigabit technology with people and projects around the globe, discussing virtual reality (VR), 4K video streaming (4K) and artificial intelligence (AI) possibilities and the profound impact the technology can have on learning spaces.
- The team awarded funds to nine grantees across Kansas City and Chattanooga to build, pilot, and scale gigabit-enabled applications and associated curricula that have immediate, measurable impact on classrooms and informal learning organizations.
- The team also co-hosted the Education Track at the Gigabit City Summit, with Think Big. Sessions that were part of that track explored where community innovation, emerging technologies, and education meet.
- The same week, it was announced that Austin, Texas is the newest Mozilla Gigabit city!
- May’s Mozilla Learning community call featured Mozilla Gigabit lead Lindsey Frost, Mozilla curriculum guru Chad Sansing, high school teacher Caleb Bagby, and Pennez partners Rebecca Dove and Quest Taylor. The discussion provided an overview of gigabit technology, how each guest has utilized it to make learning more immersive and engaging, and how others can get involved (with or without a gigabit connection). Here are a few resources our guests shared:
- Caleb provides students with VR field trip experiences using Oculus Rift, hololenses and ORAH 4k 360 degree camera.
- Pennez is building a live time application to assess children’s reading fluency using artificial intelligence technology.
- Chad introduced A-Frame VR from Mozilla, My First VR Site activity on Thimble, and this recommended read: Gigabit VR: Putting the World into Our Kids’ Hands.
If you missed the call, you can learn more about opportunities available to you , challenges, and amazing resources by watching the recording below. You can also find the archived video and etherpad here.
We wrapped up the month with a #TTWchat about gigabit technology around the world and how it can transform learning spaces. Here are the highlights: