Bainbridge High School students no longer only have to learn about the “3 R’s.” Now they can also learn in “3-D.”
Stewart Rodeheaver, the president of ViziTech U.S.A., was the guest speaker of the Rotary Club of Bainbridge on Tuesday. His company produces a 3-D imaging console that can be used in classrooms to make learning more engaging, and the local Rotary Club is helping purchase the consoles for BHS.
Rodeheaver said studies showed that students’ comprehension, retention and test scores improve by more than 30 percent when they view a lesson on the device.
The device works similar to a conventional slide show or PowerPoint presentation, projecting images onto a flat-surfaced screen. The difference is that the images are displayed in 3-D, and when students use the special 3-D glasses, those images appear to pop out or move around.
Rodeheaver demonstrated the technology by having club members don the glasses. A robot on the screen would then “shoot” a bullet toward the club member, and no matter which way he or she turned or moved, the bullet would always “hit.”
“I saw some of you hiding behind your friends,” Rodeheaver laughed.
Some of the demo lessons included viewing a model of a cell, watching a moving presentation of how an internal-combustion engine works, and seeing a model of the solar system in full color and three dimensions.
Rodeheaver also showed how the system allows the students to “dissect” models of spiders, earthworms and even dinosaurs.
“We have more than 1,000 lessons and we’re creating new ones every day,” said Rodeheaver, a retired brigadier general who first developed the technology for military applications just 18 months ago.
Rodeheaver said Bainbridge’s Rotary Club was the first community club in the state to purchase one of the systems for a local school.
“It’s because you have great leadership and a great team,” he said. “You put it together and made it happen.”
Amy Worsley, a 10th grade biology teacher at BHS, said her students had already had several lessons using the new technology.
“I want one at my own house,” she said, with a laugh. “This is really something that the kids can enjoy. It can be a noisy classroom, but it gets really quiet and the kids really pay attention when you use it.
“It’s really ageless when it comes to learning and making learning fun.”
The club’s upcoming “Casino Night” fundraiser, scheduled for Feb. 18, 2012, will help raise some of the money needed to pay for the technology. The event will feature an evening of Vegas-style “funny money” gaming, chance drawing prizes and refreshments. Tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased from any Rotarian or by calling either Bridget Collier at (229) 246-3232 or bridget@iveyfuneral.com or Benny Harrell at (229) 220-9436 or bennyharrell@gmail.com.
Rodeheaver explained that one of the consoles by itself, with 25 sets of glasses, costs $9,000. The full system, which also includes all lesson libraries and presentation, is $14,500.
“We can create any lesson that we want on this system,” he said. “Your mind really does pick up more knowledge in 3-D than in 2-D. You learn more, because you actually have your hands on it and it’s not just in a flat book.”
For more information about the company and its technology, visit online at www.vizitechusa.com.