As part of the Virtually Here Pilot for Primary Schools, which will commence in February 2020, five schools from Galway will be involved in this pilot programme throughout this school year and next.

Virtually Here explores the lines between natural realities and constructed digital realities. By shifting perspectives, this project will playfully explore the ability to think three-dimensionally within a virtual and augmented reality, developing new skills in digital storytelling, developing storyboards and new narratives within a Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) space.

Learners will discover how creating something on a computer screen, that is created to be explored in VR, requires a constant change of perspective and incorporates many of the curricular skills Immersive Classroom strives to instill. When creating a VR or AR environment, learners not only change between the perspective of the creator and the explorer, they can also take on various perspectives within the world they have created: from the worm’s eye to the bird’s eye view. The curricular linkages with such activities when exploring the use of AR and VR in the classroom are endless. The aim of this pilot initiative is to give teachers the tools to use AR and VR independently, so that they can generate motivation in exploring the curriculum from a new perspective and so, begin to challenge young people to see the world differently.

The Artist – Jojo Hynes

Jojo Hynes is a visual artist with an MA in Fine Art from Kingston University and a Degree in Fine Art from CCAM, GMIT. She has exhibited and participated in residencies nationally and internationally. Jojo Hynes’ current practice explores representations of real and fictional female protagonists, playing with hierarchies.  She is influenced by where the past and the present meet and overlap.

Most recently, she has been exploring narratives across a range of media including video mapping, digital sound, VR and AR. Jojo Hynes is also an artist educator with over ten years’ experience working with a variety of organisations in Australia, UK and Ireland. She has completed a PGCE in Art and Design and a Post Graduate Diploma in Community, Art and Education.

Engagement in this project will involve the following key aspects:

Sept 2019 – June 2020

• Three to four school visits by Jojo Hynes to explore the uses of augmented and virtual reality in the classroom with teachers and pupils.
• Optional attendance at an evening workshop in Galway Education Centre for teachers. Jojo, in collaboration with the PDST, will be developing a workshop to introduce teachers to the many uses of using AR and VR in the classroom in supporting and enhancing learning.
• Completion of an evaluation survey to inform year two of the project.

Sept 2020 – June 2021

• Two to three school visits to develop an outcome based on one of the Galway 2020 themes, migration, landscape and language. These school visits by Jojo Hynes will also be in collaboration with a PDST advisor.
• A showcase of learning from this pilot programme.

If you are interested in taking part in this pilot project, please complete the online expression of interest form.

Closing date for expressions of interest is 9 December. Schools selected to participate in this initiative will be contacted shortly thereafter. Based on the number of completed forms, schools will be randomly selected to participate in this pilot.

If you have any queries regarding this pilot, please contact education@galway2020.ie