Hamilton Middle School students don VR headsets to glimpse possible career paths
From left, Hamilton Middle School eighth graders Stella Davis, Emma Wright, and Kenzi McClung explore the Transfr modules through the Meta Quest 2 at the Hamilton Middle School library Friday afternoon. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Russell Spencer from Mid-Ohio Valley Workforce Development, center, helped student Nevaeh Ross with the Meta Quest 2 at the Hamilton Middle School library Friday afternoon. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Students use the Transfr career explanation software through the Meta Quest 2 headset at the Hamilton Middle School library Friday afternoon. Front, from left, are Jocelyn Staats, Addy Kerns, and Aeriana Nicolai. Back is Whitney Forrester. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
From left, Hamilton Middle School eighth graders Stella Davis, Emma Wright, and Kenzi McClung explore the Transfr modules through the Meta Quest 2 at the Hamilton Middle School library Friday afternoon. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Russell Spencer from Mid-Ohio Valley Workforce Development, center, helped student Nevaeh Ross with the Meta Quest 2 at the Hamilton Middle School library Friday afternoon. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Students use the Transfr career explanation software through the Meta Quest 2 headset at the Hamilton Middle School library Friday afternoon. Front, from left, are Jocelyn Staats, Addy Kerns, and Aeriana Nicolai. Back is Whitney Forrester. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
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PARKERSBURG -- Hamilton Middle School eighth graders stepped into a new virtual world Friday afternoon.
Two Mid-Ohio Valley Workforce Development Board officials brought over 30 Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headsets programmed with simulations of real life career situations. The software was demonstrated in several classes.
"The company is called Transfr and their modules include the automotive, diesel, medical and hospitality careers," Josh Kittle, of Mid-Ohio Valley Workforce Development Board, said.
To start, students put on the headset and picked the two controllers: one used to navigate and the other to interact with the virtual world.
West Virginia History teacher Keith Schoenhut said he was excited for the program.
"Once (Principal Kevin Campbell) told me about this program, I said yes immediately," he said. "I knew the kids would love it."
Some of the available modules included helping a patient at a car accident scene, restoring power to a broken line, and assisting during surgery. Schoenhut said the power restoration module provoked conversations among students.
"They climb a tower and it looks like they are 400 feet in the air," he said. "I told one student to look down and they said, 'no thanks,'" he said.
Schoenhut said he enjoyed watching the students interact with the software and compared his experience theirs.
"When I tried it, it took me a second to reorient myself with reality. It didn't bother them at all," he said.
Kittle said the software could help a student gain ideas of what careers they might want to pursue since it puts them in that world.
Student Stella Davis said she enjoyed the experience.
"It's something new to explore. It gives you hands-on experience," she said.
Fellow student Gavin Simonton added, "It was like I was in the world."
Kristen Hainkel can be reached at khainkel@newsandsentinel.com