News > Smart & Connected Life Tech-Adaptika is Launching a VR Summer School With Avatars The first VR school to utilize avatars in North America By Joshua Hawkins Joshua Hawkins Twitter Freelance Technology Reporter Full Sail University Josh Hawkins is a freelance writer for Lifewire who loves writing about the latest tech and gadgets that help make people’s lives easier. As an avid gamer and VR enthusiast, he also enjoys diving deep into the technology that helps bring those kinds of experiences to life. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 25, 2021 04:47PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr Twitter University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Smart & Connected Life Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Voilà Learning and Tech-Adaptika have announced the launch of the first avatar-based virtual reality summer school in North America. The news dropped Friday, with Tech-Adaptika revealing that the upcoming summer school would offer classes for students in grades one through 12, including courses in English, French, and math. The school is being launched in collaboration with Voilà Learning and is part of the two companies’ push to give students more options following a year of partial or full school closures. Giu Vicente / Unsplash “We want to help bridge the learning gap for Canadian and American students by creating opportunities for meaningful interactions safely,” Carrie Purcell, the co-founder of Tech Adaptika, explained in a press release. “Our virtual platform allows educators to teach in a more human-centric way." According to the announcement, students and teachers alike will be able to customize their own avatars, allowing them to become completely immersed in the classroom. Much like a physical classroom, students will be able to engage directly with their fellow students and teachers. Following last year, Tech-Adaptika says this summer school is just one way it is fighting back against the negatives that have affected education throughout 2020 and early 2021. With many schools closed throughout the 2020 school year, the company notes that many children are now starting to fall behind on the minimum proficiency level for reading, and both Tech-Adaptike and Voilà Learning believe that virtual summer schools like theirs can help turn the tide. The summer school platform will be available from July 15 to September 15, and it will run from 9 a.m. to noon, (eastern time) Monday through Thursday. Tech-Adaptika also says the program will be available to school boards across North America and that it's being funded by both the Canadian and US government. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up! Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit