What Is the VR EcoHack?


The Public VR Lab, BostonVR, and Brookline Interactive Group are organizing the inaugural year of a three-day hackathon to create educational content that focuses on environmental sustainability lessons in VR, AR and 360 on April 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, 2017 at the Public VR Lab, 46 Tappan St, Brookline, MA.

Hack the future at the Lab, and create a more sustainable planet! Learn VR, AR and 360, and test your theories on the latest headsets. Participants from around the region are invited to sign up and join the fun!

Sign Up Here

The problem participants will be asked to solve is this:

What methods can we use to help educators to understand the possibilities, educational value of VR, AR and 360 video, and how can we encourage its use in the classroom?

How can we use VR/AR/360 to create simple lesson plans or educational apps for middle school or high school teacher use that focuses on climate change, sustainability, or other environmental challenges faced by our world?

Sign Up Here

Participate

Hack participants will choose one of three science and ecological-focused lesson plans to create a simple, easy-to-use lesson for teachers in one of the three VR-related technologies (VR, AR or 360 video).

A keynote speaker will present on Friday night, April 21st, where hack teams can form, choose which lesson plan to focus on, and begin brainstorming their approach for Saturday and Sunday’s hackathon!

At the end of the day on Sunday, at 4pm EST, participant teams will turn in their content and be judged by industry creatives and innovators. The top three in each category will receive prizes and recognition for their hack projects.

Participate and gain access to prizes, training, teamwork, and a great opportunity to work on a VR, AR or 360 project in the public interest!

Free food and caffeination all weekend!

Sign Up Here

Videos

Sponsor the Next Gen of Mixed Reality Creators!

Partner with Us

Join the first year of this annual event and gain access to VR content creators in VR, AR, and 360 video. Brand your company with this innovative, mixed reality event. Support a great non-profit cause that promotes innovation in education, job training, and a sustainable planet. Help encourage the next generation of VR content creators and share your vision of VR, AR and 360 with them. Partners will be included on t-shirts and swag given out at the event to all 100+ participants, and on the web site, social media campaign, flyers, at event announcements, and all other marketing collateral.

Partners for the 2017 VR ECOHACK

Brookline Interactive Group (BIG)

www.brooklineinteractive.org

Brookline Interactive Group (BIG) is an integrated media and technology education center and a community media hub for Brookline, MA and the region. BIG facilitates diverse community dialogue, incubates and funds hyperlocal storytelling, arts, journalism and technology projects, and serves over 500 youth and adults annually through innovative classes and partnerships. BIG offers extensive multimedia training, Virtual Reality (VR) and 360-video cameras and training, access to high quality filmmaking equipment, production grants, and provides low-cost professional media services to non-profit organizations, education partners, businesses, and to local government.

The Public VR Lab

www.publicvrlab.com

The Public VR Lab is the next iteration of participatory community media in VR, AR and 360 video. At the Lab, the public has free access to the latest in VR headsets, AR storytelling, and 360 video equipment and editing tools.

The Lab is a collaborative effort to facilitate a public dialogue and projects around new VR-related technologies; to support the community creation of 360, virtual and augmented content, provide access to tools and headsets; and to generate socially-relevant and locally-focused public interest VR experiences. Brookline Interactive Group (BIG) and Northampton Community Television (NCTV) launched this VR accessibility and literacy initiative at their community media centers in Northampton and Brookline, MA, beginning in May of 2016.

Contact kathy@brooklineinteractive.org to become an education partner or corporate sponsor of this event!