There’s been a wave of interest in K-12 schools about the power of virtual and augmented reality over the past few years.  But are education companies ready to incorporate this tech into what they’re doing now—or launch new virtual, augmented, or mixed reality products before their competitors do?

On Tuesday, May 21, at 2 p.m. Eastern  EdWeek Market Brief will dive into those issues in a webinar. Our two guests will cover a checklist of factors companies need to consider if they’re scoping out whether to jump into the VR/AR/mixed reality game. We’ll also look at mistakes for companies to avoid if they’re already playing in that space.

Among those pressing issues? Is a company’s VR/AR product or prototype capable of working across different school platforms and devices? Does the company have a plan to support effective implementation? Have they thought about how their product will mesh with the realities of classroom instruction and design? And how do they price their products to meet districts’ budget constraints?

The first guest is Jaime Donally.  She’s a former teacher and the author of  Learning Transported: Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality for All Classrooms, a book in which she talks about what educators want from tech tools, including virtual reality. She’s now a consultant, and her clients include companies trying to bring VR/AR into schools.

She will be joined by Mike Harper, the executive vice president and chief marketing officer of zSpace, a company that has developed an augmented-reality experience through computer screens, not the headsets many associate with VR. Harper’s company, which has drawn support from venture capitalists, has a presence in thousands of schools across the U.S., and it also does business in China.

I’ll be moderating, and whether you’re an established VR/AR player, or a newbie looking at opportunities and risks, we’ll leave plenty of time for your questions.

The webinar is scheduled for May 21 at 2 p.m. Eastern. You can sign up here.

Photo: Triston Dunkerson, center, uses a VR viewer to go on a virtual field trip to a rainforest in the classroom of teacher Amanda Moore at Chapelwood elementary in Indianapolis in 2017. AJ Mast for Education Week

See also:

• Education Seen as Strong Market for VR/AR by Insiders
• Virtual Reality: Breaking Down the Implications for the K-12 Market