XR Terra’s Alysia Ordway Presents at Cape Cod Technology Council

It’s fitting that XR Terra has been making the rounds on the Cape, virtually via Zoom, as interest in extended realities continues to grow.

Alysia Ordway, Director of Strategic Partnerships, was invited to present to the Cape Cod Technology Council on May 7.

For the Cape Cod Technology Council’s “First Friday” event, Ordway spoke about building the next generation of XR talent to its members, who are leaders, experts and advisors driving technology entrepreneurship, education, innovation and policy on Cape Cod. They were interested in knowing more about XR and why businesses must prepare for it, as well as how VR and AR are already transforming global industry and how the demand and opportunities for talent are exploding.

Ordway not only had answers, but solutions to many members’ questions. When a teacher from the Cape Cod Regional Technical High School asked about what skills should be included in high school curriculums to help prepare students for study in XR, Ordway was able to share about XR Terra’s pilot program in the summer of 2020 for high school students. Participants not only learned the Unity Technology platform, but also important lessons about attention to detail and persistence.

“What we learned last summer is that you (high school students) don’t need to necessarily know how to code (to design an interaction), but the more you know how to code, the more you can do with the technology,” she said.

She pointed out that foundational skills and knowledge of certain programs and languages, like Blendr and C#, , are necessary for XR Terra’s 12-week bootcamps. However, XR Terra has developed a new Introduction to XR program, which doesn’t require previous design, development, educational or professional experience, and is a great way to gain exposure to creating in XR.

Here is the video of the event: