Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on June 7, 2024

TULSA, Okla. The SB1671 Oklahoma Holocaust Legislation Coalition held an event at the Tulsa City County Library on Wednesday to reveal a new Augmented Reality (AR) technology that has been created for Holocaust studies in Oklahoma public school classrooms.

SB1671 Coalition, in partnership with Solaos, Inc., developed an educational app to provide students an interactive learning experience while sitting at their desks or walking around their classrooms.

Solaos, Inc. is a Tulsa IT consulting company known for creating AR modules for the Greenwood Rising Museum in Tulsa and also working on national programs.

A 91-year-old Oklahoman, who was a survivor of the Holocaust, is part of the project to improve the way history is taught to students.

Holocaust survivor Eva K. Unterman said she's grateful to be a part of this project that tells her story and the stories of millions.

"It's very important and I am most grateful for it and to be still around. I am 91 years old, so I'm the only holocaust survivor, I'm being told, in Oklahoma, which is quite an obligation," Unterman said.

The project is the result of Senate Bill 1671 from 2022.

Students will hear stories from Unterman and many other Holocaust survivors. They will also get to see and hear what it was like for people to be shipped on trains to concentration camps.

Unterman said this is important and wants it to turn into something more.

"All I know is my personal experience. Anytime anyone wants to hear it, as long as I can speak, I'll talk to them. Whether it's one person or a room full of people. Our history must be remembered just as others, especially in Oklahoma. Indian history, Black history, we have to remember that," Unterman said.

Kujana Jackson with Solaos, Inc. helped build the technology for it. He said this could create a domino effect.

"Using immersive technologies to help educate students is kind of the pathway forward for the future. Our students are used to being on cell phones, they're used to being on tablets, used to being connected in a very intimate way with technology. The only place they don't get to do that often is in school. I think as we start making technology more immersive, we start telling the history of using these things, I think that you will see a trend across education systems," Jackson said.

It will start as an app and soon it will include further features such as virtual reality headsets and interactive photography.

The interactive app will be available to use in classrooms next fall.

Those who attended the reveal party were the first to see the AR-Stitch program.

In one module, students will see a World War II soldiers photo come alive and talk directly to them about his war experiences.

"Perhaps the first of its kind created for Holocaust studies in public school classrooms," the announcement said.

The Mission of the SB1671 Coalition is to promote Holocaust studies in Oklahoma public schools, grades 6-12.

These teacher conferences are sponsored by theSB1671Coalition. They are taking place in Tulsa, Norman, Enid and Lawton during the month of June.

It's been agreed to by historians that 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.

In January, the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, also referred to as the Claims Conference, released a report estimating there are 245,000 Holocaust survivors in 90 different countries.

Read more here:

SB1671 Coalition unveils new tech created for Holocaust studies in Oklahoma schools - KOKI FOX 23 TULSA

Category: Holocaust
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