Socorro ISD Homebound Student to Rejoin Classroom using VGo Robot

A student at John Drugan School, who has been homebound for nine months, soon will be part of her class again virtually using VGo, a telepresence robot, which allows her to be part of classroom instruction and activities while she is at home recovering from a chronic illness.

“Our district is always looking to be innovative and find new technologies that we can provide for our students,” said Miguel Moreno, the district’s instructional technology coordinator. “We are opening doors to so many possibilities of how to bring people together. In this case, there is no bond like that of a classmate who has been out of school and peers wanting that student to be part of the classroom again.”

The instructional technology team and campus administration are working with the student to teach her how to operate her robot-stand-in which can stream two-way video and is equipped with audio capabilities so she can quickly go back to learning in the classroom.

“This student has been ill since the start of the school year, and due to the nature of her illness she has been at home,” said Adalberto Garcia, principal at John Drugan School.

“In the past, her connection to the school was only her homebound teacher so this will allow her to interact with students and be part of our school again. It’s an amazing opportunity for her and another example of our district offering endless opportunities to our students,” Principal Garcia added.

The initiative was made possible after the Socorro Independent School District’s Technology Services Department worked with the campus to find a way to better accommodate the needs of the student and offer her a classroom experience.

Julie Machnik