VGo

VGo is best described as a tool that helps a person to replicate themselves in another location. This tool also gives the person the ability to move around as if they were physically there. An individual would be able to see, hear, talk, go anywhere and interact. VGo is 100% remote controlled. You don’t need to make a call, you just go to the location remotely. According to the website, www.vgo.com, some users describe VGo as their personal “avatar” and that the tool embodies the remote person.

VGo is being used in schools presently, and students can use the tool if they are not physically able to go to school because of illness, an accident or medical condition. VGo has the child go to the traditional classroom setting and it is operated by the student. Student are able to do the following with VGo:

• -          Receive the same instruction as their peers
• -          Move around/between classrooms independently
• -          Socialize with friends in the hallways and at lunch
• -          Participate in a full school day with their classmates.

The VGo is priced at $6,000 - $7,000, and there is a $100 annual service contract fee. If an individual needs additional charging pads for VGo, those are priced at $500. A 12-hour battery (which is an upgrade for the machine) is $200. VGo weight about 19 pounds and has a 6 hour battery. If one were to by the machine with the 12 hour battery, this would have the machine weighing at 26 pounds.

VGo is a useful tool to have in a school classroom. However, the price of the machine can be a lot depending on the funding of the school system. On the VGo website, teachers have expressed how practical the machine is in the classroom. One teacher stated how the home bound student in her classroom was able to be a part of school life again. She used to use the webcam on her laptop, but now with VGo she is able to have the student be a part of the classroom with the students. Instead of only interacting with the teacher.