The only reminder that a newspaper once operated out of the Dick Building at the corner of Granville and Broadway is the inclusion of its name, the Westender, on the building鈥檚 iconic neon sign.
A tech company called RED Academy now resides there, an indication of changing times (the Westender newspaper now lives in shared office space with sister paper the Courier).
RED, the city鈥檚 newest digital media and technology school, gave the public a taste of the present and the future with its first ever Tech the Halls sampler on Saturday. Taster courses in technologies UX, UI, web and app development, digital marketing, entrepreneurship and virtual reality were open to the public to attend for free for the day or portion.
While RED鈥檚 instructors took turns leading a classroom packed with young, older and everybody in between, the affable school鈥檚 director of operations Sean Eikerman fielded questions from the looky-loos.
On the industry: 鈥淭hirty per cent of technology becomes obsolete every year so it鈥檚 really important for us to stay on top of a very relevant and fresh curriculum.鈥�
On RED鈥檚 approach to education: 鈥淥ne of my colleagues put it best 鈥� it鈥檚 a practice environment, not a consumption learning environment. You鈥檙e not sitting there consuming knowledge, you鈥檙e actually practising it.鈥�
On the pile of shoes on the lobby floor: 鈥淲e have a shoes-off policy as it鈥檚 a casual and homey environment. It sets the tone to be creative. It鈥檚 a place where you can feel comfortable.鈥�
As much as Eikerman has to say about technology and education, he鈥檚 also interested in giving back to the community. RED is involved in such programs as the School Fund, which helps fund scholarships for students in developing countries that can鈥檛 afford education, as well as has partnerships with nonprofits, he said. Academy students also build portfolios by providing work such as websites and logo design for charities and non-profits such as Big Sisters of B.C. Lower Mainland.
While RED started in 麻豆传媒映画in 2015 (founder Colin Mansell opened his second RED Academy in Toronto earlier this year) it came just in time for 2016鈥檚
arrival of virtual reality in the mainstream. Through consumer-level technology such as Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, Samsung VR and the HTC Vibe, people are starting to realize the medium鈥檚 potential, said Eikerman.
鈥淰R is massively interesting,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 now got to the point where hardware components are sophisticated enough to handle the software needs and how VR can really make an impact is in taking you to a place that is completely another reality beyond just gaming.鈥�
Virtual reality can be used to challenge phobias, Eikerman pointed out. 鈥淵ou could be transported to a top of a building to face your fear of heights. Or you could be practising a speech in front of an auditorium of 20,000 people to face your fear of public speaking,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can create these experiences.鈥�
Eikerman said the ideas for VR application are endless, and he鈥檚 inspired by the minds that come up with them. An example, he said, was an idea for an experience that puts the user in the shoes of somebody with a mental illness as they navigate social situations.
鈥淵ou鈥檇 be trying to engage with people in an alternate reality but it was difficult to do so,鈥� he explained. 鈥淵ou would have these questions: 鈥榃hen I speak to people, they are reacting negatively to me 鈥� why are they reacting that way? What鈥檚 happening here?鈥欌��
The reveal at the end of the empathetic experience would be a specific mental illness the viewer had to learn to navigate. Interesting to note the idea belonged to a 15-year-old summer school student in one of RED鈥檚 partner programs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting because the sky鈥檚 the limit for what you can do,鈥� said Eikerman. 鈥淵ou just have to have the imagination and skill set to do it.鈥�
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