Learning in Motion:

A Courtside Lesson in Innovation

Every year, Motor City Cruise Education Day brings together thousands of young learners for a powerful combination of sports, inspiration, and hands-on learning. This year, the event reached new heights as more than 2,000 students from across the Detroit metro area filled the arena, ready to cheer on the Wayne State basketball team and ready to explore new horizons in technology. But the game wasn’t the only highlight of the day.
For many of these scholars, their most memorable moment happened before tip-off the moment they stepped into the world of CODE313.

Bringing Technology to Life Through Experiential Learning

As students entered the arena, they were greeted with an opportunity to dive into immersive tech experiences that blended education with excitement. CODE313’s activation gave scholars direct exposure to Augmented Reality, using Merge Cubes to unlock digital worlds right in the palm of their hands.

With each rotation of the cube, students watched 3D objects appear, transform, and interact, a heart, a galaxy, a fossil, a machine. For many, this was their very first time seeing AR outside of a phone screen or gaming app. What began as simple curiosity quickly turned into wonder.

A Day Filled With Discovery

Throughout the event, students moved through CODE313’s learning stations, testing different AR realities and exploring hands-on simulations designed to spark their creativity and problem-solving skills. Teachers reported that many of their students couldn’t stop talking about the Merge Cube experience, even as the game was happening.

Some scholars lined up again just to test more simulations.

Others asked:

“Is this something I can get at home?”
“Where can I tell my parents to buy this?”
“Can we use this at school?”

Moments like these are exactly why Learning in Motion with CODE313 exists, to ignite interest where students didn’t even know they had it.

Impact Beyond the Arena

For many young scholars, the Motor City Cruise Education Day was their first time attending a major athletic event and their first time engaging with emerging technologies. By pairing an exciting basketball game with cutting-edge tech exposure, the experience introduced students to:

• The power of augmented reality
• The growing world of interactive learning tools
• New pathways in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math
• Real possibilities for future careers

CODE313’s presence ensured that this wasn’t just another field trip, it was an opportunity to discover passions, ask questions, and leave with curiosity sparked.

Looking Ahead: Inspiring the Next Wave of Innovators

As the students celebrated each basket and explored each new reality through AR, something meaningful happened: education came alive. Events like Motor City Cruise Education Day prove that when technology, sports, and community come together, learning becomes unforgettable.

CODE313 remains committed to bringing these hands-on experiences to youth across Detroit, ensuring every learner gets a chance to imagine, innovate, and build the future.