Google demos virtual reality goggles for students

On Oct. 19, the science conference center mummered with excited voices as goggles were passed out to students. The big topic of the week had finally arrived that would take students all around the world in 50 minutes. It would be the virtual reality goggles made by google.

This all became possible when US Government and Economics teacher Seth Mintz was informed about the program.

“My mom sent me a New York Times article and I was reading about it and I was excited about it so I signed up.”

The program made by the company aims towards giving students the ability to go on field trips and helping them have a better understanding of the subjects they are learning.

During the process each student was given a pair of google cardboard goggles and a cell phone provided by the company. Once they received and powered on the phone they had to open an app called Expeditions. Through the app Mintz was able to control what the students were able to see by using a nexus tablet. As soon as everything was set in stone the students put the goggles on and were off.

Starting off in the Great Barrier Reef, Minz instructed the students to look for certain landmarks in the goggles as he was able to see smiley faces on his tablet that let him know where the students were looking. After a couple of trips students got to voice their opinions on the whole process. Senior Kennedy Herndon shares her experience with the goggles.

“It was a really nice experience for students to have and it gives students a different way of understanding places in the world.”

The educational value of the entire project has helped students really connect with their lessons by interacting more with the lesson as Mintz share.

”I think what’s good about the goggles is that they can be used to open up a lesson, discuss topics in the middle of a lesson and close a lesson.”

Mints also adds on to how the goggles can benefit students and teachers school wide.

“I think people don’t always connect to the information right away so I think it’s a really good idea to have something like that you can be in it and hopefully it makes more fun and interesting in them.”

Hopefully within the near future the entire student body will be able to get on board and travel across the world in all of their classes.