Friends goggle at Google

Pupils from Friends School were recently treated to a display of the latest Virtual Reality technology from Global IT giant Google.

Friends’ School Lisburn were one of a very select group of schools in Northern Ireland to be hosting an ‘Expeditions’ event.

According to Friends it certainly proved to be fascinating insight into the world of virtual reality.

Google ‘Expeditions’ is a new product that allows teachers to take their classes on virtual field trips, immersing students in experiences that bring abstract concepts to life and giving students a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom.

These trips are collections of virtual reality panoramas — 360° photo spheres, 3D images and video, ambient sounds — annotated with details, points of interest, and questions that make them easy to integrate into the curriculum already used in schools.

A spokesperson for Friends’ School Lisburn said: “While nothing replaces hopping on a bus for a field trip, teachers used the experience to explore how new technologies could help enrich the current curriculum.

“This technology is still in its infancy and there is still some way to go in terms of refining it to make it more interactive and engaging for students to realise real gains to their knowledge and understanding of a particular topic.

“With Google leading the charge in the education sector, there is no doubt that this technology will be heading for a classroom near you in the not too distant future.”