Google tests virtual reality in classrooms

Chapel Hill High School was one of the first stops on Google’s Expeditions Pioneer Program, which is designed to bring virtual reality “field trips” to the classroom using Google Cardboard viewers.

Representatives from Google visited Chapel Hill on February 29 to perform beta testing on their new product. Students and teachers were able to test out some of the functions and provide feedback afterwards.

Academy of Information Technology (AOIT) Director Garrison Reid reached out to Google in late January after receiving an email advertising the program.

“We filled out a form, and they contacted us, saying they would be in the Triangle area at the beginning of March,” Reid said. “Our school was selected, and we were one of three schools they visited the first day in North Carolina.”

The program is currently visiting schools all around the United States, as well as some in Sweden and Canada.

Google Cardboard uses a smartphone and a specially designed box to show interactive images to the viewer. Reid described the product as “very similar to Google street view but in 3D.”

Junior Abbey Lee experimented with the headsets in her AOIT English class.

“It was actually pretty simple, just an iPhone inside a cardboard box. You can just put it up to your eyes and see a whole new world,” Lee said.

Students were shown a variety of places, including Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore and even the moon. While the students look through the box, the teacher controls the images with an Apple iPad.

“One of my favorite places we visited was [the set of] The Colbert Report,” sophomore Jonathan Clabo said.

Clabo participated in the beta testing in both his AOIT English and Web Design classes.

“It’s cool how Google came to our school and asked us for feedback,” Clabo said. “The product had some stabilization issues, but overall it was really fun.”

The application that pairs with Google Cardboard is currently on course to be released in late 2017, though the school has not made plans to integrate it into any classes yet.

“I think it was a really good experience, and people around the district are excited to experiment with virtual reality,” Reid said.

Junior Matthew Yarnell tried out the virtual field trips while in Reid’s scientific visualization class and was impressed by Google’s new product.

“It was very cool,” Yarnell said. “When we saw the helicopter view of the Grand Canyon, it felt like we were actually parachuting.”

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