The first half of 2023 saw the arrival of the College’s new Virtual Reality (VR) headsets. The College purchased 32 goggle sets, which has allowed us to provide one per student in a standard classroom setting. The great thing about VR in education, is how it helps us as teachers to provide more experiential learning experiences for our students through immersive lessons that are engaging, memorable and impactful.
We have already had lots of success using the equipment in the HASS Learning Area. For example, Year 7 students in HASS are studying ancient China this year. The headsets havegiven our students the opportunity to experience what life may have been like at the buildingof the Great Wall of China, how members of the court lived during the Shang Dynasty, and the how Emperors were worshipped in the Forbidden City.
In Year 8 Geography, students have been investigating geomorphic hazards and have made enjoyed VR experiences that allow users to see how mountains are formed and what theinside of volcanos looks like just prior to eruptions.
Our Year 9 HASS students have been able to see what life might have been like in World War I on the front lines with a trench experience, while we took Year 10s through an Aboriginal Dreamtime experience for NAIDOC Week.
As HASS teachers, we are finding that we can use the VR headsets with our classes all the way through into Year 12. For example, our History students have been able to access scenessuch as Jewish ghettos and concentration camps in wartime Europe, while our Politics & Lawstudents have taken virtual tours of Parliament Houses and Federal Courtrooms, to name but a few.
The new VR headsets are already contributing in a great way to developing our students’understanding of the world around them. Not to mention, helping them to develop their skills with new technologies, which will surely play a significant role in many of their future occupations as they enter the workforce in the next few years.