Local elementary students take virtual world journey

Students at Odyssey Elementary School got to go on a world expedition without leaving their classroom Tuesday.

The school participated in Google’s new Expeditions Pioneer Program. It’s a virtual reality platform built for classrooms that the company is taking to schools all over the world.

“It was pretty awesome to be able to take them places we’ve been reading about, so that they can visually see where they are,” teacher Stephanie Hazelton said. “It just helps them make a deeper connection.”

The kids explored Machu Pichu in Peru, the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum in Rome and the ocean through small cardboard viewing devices. Hazelton controlled what they saw and led the journey through a tablet.

“It had many photos and you could just look around in it, like you were actually there,” fifth grader Jay Weatherstone said. “You learned about it, but then you’re like, ‘I want to see it actually.’ And then you finally get to see it, and you’re just really amazed by what it actually looked like.”