Virtual fieldtrips with Google

On Thursday 6 October girls from Prep to the Sixth Form at Pipers Corner made the most of a unique learning experience using technology developed by Google.  Using a virtual reality viewer made of cardboard and a smart phone the girls were transported to places as diverse as the Grand Canyon and the human body.

Girls in the Prep Department travelled to the Amazon, Borneo, got up very close to rocks, minerals and gems, and delved into volcanoes from around the world.

In the Senior School:

• Year 8 Geographers explored the volcanic landscapes of the world.
• Year 8 Art students took a trip to Mexico to look at Aztec and Mayan architecture. This was part of their “Cultures” work with a particular focus on the work of Georgia O’Keeffe and decorative patterning.
• Year 9 Biologists explored the human digestive system as part of their GCSE preparation. They visited the mouth, oesophagus, stomach and intestines.
• In Religious Studies, Year 10 are studying Islam and they ventured to the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia.
• Year 11 and Sixth Form Physicists took a journey to see the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and Chernobyl. The girls were able to see the exclusion zone as it is now and discuss the dangers of radiation and the impact of those living in the area.
• Artists in Lower Sixth are studying “viewpoints”, concentrating on flora and fauna in the jungle and underwater viewpoints. To complement this they went to the Amazon rainforest and to coral reefs.

The expeditions were a great success and a fantastic way for the girls to experience something, albeit virtually, to help them develop a greater understanding of the world outside the classroom.

Head of Geography, Mrs Collins said “One aspect of particular interest for the Year 8 Geography girls was a little building at the foot of an Indonesian volcano, a shrine where local people could offer gifts of rice and flowers to appease the gods who “reside” in the volcano.  These cultural aspects were something the girls hadn’t considered before but were made aware of by “being” there on the expedition.”

Religious Studies teacher, Mrs Cooper said “The girls were able to see the grandeur and architecture of the Grand Mosque, it made things seem more real to them and definitely helped with their greater understanding of Islam.”

Dance teacher, Mrs Wood asked her class what their favourite thing about the expedition was and they said “It takes you to another world”, “Seeing all the really cool locations” and “It actually felt like you were in the jungle”.

For more information contact:

Rebecca Conroy, Senior Marketing Executive, Pipers Corner School. Telephone 01494 719850 or email [email protected] | www.facebook.com/PipersCornerSchool | @PipersCornerSch