School field trips via VR are becoming a thing

It’s back-to-school season and students could be visiting the majesty of the Grand Canyon, the convolutions of the human brain, the depths of the ocean, or even the barren landscape of Mars — all without ever leaving the classroom.
Indeed, as technology grows and becomes more readily accessible, more teachers are taking their students on field trips using virtual reality. “Because I'm a veteran teacher, 27 years, when I started this technology was nowhere. But now, watching the kids explore and get to see these things, I'm exploring because I was never able to do this either,” said Denise Hawkins, a drama teacher at Camelback High School in Phoenix. “And it's really invigorated me and made me feel like I'm doing a better job at teaching this. … I'm glad I'm able to bring them to these places that we never could go before.” Places like the old ruins of Greek and Roman theaters are where Hawkins has taken her Greek theater drama students so far this year from her Arizona classroom. For Hawkins, school has been in session for a month and it’s her first year using the virtual reality field-trip technology. Since her classroom doesn’t have a laptop lab, she has her students go on the trips via smartphones or tablets.