Students at Silverbrook School walked on the moon on Monday and some of them even explored the Grand Canyon; they all went on space-age adventures from the comfort of a chair in the school library.
Setting his eyes into the View Master-type goggles fifth grader Gavin Zieman, 10, was impressed with the 3D effect as he described a trip in space. “I see the moon and a bunch of stars everywhere and now I see a bunch of screens and we’re climbing inside a spaceship,” he said.
The rest of the class looked very Buck Rogers – their faces covered with the large red and white Google virtual reality machines.
“You can see everything you want,” Zieman said captivated by the images. “Now I see a Chinese flag.”
Zieman drifted off into space – – probably literally, as the class took in just about every aspect of science and travel.
“This is the field trip we all dreamed of to go to the moon,” said the teacher leading the class.
“This is like data testing for Google,” said instructor Heather Geldnich. “Watching it brings the kids who may not get out of West Bend to the Grand Canyon and they even went underwater in the ocean.  
“Their engagement level is amazing, you could hear a pin drop.”
Just then the entire class gasped…. as if they fell off a cliff. Some, goggles still in place, looked down at the floor while others stared up at the ceiling.
“They pulled vocabulary from their reading units and science as they explore,” Geldnich said. “It’s really engaging and there’s been a lot of good feedback.”
A unique part of the device is the partnership between Google and Mattel; the name of it is View-Master Virtual Reality.
