Around the world then off to the moon!

Photo: Tim Bradley

Hulme Gammer School pupils taking part in a virtual reality lesson with google.

PUPILS enjoyed a school trip that was literally out of this world.

The year three pupils from Hulme Prep School had a virtual reality tour of the moon when they tried out the new Google Expeditions technology.

They wore special cardboard headsets with lenses which turn a smartphone into a 3D viewer.

This combined with images from Google Maps and Street View — which includes photos from the Apollo moon landings — meant the pupils could enjoy a virtual reality trip to anywhere in and beyond our world.

Hulme was one of just three Oldham schools chosen to try out the technology along with Oasis Academy Limeside and Oldham Academy North in Royton.

Teachers controlled what the pupils could see with a tablet, with pupils visiting everywhere from the Great Barrier Reef to the jungle in Congo.

Jen Holland, programme manager of Google Expeditions, said: “It provides a unique opportunity for supplemental learning by giving students new ways of exploring the concepts and places they are studying.

“We’ve been thrilled to see teachers use Expeditions to bring abstract concepts to life and provide students with a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom, infusing learning with excitement and fun.”

Martin Knowles, principal of Oldham Academy North, added: “This was a real coup for the academy.

“We are delighted that in a pilot covering America, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Brazil, we were selected to test this new educational programme.”