Students in History, Geography and Commerce classes and the History and Geography Clubs have been exploring future-focused and immersive technologies using the fabulous Santa Sabina Lumination Labs, VR headsets and augmented reality tools to learn virtually. They are accessing the earth’s topography, overseas natural wonders and UNESCO-preserved historical and cultural sites. This future-focused learning has challenged students to think critically while being highly engaged in HSIE learning.
Our teachers and students have this to say about their experiences:
In the Amazon Odyssey application, students went on a journey into the Amazon Rainforest where they parachuted into the jungle and made a fire, before exploring the rainforest’s biodiversity, threats, and current preservation techniques. Finally, students concluded the lesson by collaborating to complete a progressive brainstorm on what they had learned in these simulations and illustrating their newfound knowledge in a 3D space with Tilt Brush virtual reality. They adopted the role of the critical and creative thinker and used the three-dimensional brush strokes, light, fire and special effects to consolidate their knowledge on an interactive canvas. Through these authentic learning opportunities, students were thoroughly engaged in their learning and the question that dominated the next lesson back in the classroom was: ‘When can we use the Lumination Labs again?’
Kylie Ma
Geography Teacher
Year 8 Geography students were highly engaged as they used Google Earth to explore various cities around the world to identify some similarities and differences of the liveability of different cities. In this student-led activity, students worked in pairs and travelled to places such as Copenhagen, New York, Rio de Janeiro and even Disneyland!
Vikki Cummins
Geography Teacher
Through interactive Google maps, we were able to analyse how the environment looks and compare them to less sustainable resources. We used VR goggles to help us understand that changing only a few things in our daily routines can reduce carbon emissions by a lot. Overall the experience was wonderful, it was fun and interesting and I recommend it to everyone who wants to give it a go.
Davina Rajkumar
Year 9
In History Club the Lumination Labs were really fun and engaging, using visuals and sounds. I had the opportunity to explore Nefertiti’s Tomb through virtual reality, which made it feel like I was really there. The program also had interactive dialogue, which gave me some information on what I was looking at and some Egyptian Gods. It was really easy to use, and overall an exciting experience. I hope all students get to explore.
Alicia Bouantoun
Year 7
The Lumination Labs were such a great experience for our Geography class. Virtual learning utilises technology in a way that is productive and educational, yet also interactive.
Maia Khoury
Year 9
Using Google Earth VR is like going on an exciting journey where you can explore different places in 3D! Today’s experience helped me learn about how people live so differently in different cities around the world. It was really eye opening for me. I love how the Lumination Labs makes learning fun and interactive, and it’s cool to use virtual reality technology to explore the world.
Sophia Karakatsanis
Year 8
In Geography Club, we recently had the opportunity to use the Lumination Labs to explore various places across the world through immersive VR technology, which provided an additional element of tangibility and engagement when learning about the world! Being able to use this technology was a highly enjoyable experience from which we all derived a number of new insights and understandings of the world around us through an engaging and immersive experience!
Kate Pitman-Fernandez
Year 11
Today, at the Lumination Labs, I had the privilege of exploring various cities around the world, looking at all the similarities and differences. While I was initially apprehensive, I overcame this fear and found it was a great experience to both learn about other places but also develop my skills using the controllers.
Catherine Sialepis
Year 8
This experience was an entertaining and informative experience that provided insights on climate change and sustainability. My understanding of the environment has increased as a result of looking into climate change through virtual reality by exploring sustainable towns on Google Earth and learning about the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest through the Lumination Labs. I had lots of fun during this experience and have become inspired to change for a more environmentally friendly future.
Trisha Yung
Year 9
Today in Geography I learnt how to use the Virtual Reality headset at the Lumination Labs where I went on virtual explorations of various countries around the globe, using Google Earth. This virtual expedition deepened my understanding of the liveability of different cities around the world. I am so grateful that we are able to have this opportunity at Santa Sabina.
Rose Long
Year 8
