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9Con3a Virtual Scuba Diving

In term 3, the year 9 Connected classes have been looking at water and atmosphere as part of a unit focused on the topic of ‘Sustainability.’ Once we covered some basic material about the water cycle, clouds and the air around us, we turned to look at some of the problems that are caused by human activities. One of those problems is the increase in silt that gets washed down rivers due to deforestation and other work upstream. To get an idea of the impact of this, we went scuba diving in the North Island via virtual reality.

The New Zealand Geographic website has information about many issues facing the environment here. Some of the links provide access to VR videos that allow the viewer to pan the camera in all directions at the filmed location. These videos can be adapted for virtual reality goggles so that the full 3D effect can be experienced. We thought it would be fun to use the school VR goggles and let the learners experience the silted waters of the Hauraki Gulf and Parengarenga Harbour.

Students had to fold out the goggles. They then had to find the video on their cellphones and switch it to VR mode. Then the cellphone was inserted into the back of the VR box and viewed. It was great to see learners with boxes on their faces turning in all directions. Sometimes there were expressions of surprise or wonder. Once the main assignment was complete, some learners also enjoyed watching other videos from YouTube in 3D.