Students at the Westtown School have been donning high-tech goggles and headphones to explore far-away places through virtual reality as part of an immersive learning experience, writes Kathy Boccella for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Westtown recently joined a growing number of schools in the Philadelphia region that are turning to this futuristic teaching tool. It can be used to take students on artificial field trips to cities around the world, expeditions to other planets, or even fantastic voyages inside the human body.

The use of virtual reality in classrooms has risen exponentially in recent years thanks to huge advances in the technology. Technology integration teacher Alicia Zeoli said the advantage in using this tool was immediately evident during her class on refugees.

The students “felt more empathy after they watched the video,” she said. “It felt like they were on the boat.”

St. Patrick’s School in Malvern has also hopped on the virtual-reality train, with the school’s students using Google Expeditions to explore Native American culture and visit historic places like the ruins of Machu Picchu.

Read more about the educational use of virtual reality in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.