Students explored the desolate Soviet Union landscape in the aftermath Chernobyl disaster from the safety of their classroom thanks to a visit from technology giant Google this week.

Google showcased its new Expeditions app to pupils at Watford Boys Grammar School on Wednesday.  

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Around 400 Year 7 and 8 boys at the school got to try out the technology, which consists of a mobile device loaded with the app housed inside a cardboard viewer and connected to a tablet via wifi.

It allows the user to investigate a number of different locations in virtual reality.

Geography teacher and event organiser Julian Carrera said the school is always keen to trial the latest technology in the classroom.

“Not all technology truly extends the boundaries of the classroom but Google Expeditions does. As a school we strive to create memorable learning experiences and this was definitely that,” he said.

“Google Expeditions is developing a reputation as a world class resource for virtual reality reaching, which is perfect for our enthusiastic Year 7s and Year 8s.

“The teachers had control of the expeditions and could direct the students to points of interest in a range of different scenes.

“The boys and teachers loved the experience. Google Expeditions has literally got the wow factor. Each lesson was a purposeful but exciting hour full of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’.”