Madison Eastmond, Murray Pioneer
A Riverland school has become the first in the region to introduce Virtual Reality (VR) education into the classroom, allowing students to now completely immerse themselves in their learning – whether that includes being launched into space, walking through ancient civilizations, or exploring a world of their own digital creation.
Barmera Primary School has recently acquired a class set of 24 VR headsets, with the new educational tool providing whole-school access to VR learning – where students are placed in a completely digital environment – plus Augmented Reality (AR), which brings digital objects into the real world through a 3D model.
“This is a very special resource,” Barmera Primary science and technology teacher Leighton Pearce said.
“Very few schools across the state have access to this level of technology and we’re incredibly proud to offer it to our students.
“It’s already having a powerful impact, increasing our engagement, deepening understanding, sparking curiosity, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning.”
Made specifically for classroom learning, the headsets come along with thousands of lessons and documents aligned with the Australian teaching curriculum. Additionally, the headsets are able to access digital worlds students are able to create and build themselves.
“Students are so invested and just love being able to participate in their learning this way,” Mr Pearce said.
“This isn’t about students consuming content – they have also been creating their own virtual experiences, showcasing their learning and connecting with the wider community.”
Mr Pearce said the vision to introduce VR learning to Barmera Primary School began a year ago, when school leadership supported his journey to locate and purchase the developing digital resource.
However, the headsets are just one part of a long-term investment Barmera Primary School has undertaken into their STEM classrooms, with the past five years seeing more than $50,000 worth of grants and internal education funding helping purchase significant science and technology learning equipment, including soil science equipment, geological resources, biological microscopes and more.
Mr Pearce said the investment has allowed the STEM program and student learning to keep up with current scientific ideas and developments, encouraging students to see science and technology as possible career pathways.
“We’re invested in this technology because we believe learning should be engaging, meaningful, and accessible to every student living in a regional area,” he said.
“This tool will be able to be used across all of our disciplines, not just STEM – it’s just ground breaking for a regional school like ours.
“We’re definitely setting an example for education (in the Riverland) and I hope more schools follow us on the journey.”
Hoping to either become a scientist “and solve all the mysteries of the universe”, or a teacher “just like Mr Pearce”, Barmera Primary School year 5 student Maya said using VR technology would “definitely” help her work towards a future in STEM.
“It’s really fun – I get to explore space and get to learn so much,” she said.
“I am also looking forward to showing others the (AR) creations I have made – at the moment, I am working on a zoo and am trying to (feature) every kind of animal I can and record their sounds.
“It’s just so exciting.”
This article appeared in Murray Pioneer, 8 April 2026.
