It was a February afternoon in a Brooklyn classroom.
那是二月一个下午，在布鲁克林的一间教室里。
Sixteen-year-old Taylor Engler came face to face with a cow.
十六岁的泰勒·恩格勒与一头奶牛面对面相遇。
But it was all in her head.
但这一切都只发生在她的脑海中。
She was transported by a virtual reality (VR) headset—it took Taylor and her classmates to a farm 250 miles away.
虚拟现实（VR）头显将她带入了另一个世界——它把泰勒和她的同学们带到了250英里外的一个农场。
For students, the technology means field trips are no longer limited by the length of a bus ride.
对学生们来说，这项技术意味着实地考察不再受限于巴士车程的长短。
“I was not expecting it to be right in my face!”
“我没想到它会近在咫尺！”
That’s what Taylor said after taking off the headset and finding herself back in the classroom.
这是泰勒摘下头显、发现自己回到教室后所说的话。
On any school day, students can take virtual reality “trips”.
在任何一个上学日，学生们都可以进行虚拟现实“旅行”。
They are deep-sea diving.
他们可以在深海潜水。
They are observing medical operations.
他们可以观摩外科手术。
They are visiting the Science Museum in London.
他们可以参观伦敦科学博物馆。
Teachers say it’s another way to involve the iPhone generation into classroom learning and it can help with their understanding and improve their grades.
教师们表示，这是让“iPhone一代”融入课堂学习的另一种方式，有助于他们理解知识并提高成绩。
Colin Jones, a science teacher, has walked students through the northern forest with a Google app called Expeditions.
科学教师科林·琼斯曾使用一款名为Expeditions的谷歌应用，带领学生们“穿越”北方森林。
“It can be done in a period or two with the help of the new technology,” he said.
他说：“借助这项新技术，一两节课就能完成。”
“But it could take even a week sometimes to take a real expedition.”
“但如果是真正的实地考察，有时甚至需要一周时间。”
“It’s different from watching videos. You can actually move,” Taylor said during the lesson on farm animals.
“这和看视频不一样，你真的可以走动，”泰勒在关于农场动物的课上说道。
“Not only move, but also feel,” said Richard Lamb.
理查德·兰姆说：“不仅可以走动，还能有身临其境的感觉。”
He studies how brains deal with information.
他专门研究大脑如何处理信息。
“Your physiological responses in virtual reality are similar to what you get in doing the actual activity.” Lamb said.
兰姆说：“你在虚拟现实中的生理反应与实际从事该活动时的反应相似。”
“Heart rate, breathing…everything.”
“心率、呼吸……一切皆是如此。”
It is unknown how many classrooms will use the technology.
目前尚不清楚有多少教室会使用这项技术。
But experts say it’s still rare.
但专家表示，这仍然很少见。
Each headset can cost as little as $20 or $30, but systems and software for classes run into thousands of dollars.
每个头显的价格可能低至20或30美元，但用于课堂教学的系统和软件则高达数千美元。
And good software is in great need.
而且优质软件非常紧缺。
Another problem we face is how to make sure the VR technology mimics the real world closely.
我们面临的另一个问题是如何确保VR技术能够高度逼真地模拟现实世界。
“But we have to say VR technology provides students with a huge learning opportunity,” said David Evans, director of the National Science Teachers Association.
美国国家科学教师协会主任戴维·埃文斯说：“但我们必须承认，VR技术为学生提供了巨大的学习机会。”
John Miller, a chemistry teacher, agreed.
化学教师约翰·米勒对此表示赞同。
“Too often in schools, students did something wrong in their chemistry experiments. But we don’t have enough materials for them to redo the experiments.”
“在学校里，学生在化学实验中经常出错，但我们没有足够的材料让他们重做实验。”
“In virtual reality, all they do is hit reset on the computer. We don’t have to actually use chemicals.”
“而在虚拟现实中，他们只需点击电脑上的重置按钮即可，无需实际使用化学药品。”
Both Miller and Evans stressed the technology could enrich—not replace—real-world experiences.
米勒和埃文斯都强调，这项技术可以丰富而非取代现实世界的体验。
“We have to remain anchored in the real world,” Evans warned, “because that’s the one that we really need to study and explain.”
埃文斯提醒道：“我们必须立足于现实世界，因为那才是我们真正需要研究和解释的世界。”
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