Students at Ormiston Shelfield community academy in the west Midlands are helping to share the experience of life in the First World War trenches after working with a software firm to design a new educational computer resource.

The Gaia 3D Virtual Trench app, a simulation of life in the trenches, was created by software development company Gaia Technologies with help from the Walsall students.

It uses a game-based platform to provide cross-curricular opportunities for learning about the 1914-18 period.

Michael Murphy, 3D learning leader at Ormiston Shelfield, said: “Teaching in 3D eradicates the time lost in lessons. I can teach 30 per cent more than I can in a normal classroom.

“The students here really benefited from working with the team at Gaia to help develop the app – and form the finished product.”

Pic: Laura Westwood (centre), Year 9, and peers at Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy using the 3D technology in a history lesson, exploring the trench software

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