New technology is always an exciting exercise in speculation and wonder. This is especially true for advancements in how children will be able to learn at school.

The students at Northern Shores Elementary School got to experience that excitement first-hand on Tuesday when Google paid a visit to their classrooms. The children beta tested Google Expeditions by Google for Education, an application of augmented reality software that renders lessons in front of their eyes.

“This brings the school information to them more concretely, and they can go back to the more abstract concept in a book,” said Melanie Burnor, a fourth-grade teacher at Northern Shores. “These kids grow up immersed in technology, and for them this is natural.”

Students were given phones, selfie sticks and QR codes. Their teachers held the lead phone that controlled the program, and with the touch of a button the children could see the solar system or safari animals through the display.

“This is great for kids who like to do other things, and it lets them look at stuff in a different way than textbooks or a television,” said Canyon Goetzch, a rather sharp fourth-grader.

The software has allowed for more than 600 different virtual field trips in recent years, according to a blog post by software engineer Jiabei Lei. It’s been a tool for students to explore exotic locales and college campuses, understand different career paths and learn about social impact initiatives worldwide.

“Students can go on tours at home and share the experience with their family. Teachers can assign tours as homework to complement in-class work,” wrote Lei. “What better way to round out textbook reading about the Founding Fathers than an Expedition about the Hamilton-Burr duel narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda? And of course, anybody who loves to learn and explore can experience all the tours for themselves.”

Every generation grows accustomed to the latest devices, and these young students will do the same on their smartphones. I remember sitting in dark classrooms with TV screens playing movies for lessons, and now I’m thinking about how these kids will be diving into coral reefs and exploring the stars.

“The best was the ‘aha’ moment they had collectively because they don’t expect it,” Burnor said. “That lightbulb moment as a teacher is why you come to work every day, and it’s nice to see the kids totally absorbed by all of it.”