Originally posted by charkirk on February 10, 2017
Since Google is making its way into the classroom in a big way, I thought I’d jump in and see what all the fuss was about! I sure learned a lot but see how much more is out there for me to explore. I hope you enjoy watching this video as much as I enjoyed making it.
Originally posted by Trish on Feb 11, 2017
Hi Charmalee! Great presentation! Google Expeditions was actually my first exploration of virtual reality with students. Having the app be released for IOS finally allowed for classrooms who are using iPads to participate without an additional cost purchasing more devices. There are a few features of Google Expeditions that make it a quality educational tool to enhance the face to face classroom. First, the expeditions are teacher led and have a group of participants. Unlike other VR apps, the expeditions are created for a classroom interactive experience. The teacher retains control by being able to launch and pause the expedition in progress. The teacher controls the flow of the exploration between scenes (each expedition has about 5 scenes) and can use the built in script of inquiry questions made for multiple levels of learners as well as points of interest. I use the points of interest as a jumping off for additional content, questions and research that I have found. I like that this app can be used with mobile devices and Google Cardboard viewers, but it can also be used in a single view mode on an iPad. Using the gyroscope, students can still move around and transform their classrooms into a new 360 world. Also students who experience vertigo or motion sickness enjoy the iPad view over the viewer. With over 150 field trips showcasing cultural and historical events and places, I also enjoy the career tours of different professions around the world. Finally I am impressed how the app functions using a simple peer to peer network with no internet required. Using an old router it is easy to set up the network for any devices to safely connect. My students have enjoyed being the guides of these expeditions and lead each other through the trips. They have also been provocations for research, writing activities and more! Trish