Google Expeditions: Get ready for Adventure!

Ready toTake an Adventure?

Google Expeditions Takes Students Around the World in 360°
Virtual Reality is not just for gamers, it’s for classroom learning, too. The 360° experience can be a powerful experienceㅡthe viewer really feels as though he/she has “been there.”  That emotive element brings both engagement excitement for students and it is an important component in creating long term memory.   Google Expeditions has developed over 500 adventures for you and your students to take.  Search in the Directory of Available Expeditions  to find Expeditions that align with your curriculum needs.
Here is how it works.  Using an iPad, the teacher is the “Leader” of the expedition, and students join an expedition as  “Explorers”.  Students use an iPod or smartphone and VR goggles or Google Cardboard.  Looking through the goggles they will see gorgeous 360° views of outer space, famous museums, remote locations, under the sea, and even inside the human body.
Each expedition has a scripted narrative that appears on the teacher’s screen along with suggested questions.  When the teacher points out something in the environment, students see a small arrow pointing them in the direction they should look.

This photo shows second graders on a visit to the International Space Station. Their enthusiasm is pretty inspiring. Every new scene we viewed brought a chorus of Oohs! Ahhhs! and Wows!


Expeditions works with or without the VR goggles and can be used with iPads, even older iPads.  The experience isn’t quite as dramatic, but it’s still pretty darn cool. If you’re in the market to purchase equipment,  Best Buy sells complete sets designed specifically for use with Google Expeditions.  In my district, we chose to build our own set by purchasing iPods because of their versatility and the ability to use them for other educational purposes.  We also loaded the Google Street View app so students can use them to take 360° photos.  YouTube has a slew of 360° videos and Google Arts and Culture seems to publish something stunning every other day!  
Finally, don’t forget to think about wi-fi.  Expeditions requires peer to peer communications, so you should investigate the specs and test to make sure you are able to use Expeditions before making a big investment. Also, a few people get really dizzy looking through the goggles, so you may want to make explorers stay seated, at least at first.

Comments