Google Expeditions Adventures

“Google Expeditions is an immersive education app that allows teachers and students to explore the world through over 1000 virtual-reality (VR) and 100 augmented-reality (AR) tours. You can swim with sharks, visit outer space, and more without leaving the classroom.” All you have to do is download the app, figure out what adventure you would like to take and download it. You can also purchase kits for your classroom or school that have the cardboard glasses to insert your device. Here is a site for buyingoptions. Libraries and school get monies for technology so buying several kits for teachers to check out through the library would be a great investment.

As a Kindergarten teacher, I have used the Expedition app several times to show my students science related topics they would not have had the opportunity to see otherwise. In the past, we have studied polar animals then watched polar bears in their natural habitats. We have studied ocean life and then swam underwater with the fish. If I can take Kindergarten students exploring through adventures, I can only imagine what older grades could do with these Expeditions. Imagine studying a time in history then taking a tour of the ruins or reading a classic novel then touring the setting of the story, the possibilities are endless. Google has a list of free tours you can take that I will link here.

With education becoming more virtual, I can see teachers using this app as a way for students to explore subject matter or topics in a fun and exciting way. This app allows students to see outside of their own little world and connect with other places around the globe. The video below will show you just a few examples of virtual trips.

As the school librarian, I look forward to using this tool as a way to excite students about literacy. “VR and AR technology enhancements offer librarians another opportunity to fit into the role of: guides (where), visitors can time-travel to 1906 to witness the massive earthquake that tore apart San Francisco, or ride on the Pequod, chasing Moby Dick – gaining exposure to great books by entering and living in them.”