Virtual Reality is a great way to engage students in a lesson. Our district use Google Expeditions as a virtual reality platform.
Each Google Expedition is made of several 360 degree pictures called scenes. The expedition is teacher lead through the use of a tablet. The teacher brings students to a scene and then can use the talking points that appear on the tablet to discuss that scene with students.
Last year I did a post Ways to Incorporate VR in Your Classroom if you are looking for specific ways to use it.
VR Resources in Our District
We currently have two Google Expeditions kits available for staff to check out. One kit has 10 goggles which is perfect for small group work or using as a center. We also have a kit with 30 goggles which is perfect for a full class VR experience.
There are currently over 900 Google Expeditions you can take your students on. They are found in this spreadsheet that is updated frequently by Google. The easiest way to search the spreadsheet is to use the Find feature (CTRL + F) to enter and search by the topic you are looking for. The spreadsheet will tell you the different scenes the students the students will view, a description of the expedition, and may link to lesson plans that have been created that incorporate the expedition.
A new resource we have this year is from Aquila Education. They have a lesson database that consists of a lesson plan, student worksheet, and slide presentation that incorporate Google Expeditions. To access this database you will have to create an account with your school email. They will quickly verify that you are in our district and then grant you access to the database.
To preview the expeditions you will first need to download the Expeditions app on your phone or check out an iPad from the media center. Then follow these instructions.
How to Check Out a Google Expeditions Kit
To check out a kit, complete the Virtual Reality - Google Expeditions Kit Check Out Form. The kit will come to your room all ready for you to use with your students. The Technology Department will set it all up and pack it back up when you are finished.
** All resources linked in this blog post are also located on the Staff Resources tab of the Omro Resources Website.
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