Google Expeditions!

Virtual Reality in the classroom seems like a far away place, or something that's very expensive, or supremely technical to get into. Teachers are unsure of how to implement it, how to set it up, or how it applies to the curriculum that they're currently teaching. With the Google Expeditions Kit put together by our wonderful friends in District Technology you can bring Virtual Reality to your classroom in a free, very easy to use fashion. 

What is Google Expeditions?

Google Expeditions is a teacher directed Virtual Reality experience using 360° still images to immerse students in different environments and places around the world. It uses themed images and questions to guide students through different experiences around the world.

How does it work?

Google Expeditions is an app that works on iOS and Android devices. Expeditions has two sides to the app. There is a "Guide" side, and an "Explorer" side. 

• The Guide will be able to direct the expedition, control whether students will be able to use the viewer, point things out on the screen, and tell how many people are logged on at a time. 
• The Explorers will be able to view the experience on their devices when they are connected.

In order to start an Expedition, you'll need all of the devices to be attached to the same WiFi network. (The District kit does this very simply), and then have the Explorers choose "Follow" inside the app. Once they've done that, they're ready to go!

Who can run the Expedition?

Ideally, a teacher. 

But I had Grade 5 students run the kit and lead Expeditions for Grade 2 classes in our school. The reason a teacher is ideal is that it is a guided process. Guiding questions and pointing out things that you're looking at with your students are very helpful in leading discussion about what is being viewed.

What do I need to do?

As a teacher, there's a little more prep to do ahead of time for this to be successful. There is a listing of all of the Expeditions available, and it's worth a look to try to check some of them out beforehand. Getting the app on your own device could be a good way to preview some of the Expeditions, but if you plan on using the kit from District Tech, they've got a tablet that can be used for this. Once you've figured out which Expedition you'd like to lead your class through, it's time to start. Luckily, there's a start up guide.

What benefits are there to using this?

This is a great opportunity to talk about different environments and places, how those things affect people, and to see places and things we wouldn't normally see at school. Our kindergarten kids were very excited to see jungles and the animals that lived in them. It is a great opportunity for inquiry based approaches as well, as the expeditions lead well into questioning and getting kids to ask questions about what they're viewing. This is a great opportunity to get to see things that maybe your field trip budget won't allow for, and using the Google Street View app with some of the older kids would allow unguided exploration of some areas, too! (It's worth checking out beforehand).

How have other teachers used the kit so far?

At Balwin, a lot of teachers used them for guiding younger kids to see things they normally wouldn't. Our junior high students used them to inspire questions about what they were viewing and how it applied to what they're learning. The kit comes with a Theta 360° camera which allows us to take pictures and create content in a unique approach, allowing us to think about and find inquiry based opportunities around us.

What problems might we encounter?

The most common problem that we encountered was that the devices weren't always on the same WiFi network, which was a quick and easy fix with the router provided. The other thought was that we needed lead time to take a look at the Expeditions and think about how we wanted to apply them. 285 of them is a lot. With our use, there wasn't many problems that we encountered. It was a very straightforward process. 

In short, Expeditions is a great way to show your students other places or things around the world, and is an amazing way to start a discussion with students of all ages. We'd really like to look at creating content at Balwin, and were very impressed with the experience. Kids were always asking when they could use the kit next. I'd love to hear what people do with the kit as time goes on, and how they've used it to attach to their curriculum. 

Bringing Canada Into the Classrom with Google Earth and Maps

I frequently use Google Earth in my social lessons. I wanted to share some simple ways I use Google Earth in my division one class!

You Should Know

As a grade two teacher, I will be giving grade two examples. Grade one teachers might also want to check out Google Earth in Grade 1.

Also, it is useful to know the difference between using Google Earth and Google Maps. Google Maps are more collaborative. Also note maps can be viewed in Google Earth and vice versa.

Take Time To Play Yourself aka Learn the Resource Before Teaching It

The basics of Google Earth and Maps are fairly intuitive, however, like any resource, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the basics before you use it with your class. As I am writing this in March, planning a dream vacation to Mexico sounds like a fun way to spend some time learning about the different features of Google maps.

Google maps is a part of the Google Apps we have for EPSB staff and students. You can access it in the "more" section. However you will need to download Google Earth.

You can change to Street View by dragging the pegman (the yellow man) onto the map. Streets that you can view in this way will show up as blue when you do this.

If nothing else, play around for a bit to get to know how to navigate. Google has Basics and Help with Google Earth and Tutorials. You may want to also reference this Google Earth tip sheet.

Whole Class Use

I have only ever used Google Earth as a whole class device. It's great for things like discussing Chinese New Year and then showing the students China. I also use it when I introduce a new community in social studies. I try to always start in Edmonton and then have the students direct me with NESW or once we start 'moving' on Google Earth, have them describe what direction we are going.

Grade Two Specific Examples

Please note while we love readers from anywhere, our specific audience is EPSB teachers, so the examples will be based on the Alberta curriculum. 

Edmonton

At the beginning of the year I use Google Earth to show students where we are within Edmonton. I zoom out from our school and show them how big Edmonton is. I point out the squiggly line running through our city and ask students what it maybe. Then using Street View, I go to a bridge (or two) and show students the river. I use Google Earth to locate and discuss the other various land and water features of our city.

Then I zoom out from Edmonton to show the students where the city is within Alberta. I continue to zoom out and show them where Edmonton is within Canada. 

Iqaluit

I start with reviewing where we live - Edmonton. I review the size of Edmonton, discussing the grey area is the city (when zoomed out far enough to see this). I usually circle the area I am talking about on the Smartboard. 

Then I ask students to direct me to Iqaluit (north and east). I stay zoomed out to discuss/review where Iqaluit is in relation to Edmonton.  Once zoomed in closer, I point out that it is a much smaller city. Typically, I will then go to street view so students can see the difference in the buildings, roads and landscape. 

When I have zoomed out more, I direct the conversation around the land and water around Iqaluit including: the inlet, the river, the lakes and the coastline. 

Meteghan

As with Iqaluit, I start with review of where we live. I review the size of Edmonton and emphasis how big of a city it is. I review where Edmonton is in context of all of Canada and point out we are landlocked. 

Then I ask students to direct me to Meteghan (east). I stay zoomed out to discuss/review where Meteghan is in relation to Edmonton.  Once zoomed in closer, I point out that it is a village. I draw their attention to the fact that there are really two visible main roads.

Then I take students on a street view 'drive'. I enter street view at the southwest end of the village and drive/click through town. I stop every now and then to look left and right and point out that we can sea the bay on the left. I engage students in a discussion about what else they notice (no fences, houses are spread out, the joining roads are gravel/dirt.)

Saskatoon

As with Iqaluit and Meteghan, I start with a review of our city and province. I tell them we are going to drive to Saskatoon. I ask students help me get started by pointing me in the correct direction (east). Using street view, I drive from our school (which is on the southeastern edge of the city) out of the city. I point out the difference between the urban and rural elements as we leave the city. 

I do not 'drive' all the way to Saskatoon. I do skip ahead on the highway a few times until we are just outside of Saskatoon (Trans Canada Highway) so we can enter the city with street view. I ask students to share what they notice. Without prompting I usually get 'very flat' and 'no trees'. 

Making a Connection to Climate

One thing I like to point out is when the images we are looking at in street view are from. This is usually found at the bottom left corner of the images. Not only do students need to be reminded it is not real time but it can lead to questions like, 'what would it look like in the different seasons?' Or you might have discussions around what might change over time. 

Your Turn

I'd love to hear how others use Google Maps and Google Earth in their classroom! Please share in the comment section.