For my last blog post this semester, I wanted to talk about two different case studies, which I read about in our text, that specifically stuck out to me!
The first case study that I found very interesting was the THINK Global School (TGS). I found this to be an incredibly interesting opportunity for kids to be exposed to different cultures. Essentially, this is a school which moves each semester to a new location, and develops curriculum objectives and learning outcomes based on that new environment!
I personally found this to be an incredible way to offer students authentic learning, as you immerse the students into the different cultures they’re learning about.
The second case study I found very interesting was on The Centre for Global Education. The Centre for Global Education is an organization with develops virtual projects to engage youth through connection to the people and places they are learning about.
This is another way for educators to encourage authentic learning for their students! Teachers can use this tool as a way to encourage students to learn beyond their immediate classroom. You can access The Centre for Global Education’s website, here!
For this week’s blog, I am looking at Google Cardboard, and it’s use within the classroom. However, if you’re like me, you might have no clue what Google Cardboard is prior to reading this blog. Well, in the simplest terms, Google Cardboard is just that…cardboard. However, Google cardboard is so much more than just simple cardboard. It allows for you to experience a virtual reality, through the use of your smartphone, when you create a cardboard viewer.
If you are curious what these viewers look like you can check out the site!
One of the nicest aspects of Google Cardboard, that I immediately noticed, was the accessibility all students can have to the tool. While it does inevitably require a student to have access to a smartphone, the cardboard viewer itself can be made without spending any money at all. In other words, students do not have to buy a Google Cardboard certified viewer if they do not wish to. All a student needs, in order to obtain a viewer, is access to some cardboard, tape, and scissors!
I have included a video, below, that delves further into the process of how exactly Google Cardboard works!
One of the best aspects of Google Cardboard is its use of smartphones, and compatibility with additional apps. For example, once you have your cardboard viewer you can utilize tools like Google Expeditions and Cardboard Camera!
Cardboard Camera is an app available in the app store for iPhone or iPad, and allows for users to capture and share moments with virtual reality photos.
Google Expedition is an app which can be used with the cardboard viewers, and allows for its’ users to experience almost anything as if they were actually there!
Tools like Google Cardboard, virtual reality in the classroom, contributes to successful global collaborations because it provides students with unique experiences they would not otherwise be exposed to. While live video conferencing, through global collaborations, allows for students to have the opportunity to be exposed to other students and cultures they still are not experiencing those cultures themselves. Google Cardboard allows for students to have unique experiences as if they were actually there experiencing these things in person.
Another benefit to using virtual reality in the classroom is the accessibility it provides for students. As I mentioned earlier, any student can make a viewer if they have some cardboard, some tape, and some scissors. As long as the class has access to tablets, and isn’t relying on students to have access to these devices on their own, there isn’t much much need to be concerned about the economic differences of students. Check out this article which delves further into what Google Expeditions can do in the classroom!
Finally, the benefit to using something like Google Cardboard in your classroom is the likelihood that other teachers are using it, too! This means that there is an entire community which is available to share ideas with, and learn from. After doing some research I was able to find countless lesson plans which utilize Google Cardboard, and Google Expeditions in the classroom. Teachers can use these lesson plans to gain inspiration for their own lessons, or modify them to meet the goals for their students!
I have included a link to an example lesson plan, but there are so many to potentially use! One of the best perks, a lot of them are free to teachers!
This week, we have been tasked with utilizing an online tool of our choosing to tell a story about ourselves. After doing my research, I chose to use the web tool Exposure to create my story.
However, I quickly found this to be the easier part of the assignment. I struggled a lot when deciding what to write my story about. Luckily, Professor Wendt included a helpful link to 100 Prompts for Writing About Yourself, and that helped me decide what I wanted to write about.
Once I decided on my topic, the actual process of writing the story was made quite easy through Exposure. ( Pro tip: Exposure lets you trial their premium access tools for 14 days without any commitment!)
The first thing I did was title my story, and create a title page. I found that it was very easy to do this as the tool prompts you immediately to this page when you create a new story!
The site was easy to navigate from start to finish, and once I created the cover page I was able to begin writing the story underneath. I was able to add images that correlated with the story, and I was also able to align them within the text as I saw best fit.
From there, the process was mostly repetitive as I finished writing the story. One tool, that I found particularly helpful, was the option to preview the story as it would look in published format. This was helpful because I was able to imagine what the story would look like to readers!
In the end, I found Exposure to be a really useful tool for digital storytelling! However, I might look for other free options moving forward. Exposure can be used as a free platform at the end of the 14 day trial, but only allows the creation of three stories per user in the free version. If this was something I were to implement into my classroom I would want to find a version that allows for more stories to be created through a free platform!
