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Google Earth Tours
In my mind nothing is more intriguing that the digital world that’s been captured by cameras and put on display. With our fingers and an electronic device we can travel the world in minutes, seeing new areas waiting to be explored. This isn’t a new discussion though, as we previously analyzed Air Pano and their tour of Cape Town, South Africa. Of course in this digital age there are countless formats to view and explore our world, but one format is rising to the top. Digit superpower Google has it’s Google Earth application, of course, but what might not be known is it’s virtual reality (VR) system called Google Cardboard. Google Cardboard is an inexpensive device designed to hold your cell phone and be able to experience virtual reality. Google jumped into the VR market with a strong stance with their Google Earth and Google Maps already accessing street views.
After the development of Google Cardboard, Google started adding VR options to their applications, fittingly calling them Earth VR and YouTube VR.
Earth VR brings the aspect of “street view” a whole new meaning. Pictured above is a view of the New York City skyline via Earth VR. With Google Cardboard you can purchase two remote-like devices that act as controllers within VR. Also within the picture above we can see how the controllers are used to navigate the world; the right controller being the pointer and selector tool and the left being a selection hub for the world.
The use of Earth VR can go beyond just entertainment and fun, but could be effectively integrated into classrooms. Anywhere from discovery activities for History classes or English classes to VR Minecraft: Education edition to add for a more interactive, real-life class experience.
The other Google-backed VR tool is YouTube VR. YouTube VR is a channel on YouTube, aptly named Virtual Reality, that posts “360 videos”, videos best watched through virtual reality. Some are also formatted especially for VR by altering the video structure so that the viewing is the same for both eyes, creating the realistic experience.
Here you can find different games and applications to use with Google Cardboard.
Virtual Field Trips
Tiffany Imparato
Virtual field trips are a fun and exciting way to bring your teaching beyond the walls of the classroom and promote technology based skills. Students of various ages can be emerged into another place just by the click of a button; this is extremely helpful due to so many restricts placed upon field trips and social distancing. Living close by in Southern New Jersey I embarrassed to admit that I have never had the chance to visit Ellis Island and explore the history there; so I have decided to attend a virtual field trip there.
On Scholastic’s website I was able to find a fun and interactive field trip of Ellis Island to explore without any traveling needed. With a few clicks of my mouse I was able to pretend that I was one of the 12 million immigrants that entered the United States through this piece of history. It is estimated that 40% of our nations population can trace their ancestors through Ellis Island. The virtual tours guides students through the various stops along the way as the life of an immigrant coming into America. The first stop was the passage of the overcrowded ships that immigrants had to endure next health officers would board the ship and prescreen passengers. The third stop was the baggage room where they were tagged before inspections. Next step was walking up the stairs to the registry under the careful eye of doctors looking for more signs of distress. This is where people reached the great hall for more observations before receiving their infamous 6 second physicals and moving to legal inspection. If an immigrant failed the health or legal inspection they were detained on Ellis Island for lengthy times. The 9th stop is known as the stairs of separation this is where one would go to medical detainment, legal detainment, or be free to enter the country. Those lucky enough might be greeted by awaiting family at what is now called the kissing post. It is sad to imagine how many dreams were made there and crushed as well.
The virtual field trip includes many photos, audio links, and maps of the island in addition to the interactive tour. I can see this tour being used for various student age levels and could be followed up with fun learning assessments and projects. There is stories of young immigrants and great data as well to explore. I found this activity to be exciting and very informational and know that I will be using virtual field trips in my future classroom.
Virtual Field Trips with Discovery Education
Discovery Education is a tool that allows students to travel without ever leaving their desks. This program is great to implement in a History or Social Studies classroom. Traveling is vital in education, however, not everyone has the resources to travel frequently, if at all. Many schools do not have the funding for field trips, but with Discovery Education, all students can have equal access to the benefits of travel.
Discovery Education has both live and on-demand virtual field trips. The on-demand feature allows teachers to use the same source for every class. The program includes multiple on-demand field trips involving important sites for teaching Social Studies or History to high schoolers. These trips include The City of U.S., 9/11: Day of Service, Magna Carta: The Story of Our Human Rights, and many more.
These virtual field trips with Discovery Education can be implemented into a history or social studies classroom to give students a visual source of learning. These field trips can be used to teach students about the White House, historical events, important documents that shape our world, and more.
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Samantha Pollina
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