Thanks Google! Because If It's Tuesday...It Must Be Versailles.

Google Pioneers its Expeditions Virtual Reality Program at Fremont Junior High

“If it’s Tuesday, It Must Be Versailles!” said French teacher Kerrie Chabot , who was one of thousands of teachers who applied for a visit from the Google Expeditions Pioneer Program in September. Her French class was “extrêmement contente” when they learned they had been chosen and invited to bring along 18 other classes from her school.

Google Expeditions is in its beta phase and a handful of lucky schools across California have been able to “get their hands on” the kit. These expeditions bring students to places that traditional field trips can’t go.

“Expeditions is a virtual reality platform built for the classroom. We worked with teachers and content partners from around the world to create more than 100 engaging journeys - making it easy to immerse students in entirely new experiences.”

https://www.google.com/edu/expeditions/

photo: Dr. Morris, Superintendent of Fremont Unified School District, visited the Hopkin’s campus during the presentation and was “So impressed with the Google Expedition at Hopkins. It provided an opportunity to see the amazing things that happen when technology is used effectively to support teaching and learning. The “ooohs” and “ahhhs” of the students were proof that the right kinds of technology in the hands of teachers and students, extends learning in ways that add value and richness.”

Eighteen classes at Hopkins visited Wonders of the World, swam with sharks, walked on the moon, and witnessed a Shakespearian play.

Sachin Parekh, 7th grade English teacher said “This will be a very valuable tool for teaching academic language in the English classroom. When my students went to Shakespeare’s Verona, I was able to show them many of the vocabulary words from John Steinbeck’s The Pearl. “

​“The Google Expedition demonstration was a success. I think we met our goal of introducing this type of virtual reality technology to our staff and students. We had visitors from other school sites and the district office. I think we have created a lot of excitement and energy. I hope we can carry that forward and get a class set for use at Hopkins. Anytime you can get “oohs and ahhs” from junior high students for things connected to curriculum you are doing something right,” added Assistant Principal Corey Brown.

The Expeditions Pioneer Program is currently visiting schools and organizations in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Singapore and Denmark. In the meantime, Google Cardboard is an inexpensive purchase and has a free app which, when attached to a smart phone, allows for hundreds of immersive experiences to choose from.

photo: Thom Birbeck FUSD Social Science/Humanities Instructional Coach:

“When the kids see their 1st image and a collective OOOOHHHHH erupts, what a great experience as a teacher.”

photo: Kerrie Chabot- French Teacher:

“After teaching a lesson about Veteran’s Day/ Armistice Day November 11, and the Treaty of Versailles, Expeditions allowed me to visit the Châtaeau de Versailles with my classes to wrap up the lesson. This visit was the icing on the (Let them eat) cake!

Madame Chabot has a DonorsChoose.org  site  http://www.donorschoose.org/project/visiting-francophone-countries-du/17...