Bremen HS Classes Experience Google Expeditions

On Monday, November 23, classes at Bremen High School had the opportunity to experience Google Expeditions. Expeditions is a new product that allows teachers to take their classes on virtual field trips, immersing students in experiences that bring abstract concepts to life and giving students a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom. To begin the process the school receives a box with everything needed to travel: a tablet for the teacher, and Cardboard viewers and phones for every student. Google Cardboard is a virtual reality viewer made almost entirely of actual cardboard. It allows anyone with a modern smartphone to experience virtual reality. There will be more than 2 million in circulation by the end of the year.

The teacher selects a destination, and the entire classroom jumps there automatically. The Wildlife Conservation Society, PBS, the American Museum of Natural History, the Planetary Society, and the Palace of Versailles contributed to developing the curriculum for students. The trips are collections of virtual reality panoramas — 360° photo spheres, 3D images and video, ambient sounds — annotated with details, points of interest, and questions that make them easy to integrate into curriculum already used in schools. While nothing replaces hopping on the bus for a field trip, Expeditions provide an unparalleled opportunity for supplemental learning.