Elementary students at several District 64 schools are participating in a "sneak peak" of Google’s Expeditions AR, an unreleased feature of Expeditions.
This past week, Franklin School students participated as "pioneers" in an augmented reality (AR) experience where teachers and students mapped a physical classroom and viewed 3D objects, like an erupting volcano on students’ desks! View the Franklin AR Gallery Here
"Everyone could examine the volcano together at the same time or get 360˚ perspectives on landforms to get a deeper sense of the formations," reported District 64 Director of Innovation and Instructional Technology Mary Jane Warden.
Instructional Technology Coaches met with teachers to begin brainstorming ways to integrate AR into lessons and helped to coordinate and facilitate the day-long event.
The Expeditions AR experience will be coming to other D64 elementary schools later this month, too.
What is augmented reality or AR? AR is a technology that allows a computer-generated image to be superimposed on a user's view of the real world. Through a smartphone, students see digital objects in real spaces. Augmented reality generates a new dimension to learning, as students are able to get up close and see in detail objects like DNA strands or fish, or step back to get a sense of scale and point out new discoveries together. Students can exercise their skills of observation and make connections to concepts in concrete ways. Teachers can highlight specific points of interest and incorporate it to suit the lesson.
"District 64 teachers and students were excited to be a part of this innovation that is expected to be introduced to the educational setting in the next year," Director Warden added.