District 64 has been selected to offer Google "Expeditions" virtual reality field trips to students at Franklin on Thursday, October 29 and at Emerson Middle School on Monday, November 2.
"Expeditions" previously visited Roosevelt on October 6 to work with intermediate grades 3-5 students.
District 64 Instructional Technology Coaches and teachers have a wide variety of expeditions planned that align with our curriculum. Each “expedition” is a 20-minute virtual reality field trip guided by the teacher.
The expeditions are a highly engaging instructional tool, and students have responded enthusiastically thus far. District 64 is fortunate to have an opportunity to use it with students at several grade levels, as the system has just been launched.
At Roosevelt, third graders experienced native teepees in Billings, Montana, while fourth graders complemented their study of landforms by viewing unique geography around the globe. Fifth graders previewed their spring Civil War unit with a "virtual tour" of the Gettysburg battlefield.
At Emerson, the 6th grade science students will be going to Mars and the moon. French students will visit the Palace of Versailles, while Spanish students will tour Barcelona and Mexico. Broadcasting students are shadowing a TV news anchor, and Multimedia Magic students are visiting a TV soundstage. Marine Biology students are going under the sea.
Overall, it will be a busy day!
Google describes Expeditions as a blend of its expertise in virtual reality content and educational technology. The New York Times reported on it recently, too.