Google Expeditions

On March 16th, Liane from Google Expeditions came into  school to lead everyone from Year 1 upwards on an exciting virtual journey! 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.

Liane bought a  box  with everything we needed to travel: a tablet for the teacher, and Cardboard viewers and phones for every child. We had a huge range of expeditions to choose from including ones which have been developed by The Wildlife Conservation Society, PBS, the American Museum of Natural History, the Planetary Society, and the Palace of Versailles.

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 the curriculum already used in schools. The Expeditions provide an unparalleled opportunity for supplemental learning as well as being fun and very exciting!

Google Cardboard is a virtual reality viewer made almost entirely of actual cardboard. Cardboard allows anyone with a modern smartphone to experience virtual reality. There have been more than 5 million Cardboard viewers shipped since 2014.

During the day every child from Year 1 upwards experienced a selection of Expeditions including trips round Buckingham Palace, a visit to space and the journey of food through the digestive system. We also all took a trip to the North Pole!

We enjoyed Google Expeditions very much!