Students take virtual safari with Google Expeditions

Posted December 17, 2015 10:00 pm

Submitted by Hawthorn School District 73

Hawthorn Elementary North School fourth-grader Artem Filonenko takes a "virtual field trip" Courtesy of Hawthorn School District 73

Imagine taking students on a safari to an African savanna chasing after zebras and elephants, or weaving in and out of a tropical rain forest while watching monkeys leap from tree to tree.

Hawthorn Elementary North School students in Vernon Hills experienced such a day when the Google Expeditions Pioneer Program visited their school recently. This was a very special event, as only a select number of schools worldwide were chosen to experience this virtual reality.

According to Google, these expeditions are guided virtual tours of places school buses can't go. They comprise virtual reality panoramas and are led by a teacher.

The Google Cardboard glasses apparatus works with a wireless device that displays 3-D, 360-degree panoramic images with high definition. Teachers guide students through their own exploration of a variety of sites and locations.

"The fourth-grade class was excited to take a virtual field trip to a variety of biomes (regions)," teacher Betsy Gehlbach said. "Prior to this experience, students worked in groups to research a region and present their findings to the class. Participating in a guided tour of various territories via a 3-D platform made the biomes come alive. The visual exploration gave students the freedom to view various aspects of a given biome based on their interest."

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Thanks to a visit from the Google Expeditions Pioneer Program, Hawthorn Elementary North students like Carly Sides were able to explore virtual reality panoramas. Courtesy of Hawthorn School District 73

Google Cardboard glasses like those used by Abraham Gonzalez, left, and Brian Bruno Soto are wireless devices that display 360-degree, 3-D images. Courtesy of Hawthorn School District 73

Hawthorn Elementary North School fourth-grade students like Marissa Marr researched various biomes, then explored them in virtual reality. Courtesy of Hawthorn School District 73

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