Students take virtual safari with Google Expeditions
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."
• To submit Your news with one photo, go to dailyherald.com/share. To submit Your news with multiple photos, send it to nbrcalender@dailyherald.com.