Google Expeditions Kit - Available for schools

Year 9 Students from Canberra HS experiencing Google Expeditions for the first time.

Have you ever wished you could take your students to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower or on an underwater adventure along The Great Barrier Reef? For most teachers, the reality is that this would always remain a 'wish' as the expense and distance to travel would be too great. Drum roll please.....this is when Google Expeditions could be the answer. Google have developed a Virtual Reality (VR) experience called 'Google Expeditions', which allows you to bring the world into your classroom!

Basically, students wear a VR headset which connects to a tablet device controlled by the teacher (until they hand over the reins to their students!) and the teacher is the 'Guide' taking the students into an experience of 3D images, all over the world.

This Google Expeditions experience involves wearing a VR Headset
with a mobile phone inserted in the headset.

As the ACT Education Directorate's Digital Transformation Section, we would like to know what schools think of this VR experience and if it enhances the teaching and learning in your school. We have a 'Google Expedition Kit' which we are loaning to ACT Public Schools to trial with their students. By the end of Term 3, the kit will have been trialed by 3 schools (1 High School, 1 Primary School and 1 K-10 School). The Google Expedition Kit includes everything needed to run an Expedition in a classroom for 20 students. If you have more than 20 students in a class, it is possible to include more students in the experience with the use of mobile devices such as phones, tablets and/or iPads.

There are options to use other mobile devices without a VR Headset.

On a recent visit to Canberra High School, I had the opportunity to spend time with a year 9 science class experiencing Google Expeditions for the first time with their teacher Natalie Darby and Principal Phil Beecher. Some of the students' comments after the lesson were:

Thomas - "It was up close and personal. You can't always go away and see these things. It was more fun and involved than normal class. A good way to learn!"

Amber - "Good being in the classroom. You can see what's happening rather than it just being described."

Christopher - "Very nice and in-depth. Fun to look around at own pace."

Teacher Natalie Darby from Canberra HS taking her Year 9 science students on their first Google Expedition.

If you are interested in trying the Google Expedition Kit at your school please click here to fill in the 'Interest to borrow the Google Expeditions Kit' form. A member of the Digital Transformation Section will then be in contact with you to organise a time to facilitate a demonstration for your staff and make arrangements for the loan.

Looking forward to hearing from you all!