Peer Review

Google Expeditions App for iOS

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: May 10, 2017 by Teacher Education

Bookmark

Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

Google Expeditions is a virtual reality teaching tool that lets you lead or join immersive virtual trips all over the world — get up close with historical landmarks, dive underwater with sharks, even visit outer space!
Built for the classroom and small group use, Google Expeditions allows a teacher acting as a “guide” to lead classroom-sized groups of “explorers” through collections of 360° and 3D images while pointing out interesting sights along the way.

Features:
• Guide classroom-sized groups of locally connected users from your phone or tablet.
• Explore along with a guide in immersive VR by putting your phone into a Google Cardboard viewer (http://g.co/cardboard) or use a tablet or phone in 2D “magic window” mode.
• Connect devices over the same WiFi network - if the Guide has downloaded some Expeditions, there is no internet connectivity required to run the Expedition!
• Choose from a growing list of over 200 Expeditions - each one is a curated set of VR imagery along with integrated descriptions, talking points and questions.

This is a free app.

Type of Material:

Simulation

Recommended Uses:

This app works well for exploring spaces across the world as an ancillary component of classes on geography, history or language and cultural study.

Technical Requirements:

Explorers (students) will need a VR headset (Google cardboard, etc.) with a phone to see the content, while Expedition leaders should have a tablet to use to lead the tour of the 360 spaces. Explorers will need to all be on the same Wi-Fi network.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

There are no prescribed learning goals, however the sheer number of possibilities for virtual field trips lend this app to being widely adopted into curriculum. Google Expeditions allows a teacher acting as a "guide" to lead classroom-sized groups of "explorers" through collections of 360 degree and 3D images while pointing out interesting sights along the way.

Target Student Population:

All disciplines and educational levels

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

You will need a basic understanding of how VR devices work so as to guide explorers in your class viewing the content through a headset.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: There are no prescribed learning objectives, though educators can use the various materials presented to them as the leader of the expedition to craft a lesson appropriate for their class. The tool allows for 3D viewing of objects and places and is a vast improvement over 2D viewing of objects or pictures in books.
Concerns:: None

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: There are no set learning outcomes – rather, instructors would need to incorporate the activity into their current lesson and determine the learning goals. The app allows for exploration of places to which many students would not have physical access.
Concerns:: None

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: Incredibly simple to use, educators can guide students through a learning environment in a matter of clicks. If the guide has downloaded some expeditions, no internet connectivity is required to run the expedition. All devices must be over the same WiFi network.
Concerns:: The amount of equipment required to make this work for a large classroom might be daunting to some educators. Also, the limitation of using expedition locations that have already been made by Google proves a challenge to educators who might want to use the app, but cannot find material relevant to use in their classroom.

Other Issues and Comments:: There is a steep learning curve for those supporting a large group of individuals all exploring with a VR headset for the first time, so time should be allotted for learning how to use the devices before you launch into an expedition.
Creative Commons: