Want to take your students on a faraway excursion? Need a fun activity to give your students a life-like learning experience? Immersive technologies are the answer! With just a few clicks, you can transport your class to the rainforest, ocean floor, or to a museum in Paris. Your students can even demonstrate their understanding of tricky science concepts with a 3D creation.
Immersive technologies like Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) are now more accessible than ever! Many educators have found that the digital tools needed to bring AR/VR experiences to life are much easier to implement than they thought. In fact, if you’ve used Google Maps to check out a 360° view, you’ve used Virtual Reality! If you’ve applied one of those fun face filters when taking a photo or video, you’ve used Augmented Reality!
Here’s a handy infographic to help introduce you to these immersive technologies:
And an inspiring video showing you the potential for innovation:
Are you thinking about some lessons that could benefit from a boost of immersive tech? There are so many potential applications in the classroom that we were inspired to develop a resource-filled course to walk you through all you need to know to get started.
Application: Implement Virtual Field Trips
Five fun virtual field trips and the tips you need to make them a success are demonstrated in the following video:
| Google Earth | Use Google’s powerful technology to visit anywhere in the world. (Tutorial) |
| Virtual Museum Tour | Visit the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History for a virtual room-by-room tour of select exhibits, or explore the museums page within Google Arts and Culture to access some of the most famous museums and pieces of art. |
| Theme Park Adventure | Take a ride on your favorite Disney attractions with these 360° videos. |
| Video Conference with Experts | Use the Flipgrid platform to engage with designers, engineers, authors, and scientists right from the comfort of your classroom. |
| 360° Videos | These gorgeous videos from National Geographic will make your students feel like they are right in the action. |
💡Take learning to the next level with these 10 Virtual Field Trip Activities that can enhance and extend the experience.
Did you find a few favorites? There are so many options for amazing adventures that it’s hard to figure out where to start. We suggest looking for immersive experiences that have the potential to:
- Enhance learning goals
- Build understanding around a topic
- Offer a fun break from academics
