“ So rather than fight technology , why can ’ t we just embrace it and make it work for us in the best educational way possible ?”
Teachers of all subjects work with Fox to guide their classes through relevant tours . The idea is to use the program as a tool in the larger lesson plan , allowing children to learn through experience and immersion .
“ There aren ’ t always pictures in the textbook , but VR lets me see it ,” says Gianna , a third grader at Mary , Mother of the Redeemer .
“ It ’ s easier to understand because you can see it in front of you ,” adds Sandra , a sixth grader .
Judge says the technology gives students a valuable point of reference . Students can write best about a topic when they ’ ve experienced it , and with the app ? “ You can do almost everything but smell it ,” she says .
Judge is also quick to attribute the program ’ s success to the faculty ’ s willingness to constantly research , share , and evaluate the latest approaches . She says while the school doesn ’ t adopt every new technology , they stay open to new methods that offer substance as well as awe .
“ I think we find ourselves in a world that most of us , as administrators , could not have seen , insofar as we are competing with technology and innovations that were unimaginable at one point ,” Judge says .
“ So rather than fight technology , why can ’ t we just embrace it and make it work for us in the best educational way possible ?”
Even the app itself has changed in the short time since the school adopted it . Google Expeditions has teamed up with partners like PBS and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to add a slew of new locations . Fox says while there were around 200 tours available last fall , now there are over 600 .
With so many expeditions , the teachers have plenty of options for engaging students — and adults . Case in point : when teachers demonstrated the app to students ’ parents and grandparents during Catholic Schools Week , the guests packed the classroom for a chance to see and try out the technology .
“ The adults were the biggest kids in the room ,” Judge says . “ The grandparents were so overwhelmed — and so into it at the same time . I ’ ll tell you , it ’ s a feel-good experience .”
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TIPS FOR STARTING
YOUR OWN VIRTUAL REALITY PROGRAM
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Check for applicable grants to use towards virtual reality kits .
Use Google Cardboard and have students bring their own devices .
Run a local drive to collect smart phones that friends , family , and neighbors no longer use .
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