You look outside the classroom window and see yet another in a long string of snowy and windy days. Inside the classroom, students are learning about the landforms of the United States. The classroom next door is discussing the World War II. Just down the hall, students are reading the novel “The Book Thief” in literature class. In the science room the students are exploring the objects of our solar system and in math, they are learning about Geometry and three-dimensional shapes. What background knowledge do students have about these things, how do our New American’s get a mental image of what is being discussed and how can we bring a highly engaging experience about these curriculum and content areas to the students?
We know that students will retain 90% of what they experience and see…. So, it must be time for a field trip! No money for buses, planes, or admission fees? How will we get our students in Grand Forks to the International Space Station, Germany, Egypt, or Pearl Harbor? Even if money were no option we wouldn’t have time for this travel?
I have a solution! Open the Windows to the World! Every day is a beautiful day to take a virtual field trip. With Google Expeditions I engage students in a virtual reality without having to leave the classroom. I have seen first hand the impact a Google Expedition Trip can have on learners. These are amazing tools that can be easily integrated into all content areas, at all grade levels.
Virtual reality in education is so beneficial because it engages students in a completely new way that emerges them in the learning experience. Because students are so engaged in what they are seeing; are interacting and critically thinking about what they are learning; they retain the information and content. These devices act a bridge for students that have fewer life experiences, have language barriers, and academic challenges, by building background knowledge needed or new learning.
Because of the Grand Forks Foundation for Education, I have been lucky enough to have access to these devices for several weeks during the school year. They are making a positive impact in the classrooms across our district.
By partnering with classroom teachers, I can bring students to the bottom of the ocean or the depths of the solar system. The level of the content provided by these devices is high quality because Google Expeditions partners with amazing organizations, a few are: Royal Collection Trust, Wildlife Conservation Society, World Wildlife Federation, and American Museum of Natural History.
Recently, I had the opportunity to plan a wonderful comprehensive lesson for eighth grade English. We are taking a tour of the 9/11 memorial using the Google Expeditions. As part of this tour, students will visit other memorials via video clips found on Discovery Education Streaming, read an article about the 9/11 memorial, use the AEIOU strategy to reflect and record during the tour and finally create their own memorial for a historic place or person.
I love that I can pull resources from multiple sources to make a well-rounded meaningful learning event and project for all students while supporting the content area standards and incorporating 21st Century Skills as well and student voice and choice.
Here is a link to the lesson and supporting materials: Persuasive Writing Project