Google Expeditions

On the 27th and 28th of March, we were thrilled to have access to Google Expeditions once again.

We were lucky enough to enjoy Google Expeditions at our school for two days, which meant we had:

60 Google Cardboards at our very finger-tips;
750+ students participating in the ultimate learning experience;
And 30 staff imparting their wisdom through VR technology!

BEST EXPEDITIONS: PARIS, SPACE AND NORTHERN LIGHTS

Interview with ‘Google Expedition’ leader: Mark Baglow

“What does your job with Google entail?”

“I go around different primary and secondary schools, giving the expeditions and helping with them. Before this, I worked as a history teacher at a school in Cornwall and I didn’t enjoy the marking, so I was just a supply teacher for a while.”

“How did you get the job?”

“I just got a message through ‘LinkedIn’ from Google, which I first thought was spam and after I did some research I realised it was real and I took the opportunity.”

“What do you enjoy most about running expeditions?”

“I enjoy the reactions and the experiences the students get but charging the phones every night isn’t that enjoyable!”

“What’s your personal favourite expedition?”

“I really like the Space ones, also the 7 wonders of the world are good but there are so many good expeditions to choose from.”

“Do you personally believe there is a future in using virtual reality in schools?

“I believe that there certainly is a future for virtual reality if it is used in the correct manner, especially from what I’ve seen today, it is an exceptional experience if you haven’t got access to these places in your everyday life”

Feedback from Google Expedition staff

“I was really impressed with the Digital Leaders and how quickly they have grasped the types of support needed – they could do me out of a job!”

In comparison to other schools, Mark has been very impressed with the level of engagement from our students and the fact that they are considering the Expeditions from a more intellectual, educational point of view rather than just a novelty. He has noticed students making notes and really taking information from the experience which is exactly what Google hope to achieve with this free Expedition Programme.

Student Feedback

From a year 11 class we selected three students to ask a few questions about their Google experience:

How did you find the experience?

Victoria: “Excellent, I found it spectacular”

Fliss: “Very good, it enhanced my learning experience, but made me feel dizzy”

Billy: “Great but made me feel slightly nauseous”

Which one was your favourite?

Victoria: “The space one was my favourite one”

Fliss: “I thought the one about space was amazing”

Billy: “The Aurora Borealis, was very interesting and gave some exceptional views to something you wouldn’t normally see up close. ”

How do you think that virtual reality can enhance education?

Victoria: “Going and experiencing new places around the world can enhance your imagination and it innovates you to explore new things”

Fliss: “It allows you to see what you’ve been taught in a classroom, almost in real life something you wouldn’t otherwise experience if not through VR.”

Billy: “By taking the words in a textbook and being able to visualise them in practice”