It's still hard to believe that this is my JOB. When the Google Expeditions team announced they were coming to Indy, I hoped against hope that they might visit our district. I was beyond excited when we got the confirmation that they were!
I got to spend the day at Cherry Tree Elementary and experience the moment when the cardboard googles came to life with class after class. It never got old.
It was incredible to see everything from Machu Picchu to giant insects in the forests of Borneo to otherworldly looking ocean sunfish. And while it was super fun to consume all this great content that the Expeditions team has put together, what really got me exited was thinking about how we might start creating content!
A few weeks ago I was chatting on Twitter during the weekly #ditchbook chat and we starting batting around some ideas on how the Google Cardboard technology could be used to create virtual field-trips around the state of Indiana. Local schools could pick locations close to them and create virtual experiences that could be used by classes all over the state. So if a trip to the statehouse isn't possible, you could take the next best thing!
I was also chatting with a middle school journalism teacher about the possibility of using 3D photography as a part of student publications. What an awesome idea! To me, educational technology starts to get really exciting when students (and teachers!) become creators and not merely consumers of content. I can't wait to see where Expeditions will head next!