By Julie BUTCHER
On Thursday, Nov. 2, students in Rosemont Middle School’s science classes pioneered Google’s new Augmented Reality (AR) Expeditions tool and explored the galactic universe from inside Classroom 1201.
“We try to be current,” explained Principal Dr. Scott Anderle. “Google reached out to us and the science teachers jumped on it. You saw the kids’ faces in there; if we can get them this excited about learning by using new and emerging technology, it’s a great opportunity, particularly for the kids who say they want to go into computer design and programming, computer-assisted drawing and animation.”
Inside the classroom, eighth grade science teacher Sojin Lee introduced the devices and walked the class through the planets and the asteroid belt, the students working in small groups, traversing the classroom – and the galaxy.
Amidst excited oohs and aahs at their first looks at the inside of the sun, one student explained the technology: “It’s like Pokémon GO, only for learning!”
“I saw inside DNA,” said Anderle. “What a difference it makes when you see a picture on paper or read about something versus being able to experience it from every angle. I was literally inside the strands of DNA. [Expeditions] is an awesome tool and we’re happy to pilot it.”
According to Google’s Expeditions Program Manager Jen Holland, “Expeditions is a powerful learning tool. It provides a unique opportunity for supplemental learning by giving students new ways of exploring the concepts and places they are studying. We’ve been thrilled to see teachers use Expeditions to bring abstract concepts to life and provide students with a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom, infusing learning with excitement and fun.”
Google further explained: “The goal of Expeditions is to democratize experiential learning. The traditional way schools provide students with experiential learning has been via field trips, science labs, purpose-built robots, toys, equipment – amazing for student engagement but expensive and increasingly scarce occurrences in schools. While nothing replaces these experiences, we’re hoping we can facilitate them on a daily basis to spark students’ curiosity of the world.”
Watch a video of a classroom using the technology at https://edu.google.com1/expeditions/ar/#about.