Using VR in Class
Lebanon Trail High School
How do I get the Equipment?
You have 3 options:
- If you want the Google Expeditions set with 20 devices and 20 viewers, let Kim Hampton know the dates you need and she will will reserve it for you. These are shared with all the secondary schools in FISD, so get on the calendar quickly if you want them!
- If you want 3 devices and 10 viewers, we have a set for LTHS that you can reserve through Eduphoria F&E. They are found under "Mobile Learning Device Lab"
- VR tours and 360 videos can be viewed on Chromebooks as well as ipads. They do not have to be viewed through a 3D viewer. So if you cannot reserve the viewers, don't lose hope!
How do I find content?
- Download Google Expeditions (free) on your own device and browse the Expeditions available. You may also stop by the library and browse on one of the LTHS ipads. This is best way to find expeditions because you can preview the scenes.
- There is a list of expeditions in a spreadsheet that can be found here
- Visit YouTube and type in searches using the terms "VR", "Virtual Reality", or "360"
- Check out the Discovery VR 360 playlist here
- Do a Google search with the same terms.
- Search broadly, narrowly, and everything in between. For example, if you are looking for gothic cathedrals, don't just search for "gothic cathedrals". Also search for gothic architecture, the names of specific cathedrals you know are in the gothic style, and cities that may have a gothic cathedral as well. Your original search may not return results, but you may find some great images when you look at an expedition of Paris.
- Look on Google Earth! People take 360 pics and put them on Google Earth all the time. Check the image below from Google Earth. You can drag the little yellow guy from the lower right corner in Google earth to visit Street View. Every one f those little blue dots represents a picture that was taken that you can view or add to a VR tour!
How can students create new VR content?
Google VR Tour Creator is a place that students can upload their pictures or use existing 360 images from Google Street View (see the image above)
Once they add an image to a tour, whether it an image they took or one they got from Street View, they can add points of interest to the photo and explain. They can even add narration!
As for taking their own pictures to use in a tour, many students can create either panoramic or 360 videos. iPhones only do panoramic images, while some Androids will do both.
Things to consider
- VR tours and 360 videos can be viewed on Chromebooks as well as ipads. They do not have to be viewed through a 3D viewer.
- Some students might get motion sickness when using viewers. Warn students ahead of time that if they start to feel queasy, they should stop using the viewer, remove the device, and change the mode so they can see it.
- To change mode, they just tap on the image of the googles or the square at the lower left of the picture/video.
- Have students stay seated while using viewers. They cannot get closer to anything by walking, but they can run into things when their vision is blocked!