Last week, El Sierra first graders chased dinosaurs, while Highland and Kingsley third graders swam through bodies of water. Fairmount fifth graders explored DNA up close, while Lester sixth graders embarked on a Mt. Everest hiking expedition.
How? Google's Expeditions Augmented Reality Pioneer Program team brought its Expedition AR app into these four District 58 schools. Students received mobile devices with Google's built-in augmented reality, or AR, technology. The AR technology mapped the classroom's physical space and placed 3D objects throughout the room. Students used the devices to walk around and explore the objects. Some students also used VR, or virtual reality, components of the app to more closely explore faraway places, such as the Mt. Everest hiking expedition at Lester.
While this activity was fun, it also served important educational purposes. Teachers could select which Google AR experience they wanted for their students to explore, tying it in to their current curriculum. For example, Katie Cronquist's El Sierra second graders explored natural habitats.
"We're studying habitats in science right now, and the Expeditions AR experience is helping the students immerse themselves in different habitats without leaving the classroom," Ms. Cronquist said.
Meanwhile, next door, El Sierra First/Second Grade Teacher Ms. Kathleen O'Connor reviewed the dinosaurs that appeared through the augmented reality.
"And which dinosaur is this?" she asked, as her students cheerfully replied, "Tyrannosaurus Rex!" "That's right! And do they like to eat meat or vegetables?" "Meat!"
See the photos above to see the Google Expedition AR experience up close!