So every once in a while, after 11 years of teaching, something hits me by surprise. At the beginning of the school year, I did a favor for the librarian at our school. In return, this week, she emailed me telling me that my class had been selected to do a virtual field trip in the library. I looked at my lesson plans, I was behind schedule on the pacing guide, but I said “why not?” Honestly when we walked into the library I had no expectations.
When we arrived, it was like the air was
sucked out of the room by my students. Laying on the tables were 25 iPhones and 25 pairs of virtual reality goggles (sorry if that is not the technical term). My students were literally cheering as they took their seats.
Then for the next 45 minutes, Mr. Jeff took the kids through an expereince that just kept getting better! From their seats in the library, they were able to experience 360 degree images of places all over the world. They saw the Arctic, the Great Wall of China, Florence, tropical rain forests, the depths of the ocean, whales, dolphins, sharks, and so much more. They were reaching out, turning
their bodies, and gasping every time Mr. Jeff changed their location. They paid attention 100% of the time. I had my own goggles, but to be honest, every goosebump on my teacher arms were standing up. I had more fun with my googles off, than when they were on. Seeing my students experience what could be life altering technology was an amazing experience. The amount of comments like, “What?! Oh my goodness! Mrs. Johnson look behind you” helped rejuvinate me and remind me why I do what I do. I will have to get more information about the organization that Mr. Jeff was working for, but I would highly recommend seizing any opportunities such as this one for your class!
On the way out, our libraian stopped me and told me that all of the software and the website Mr. Jeff was using is free. She said that she had purchased 6 sets of phones/googles for the school. I am looking
forward to planning another virtual expereince for my students. I am thinking about tying it in with science or social studies and possibly doing a center rotation where they do different tasks at different centers, one of them being virtual. The buzz around my room tells me that we found something that really sucked them in and taught them something.
~Heather
