St. Mary’s Academy Gets Visit from Google
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Wednesday, January 20, 2016
GoLocalPDX News Team
St. Mary's students use Google Cardboard
Hundreds of St. Mary’s Academy students used new technology from Google to explore the deep sea and visit the ancient European ruins without leaving their Portland campus.
On January 6, representatives from Google came to St. Mary's Academy as part of the company's innovative Expeditions Pioneer Program. This program gives students the unique opportunity to use Google Cardboard, a virtual reality platform, while their teachers taught lessons based on the immersive video content.
The Expeditions Pioneer Program is currently touring the U.S. and training select schools on how to give virtual field trips using Google Cardboard. The program, launched in September 2015, invited participating schools to improve the program by filling out feedback forms about their experiences.
"Our school continues to try new educational technologies as they become available," said St. Mary's Academy instructional technology coach Alyssa Tormala. "Being a part of Google's beta testing and getting the chance to give our own feedback helps put us on the cutting edge."
Megan Carroll, Google Expeditions West Coast Project Lead and a former teacher, demonstrated how to use the devices before letting St. Mary's teachers take the lead.
Each class had an entirely different experience; videos were chosen according to coursework from a library of more than 100 virtual reality field trips. English students preparing to read The Odyssey used Google Cardboard to journey around Greek ruins. Theology students discovered the holy sites of Jerusalem. Science classes looked at the rainforest canopy along the Congo River. World language students took French-guided tours of the Palace of Versailles and Spanish-led explorations of the Galápagos Islands.
"It's a great way to visit a foreign landmark without actually getting on a plane," said St. Mary's Academy Spanish teacher Dena Stock-Marquez. "I can see Google Cardboard becoming an effective tool for teaching."
During their virtual reality field trips, several St. Mary's students commented that using Google Cardboard was beneficial for visual learners and a fun departure from traditional textbooks.
"I am optimistic that this technology could be a good addition to our lexicon of educational tools," said Tormala.
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