Around the World with Google Expeditions (original) (raw)

Exploring the Explorers Using Internet Resources

Social studies and the young learner, 2009

The voices of sixth graders were full of excitement as they engaged in the lesson with queries and exclamations. We had just begun the final three weeks of a six-week unit of study on European explorers of Central/South America. The teacher had assigned small groups (of two or three students each) to develop questions of interest about a specific explorer, find answers to these questions, locate other information of interest to their group, and design a PowerPoint presentation to share their learning with classmates. Teachers aligned the components of these tasks with grade-level state and district social studies and technology standards. Our larger goal was to have students engaging in inquiry while using technology as a tool so as to continue developing their historical understanding. Attending to multiple perspectives in historical thinking was part of the challenge for students. The topic of explorers and exploration is commonly taught in the upper elementary grades. Depending o...

Isa Jahnke, Lars Norqvist, Andreas Olsson (2014). Digital Didactical Designs of Learning Expeditions.

Isa Jahnke, Lars Norqvist, Andreas Olsson (2014). Digital Didactical Designs of Learning Expeditions. In C. Rensing et al. (Eds.): Open Learning and Teaching in Educational Communities. The 9th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, EC-TEL 2014, Graz, Austria, September 16-19, 2014, Proceedings. LNCS Vol. 8719, pp. 165-178.

Virtual field trips in tertiary science

Field trips are one of the most critical pieces of learning for students in sciences like geology, biology, and geography. Virtual field trips (VFT) are being increasingly considered as sophisticated and effective forms of teaching, especially with the rise of new technologies and the growing demand for more inclusive classroom environments. This research developed a virtual field trip for Tertiary students in an introductory-level geology course (GEOL 113: Environmental Geohazards) at the University of Canterbury. This initiative was in partnership with LEARNZ – a highly esteemed virtual fieldtrip team run by CORE Education that creates successful VFTs for Primary and Secondary students in New Zealand. Key components of the Tertiary VFT include a student acting as the virtual field trip teacher interviewing experts and leading the field trip, web-based background material, online assessment, and photos. In two successive academic years, students participated in the VFT during lectures and as pre class assignments prior to a one-day earthquake hazards workshop. In 2016, the virtual field trip used the LEARNZ web platform and occurred synchronously with the class; in 2017 the virtual fieldtrip reused the video, images and word documents from the previous year with the addition of a Google Earth component and with no reliance on the LEARNZ web platform. The goals of the trip were designed to prepare students for the earthquake hazards workshop, in which students analysed earthquake impacts over varying timescales and then applied that knowledge to develop strategies for the recovery of three crucial industries (dairy, mining, or tourism) on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island. In both years, number of clicks data showed that students interacted with online material far more during this week of the course than any other. Following the synchronous version in 2016, the students who were surveyed reported (1) they enjoyed the trip, (2) they found background material useful for preparation for the trip and the workshop, and (3) the additional work was at the appropriate level. Despite predominantly positive responses from the students, we experienced some negative feedback from participating staff mainly associated with stress and technical difficulties in running the synchronous VFT. With the asynchronous trip in 2017, staff reported a highly positive overall experience, with a perceived enhanced interaction with class during lecture time, and an increased and enhanced engagement with course material outside of class. The student survey again showed that the majority of students surveyed enjoyed the virtual fieldtrip, and that it was useful preparation for the workshop. Additionally, they reported an improved link between earth processes and society, which was a key overarching aim for the course. We propose that the synchronous version poses more excitement and immersion in the field environment, whereas the reuse of the asynchronous version increases the utility (and hence value for money) of the trip, and minimises technical difficulties and lecturer stress. Additionally, re-using the material in the asynchronous version offered opportunities to improve and supplement the past content, such as the incorporation of following an annotated trip path in Google Earth. As recommendations for others interested in developing virtual fieldtrips, we report that the design of a virtual fieldtrip should include (1) Goal-aligned content and assessment for both practice and marks, (2) a student and instructor experience that is authentic and flexible to both the people and the place. We suggest that these aims can be achieved whatever the budget or timeframe and make our material freely available at https://serc.carleton.edu/index.html

Using Google Earth Street View to Teach Directions

Current technology allows educators to go beyond two-dimensional (often fictional) maps in textbooks to teach directions. Although such maps may be useful for initial practice using the target language, they are somewhat limited in terms of vocabulary building, exposing students to aspects of different cultures and lifestyles, and in general, lack motivational value. This activity uses Google Earth Street View to expose learners to a wider range of vocabulary through a myriad of real-world locations and serves as a more authentic platform for communication, allowing students to see how other countries look and how people live, all in a way that is far more meaningful, motivating, and enriching than traditional approaches.

A CASE STUDY ON LEARNING EXPEDITION

Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research

This case study is about Heritage School, Vasant Kunj, Delhi there is an inclusion of an expedition learning system in their education technique. It focuses on developing mental, physical, intellectual, cognitive and moral values within the student. Along with that creating, an effective environment for both the student and the teacher to achieve their predetermined goal and thus contributing to society as well. The Investigator has gained from the scenario is that both student and teacher actively participate in the learning process and focus on providing real-life experience. The curriculum in this school is mostly designed for the middle class, from grade IV-VII, based on the principle of expeditionary learning. With the inculcation of expedition learning the students develop a sense of courage, care and craftsmanship skills that will help in the learning process as well as in the future for making a sound decision.