The Lenovo VR Classroom comes pre-loaded with some content from the Google Play store
including Google Expeditions.
In this video we will be introducing you to how you can do a guided learning session with
Google Expeditions in your classroom.
Google Expeditions is a free app that includes over 700 virtual field trips,
taking students to places like under the sea, outer space, and inside the human body.
Note that students can use Expeditions in a self-guided mode but this video will focus
on using Expeditions in a teacher-guided learning session.
Remember, in a teacher-guided session, the teacher will use the teacher tablet to open
a virtual reality experience and guide students through that experience using the tablet.
To start a Google Expedition, choose the Expedition you would like prior to class starting.
You could explore polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba, or even the Great Barrier Reef.
Open the Google Expeditions app on the tablet.
You can explore Expeditions by scrolling through the app,
or you can search for specific expeditions by clicking magnifying glass in the top right corner.
You can also filter by different category areas,
such as arts and culture, landscapes, science, the environment and more.
Once you find the expedition that you want to use, ensure that it is downloaded to the tablet
by looking for the circle with a check mark inside of it, in the bottom right corner of the expedition.
If there is no check mark in the bottom right corner, it means that the expedition is not downloaded.
To download, make sure you are connected to a wireless internet connection and then simply
tap the expedition that you would like to download.
When you tap an expedition to download, a flashing down arrow will appear in the bottom right corner.
When the flashing arrow turns to a check mark you know that the expedition has been downloaded.
Make sure to download new trips prior to starting an expedition with students
to avoid students having to exit and re-enter the expedition on their headsets.
If you want to see the expeditions that are currently downloaded on the tablet,
tap the three dash icon in the top right corner and then turn the downloaded only slider on
until it turns orange.
Make sure your Expedition app is in guide mode.
You will see in the top left corner that it should say guide.
If your expedition app says Explorer in the top left corner, tap where it says Explorer
and then choose lead.
This will change you into guide mode.
You as the teacher are the guide, guiding your students through the expedition,
your students are the explorers following your lead through the expedition content.
If using the Ruckus wireless access point, the tablet and all of the headsets will automatically connect.
If using another wireless network, ensure that the tablet and all of the headsets are
on the same wireless network.
When you are ready for the guided tour, have students boot up their headsets
and put the headsets on ensuring a proper fit.
Once on, the headsets should automatically connect to the expedition as long as the headsets
are on the same wireless network as the teacher tablet.
The number in the top right corner of the Expeditions app, indicates the number of headsets
that are connected to the app.
You can tap the number to get a list of the headsets connected.
From this screen you can tap Connect Explorers for step by step instructions of how to connect
explorers to the app if troubleshooting is needed.
When ready to start the expedition, tap the expedition of choice and then tap the start button.
You can see smiley faces on the tablet screen.
Smiley faces indicate where students are looking in their VR headsets.
Give students a minute to explore the 360 degree view around them.
When ready to begin the tour you can tap the orange header on the bottom.
Text explaining the scene and guided questions divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced
appear on the screen.
You can choose which questions to ask based upon your students' age and knowledge of the content.
You can direct students to a specific area of the scene by tapping one of the Google Expeditions
icons that looks like a compass.
This will place a compass in the student headsets highlighting a specific area to view.
If a student is looking in another direction, an arrow will guide the student to the place of focus.
Remember to look for the smiley face icons to ensure students are looking at the correct place in the scene.
If you tap the orange navigation bar, you may also see a picture icon,
although each expedition has different content.
If you tap the photo icon it will bring up a picture in the scene
and you can read the text to explain the picture.
If at any point you want to highlight something on the screen, you can tap the squiggly icon
in the top right corner, and then you can annotate on the screen.
Students can see your annotations.
You may want to use this feature to circle something of interest, or write a word being discussed.
When you are ready to clear your annotations, click the clear button in the top right corner.
At any point in the expedition you can click the pause button and it will remove the scene
from the students' headsets.
You may want to use this feature to gather students' attention, or focus on a specific topic.
When you are ready to end the expedition you can click the X in the top left corner.
This will remove the scene from the student headsets until you start another expedition.
A best practice tip when using Google Expeditions is to review the content prior to doing the
expeditions with your students.
To review the questions, and the scenes to determine what you want to highlight during class.
The Lenovo VR Classroom comes with ten customized lessons from Scholastic that tie back to Google Expedition content.