Virtual Reality Redux

Volcanic Virtual Reality in Grade 4 Sparks Great Conversations & Collaboration

The Google Expeditions kit at Spofford Pond School has seen a lot of action lately - this time in the 4th grade.  As part of their studies of "Forces of Nature", science teachers used the kit to enhance the experience of understanding volcanoes.  Students could follow or lead the expedition.   The expeditions took students inside volcanoes, around the Pacific Ring of Fire, into Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii and other volcanoes around the world. Immersed in the virtual world, I heard students exclaim "Wow!"  "Awesome!"  "I feel like I am right on the edge of the volcano!"  "I wonder what those hot springs would feel like or smell like?" "Did you see the size of that caldera?"  "That scientist is really close to the lava flow!" Focused on successfully leading their followers through the expedition, I heard guides learning Russian, Icelandic, Amharic and Hawaiian on the fly.  We decoded foreign proper nouns like:  Karymsky, Kamchatka, Dallol, Grimsvotn, Kilauea, Halema'uma'u and Pu'u Loa. We stepped out of the virtual world to ask questions like:  "Where is the closest volcano that I can visit?"  "What type of scientist studies volcanoes?"  "Where is the biggest volcano?"  "Which volcano had the world's biggest eruption?" Students came to this event with background knowledge based on their science studies.  Students came out of this event as if they took a field trip around the world.  How great is that?

Technology Essential Questions:

How does this digital tool help improve collaboration and/or communication?

Are there technological solutions or enhancements to supplement what is being taught?

Why are exploration and creation an important part of learning?

2016 Massachusetts Digital Literacy and Computer Science (DLCS) Curriculum Framework:

3-5.CAS.a.1; 3-5.CAS.c.3; 3-5.CAS.c.4; 3-5.CAS.c.5; 3-5.DTC.b.2; 3-5.CS.a.1; 3-5.CS.b.2