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National STEM Learning Centre and Network
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These resources have been reviewed and selected by STEM Learning’s team of education specialists for factual accuracy and relevance to teaching STEM subjects in UK schools.
Virtual reality
Purpose: Field trips can be difficult to organise in schools and so may be limited in scope and duration. Using virtual reality technology, it is possible to supplement a field trip with observations from other sites, to broaden the context studied.
Teaching approach: Once students have analysed data from their field work, and formed tentative conclusions, they can be introduced to other sites through virtual reality. They can then use observations made in these VR sites to test out their conclusions and see if they are valid in wider contexts.
Preparation: Using a simple VR tool such as Google Expeditions requires the relevant ‘expedition’ to be downloaded to the student’s mobile device, such as smart phone or tablet computer. If using a smart phone, insert the phone into a Google Cardboard viewer to obtain a 3D effect. The teacher version of the expedition is then used to control the observations of the class when using the headsets.
A report of an Open University project on using Google Expeditions to enhance fieldwork
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