3-Bullet Thursday [Google Expeditions. Chrome Music. Student EdCamps]

My top three strategies, ideas, or tools of the week!
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• Looking for a tangible application for leveraging VR in the classroom?  Recently our school acquired a classroom set of Google Cardboard VR goggles via a generous donation from an former student. I have been struggling to find classroom applications until I came across Google Expeditions, an immersive platform that lets you go on VR trips to historical landmarks, go down to the atomic level, get up close with sharks, and even visit outer space! My head is spinning with applications for exploring the atom in chemistry, cells in biology, and so much more yet to discover. Check it out! 

 

• Interested in a SWEET chrome experiment designed to help students interact and invent with music?  Check out Chrome Music Lab. This  chrome experiment even features its own Song Maker, allowing to create and share your own music. My mind is spinning with all the invention possibilities, especially when interfacing this chrome experiment with the MakeyMakey when facilitating summer science camp. 

 

• [warning...repeat bullet!] Curious about training students to facilitate Professional Development for other students AND EVEN teachers? Student-Driven EdCamps might be an easy way in the door. To be honest, I am not sure when, or if, I would begin to implement something like this at my school site, but it does represent a solid protocol for empowering student-student and student-teacher collaboration via an informal model that has proven successful at empowering teachers. I keep coming back to this article and musing over its potential and possible variants.