Create Virtual Tours by building your own Google Expeditions using Google Tour Creator!
Would you like to learn how to create your own Google Expedition Virtual Tour? Google Expeditions is an immersive education app that allows teachers and students to explore the world through virtual-reality and augmented-reality. In this session, you will learn how to use the app Cardboard Camera to create amazing 360° videos/images to upload to Google Virtual Tour Creator. Create amazing Project Based Learning projects. To culminate the session, you will learn how connect your Google Virtual Tour Creator on Google Expeditions.
Helps you collect resources and write the narration and Points of Interest (POI) text before you start. Everything must be stored locally (on your computer, NOT your Google Drive) and uploaded.
Step 1: Apps to Download
APP 1 FOR THE TRAINING: Download and open the "Google Expeditions" FREE App on your mobile/tablet device.
APP 2 FOR THE TRAINING (360° IMAGE CAPTURE APP): Download and open the "Cardboard Camera" FREE App on your mobile/tablet device.
ALTERNATIVE 360° IMAGE CAPTURE APP: Download the "Street View" FREE App on your mobile/tablet device.
Step 2: Open your Cardboard Camera App. Take a 360° picture using the Cardboard Camera App.
Step 3: Import video to camera roll and send it to your computer.
Android devices will automatically save image to your Image Gallery.
iOS devices, select export your 360° image to your Camera Roll.
Upload your images to a cloud service using Google Drive, One Drive, etc. and download it to your computer. You can also email your 360° image and download it to your computer.
Step 4: Go to Google Tour Creator and click on "Get Started."
Using your District Google Account , log-in to Google Tour Creator
Step 5: Click on New Tour.
Add a scene - search for location drag & zoom map - place pegman on blue line or circle ⇒ Add scene
Step 6. Upload your VR photo and Title your Tour, add a description and Category.
- Drag scene to desired view and click.
- “Set starting view” in lower left corner.
- Title your scene (required) add location, description, and credit if desired.
- At anytime you can return to edit your tour details by clicking “Edit details.”
Step 7. Add Scene (Street View or Upload)
Click on "Upload" and upload your 360° Image that you took using your Google Cardboard Camera app.
Step 8. Fill out the different fields.
Add different overlays: image overlays, audio narration.
- Point of Interest (POI) is a location in your scene you want to highlight: Image overlay and/or Site narration
- Description (300 characters or less)
- Image overlay (looks skewed) .jpg .png ~ resize as needed
- Site narration .mp3 - narration...sound effect...music.
Step 9. Add Audio and Publish
Two types of scene audio...
Scene Narration
Scene narration is a recording which plays one time, explaining what a viewer is sees in the scene.
Ambient Audio
Ambient audio plays continuously in the background of a scene to help set the mood
Examples include: waves on a shore, birds in the woods, traffic or construction noise.
Resources:
Voice Recorder Online: https://online-voice-recorder.com
- Easy to use online voice recorder ⇒ Saves as .mp3
- Built-in trimming tools
Ambient Audio and Special Effects .mp3 files
- https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music
- http://soundbible.com - sound effects
- www.otr.com/news.html - historic audio
- https://musopen.org - account required
- https://archive.org/details/audio - historic
- https://freemusicarchive.org - by genre
- www.purple-planet.com - by mood
Audio must be in a standard .mp3 audio file format and must be uploaded or dragged into the audio upload window (not in Google Drive)
Step 10. Publish
Need name and cover photo (576 x 432 pixels minimum)
Click the three dots by the title (left corner) to edit the details or add/update the cover photo
Click the blue “Publish” button and select “Public” or “Unlisted”
View tour (or Copy URL)
When viewing tour, you may Share it (link or embed)
Step 11. Open the Google Expedition and log in using your District Google Account. You should see your expedition under:
Library---> My Tours
