Virtual Reality Activity

For this project, I chose to focus on Outer Space virtual field trips, as I am leading a deep dive project on space in the coming weeks!

Access Mars: https://accessmars.withgoogle.com/

This is a great virtual exploration of Mars, developed by NASA and Google. It used the information from NASA’s curiosity rover. It’s easy to navigate with engaging graphics that look up to date and modern. The site allows you to engage with the terrain of Mars and to learn more about the rover and the mission that brought the rover to Mars. I would use this site with my students! I think it’s informative and engaging. I appreciate that it uses information from the actual Curiosity mission. I would use this resource as an independent activity for my students a space-themed unit.

3D Virtual Tours of Planets: http://www.3dmekanlar.com/en/saturn.html

This site provides virtual tours of all the planets, including outer planets like Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus. They also offer perspectives from some of these planets’ moons. Although I appreciate the breadth of the tours, I would not use these in the classroom for a handful of reasons. First, the video uses Flash, which many computers no longer support. Second, the perspectives are limited and decontextualized. They don’t include captions or voice-overs that would help students understand more about the planets and their moons. There are more interesting options for virtual field trips for students this age.

Class VR Experiences: https://www.classvr.com/virtual-reality-in-education/virtual-augmented-reality-in-elementary-education/

This site does not have a virtual experience that you can sample, but instead sells virtual reality experiences for Elementary students to view with VR headsets. The virtual tours look high-quality and have positive reviews. I would consider using this with my students if my school had access to virtual reality headsets. However, I think the most interesting aspects of what these trips teach can be done with regular videos, instead of virtual reality. These types of experiences might be an unnecessary expense, and would not actually add to students learning. I would use this resource as a special activity outside of typical classroom time.

CT Science Center: https://ctsciencecenter.org/blog/virtual-field-trip-nasas-kennedy-space-center/

These virtual field trips are essentially just YouTube videos. They are not interactive like the Access Mars field trip. However, I still think they would be a valuable resource for my students. The videos are engaging and show a glimpse into the lives of real-life astronauts and astronomers. I would use these with older Elementary students in a unit on space and space exploration.

We The Curious Virtual Reality Tour of Deep Space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhLExhpXX0E

This YouTube channel is designed to be used with a VR headset or as a normal YouTube video. It takes students on a tour of exoplanets outside of our own solar system, and explains in detail about the processes that form exoplanets. It also includes a segment designed for students to feel as though they’re standing on the exoplanet. I found this resource helpful and would use it with my students. The content was engaging and it covered a different set of topics that your typical virtual field trip on space. One critique is that it was a bit short - only 10 minutes - and I would prefer to use a longer and more detailed resource with my students. Another is that it is not interactive. I would use these resources with small groups of students interested in learning more about deep space.