Google Cardboard & Google Expeditions: What I should know before hand.

The TechWizard's Guide to Library Magic

Written by Ms. Cummings

CiTi Library Media Specialist

Google Cardboard & Google Expeditions:  What I should know before hand.

Figure 1 CiTi student Shark Expedition

Hello, I am the Library Media Specialist at the Center for Instruction Technology  and Innovation (CiTi) in Mexico, NY.  A year ago I was introduced to Google Cardboard at the NYSCATE 2015 conference.  I was awestruck at what I experienced and wanted to bring this back to our students.  Having the time in a student’s school day to go on a field trip is a struggle of balancing schedules, but not so with Google Expeditions.  During Summer School 2016 I took students on trips to Egypt to see the Great Pyramids, took the students swimming with sharks (Figure 1), and have landed on the moon (Figure 2).  Most recently I took a science class to see a volcano!  How many students can say that they got an up-close look at an active volcano?  Of course the students made the connection between the lava flow that I dropped them into and how they place lava flows in Minecraft.  This is just the tip of the experiences that are instore for students with Google Cardboard.  Teachers are just as excited by Google Expeditions as the students are.  

Figure 2 CiTi Student Moon Expedition

Google Cardboard and Google Expeditions

What is Google Cardboard?  Google Cardboard is an immersive experience that can give you the experience of being there.  The images are 360 degrees and you can look all around at everything.  This provides an opportunity to take students on virtual tours of places they may never see in person.  Google Cardboard is the entry way to Virtual Reality.  This app connects your cardboard to virtual reality app you will be running.  I started using Google Expeditions when it was still in beta testing.  I have done a lot of trial and error to get this working for our students.  Google Cardboard is expanding and growing along with the Expeditions.  I will be sharing my experiences and what I have learned through my experiences with Google Cardboard and Google Expeditions.

What will you will need:

Google Cardboard & the App: (Figure 3)

Figure 3 Google Cardboard 

https://www.google.com/edu/expeditions/

You can purchase a Google Cardboard that is inexpensive and you assemble it yourself (save the QR code) or you can purchase a plastic version.  You can also 3D print a custom cardboard if you have access to a 3D printer.  I prefer to the use the View Master VR version.  This is made of durable plastic and looks similar to the old View Masters.  View Master VR has its own sets of apps and they are terrific.  You will need to download them and purchase a license (or purchase a physical kit that includes a license).  Students will work independently in these apps.  I will be referring to all versions as cardboard for this article.  This app connects your cardboard to virtual reality app you will be running.  There are many to sort through when you do a search in the app stores.  You will need the basic Google Cardboard app to get started.  You will also need the Google Expeditions App to use with students.  These apps are free to download and use.

Devices: 

You will need devices to put into the cardboard.  These can be android or IOS versions.  Most importantly your device will need a gyroscope.  Without it the app will not be able to rotate the image based on student movement.  You will need to use the app with the flat screen to make this work and your finger to move the image.  This is not as engaging as using the app with cardboard.  A school policy that allows for the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) will save on the cost of the devices. You will not need to purchase as large a number of devices but you should still have several devices on hand for those students that do not have a device.  Google Cardboard supports devices with screens in the range of 4 to 6 inches.

     Android devices

• The Samsung Nook does not have a gyroscope but the apps do run.  These are useful when you have students that get motion sickness or have other vision issues.  They also make great teacher devices, more on that later in this article.
• Android smart phones will work for Google Cardboard and are perfect if you have a BYOD policy in your school.  These devices can be expensive and the BYOD policy will make it more affordable.  If not you will need to purchase or borrow these devices from somewhere.  The good thing is that you do not have to have a cell service on the devices just a connection to a Wi-Fi service.

     IOS Devices

• iPads, iPad Mini, iPhones, and iPod touches (IOS) these require the IOS 8.0 or later.  If you have an older iPod touch it must be able to be updated to the IOS 8.0 and not all are capable of this.  Again if you have a BYOD policy this will help to make this possible and save a bit of money.  The nice thing is that the iPod touch is a less expensive device ($199) and does the same job but with a 4 inch screen.  You will notice that the screen is too small.  I saw two red areas on either side of the screen when in the cardboard.  iPads - if you have a set of iPads and are working with younger students or students with vision problems I would recommend using the iPads.  The iPad Mini is 7.9” for the screen size.  You will either need to use it without a viewer or custom print (3D printing – there is a file available) a viewer or purchase one that is large enough.  The iPads are way too big for a viewer but will work and students will enjoy the experience since it does have a gyroscope.  Students will be able to twist and turn to look around just as they would with a Google Cardboard.

Wi-Fi connection:

A Wi-Fi connection will be needed to download not only the app to the device but to also download any tours that you would like to take.  With Google Cardboard there are many apps that allow the viewer to control the app themselves, but Google Expeditions is unique in that the teacher leads the students through the tour.  In order to do this you will need all the devices on the same Wi-Fi connection.  This can be an issue in some schools because it uses screen sharing aspects that are often blocked on school networks.  You will need to test this ahead of time, if your test proves that you can run an expedition then you are all set.  Skip to the next section.  Be sure to test with two devices, one in Guide “lead” mode and one in Explorer “follow” mode. You are successful when the Explorer can view the tour and the Guide can see that the Explorer has joined the session.    

My school network at this time does not allow the screen sharing on the Android devices.  How have I been able to use Google Expeditions at school?  It is simple but then it is not that simple to do.  You have a few options. 

• The first option is a router that you purchase and the tech department helps you set up (Yes, this is another expense).  I have not taken this route and this is the method that is used in the Google Cardboard Kits that are available now.  This is a good option since you can connect an unlimited number of devices, but you will need to download your tours before you connect your teacher device to this router.  It is just a Wi-Fi signal and not an internet connection.  This is to keep our networks secure.
• The second option is a cell phone hotspot.  This relies on a cell phone service that the teacher device has.  Up to 10 devices can be connected this way.  This will eat up your data quickly.  I would not recommend this option.  Your cell plan must allow you to set up a hotspot and not all cell phone plans allow for this.  Please double check your agreements before doing this.
• The final option is the one that I am using.  This is Wi-Fi Direct.  The Android phones and the Samsung Nooks have a setting under Wi-Fi connections that will set up a private Wi-Fi connection that you can connect up to 8 devices.  The catch to this is that you will need to download your tours before starting this connection.  You will not be able to once you are part of this connection.  The other catch is that this can be time consuming.  I have it down to 20 minutes to get all 8 devices connected and that is still with the devices arguing with me.  Sometimes the devices just will not join and no reason is given.  This process is started by selecting 2 devices and setting up the Wi-Fi direct, this will display a name for the Wi-Fi connection and passcode that you can use to connect the other phones and makes this the primary phone.  Use this code to connect the other phones through the regular Wi-Fi connection.  Find the Wi-Fi listed and tap it then enter the passcode.  You will need to go back to the second phone and switch it to this Wi-Fi.  I do not understand why it has to be done this way but it is the only way that I have found to get the primary phone to work to connect all the other phones too.  If you forget to go back to that second phone you will not be able to connect that phone to the Expedition because it is not on the same network.  I hope this makes sense to you.  I am still working on the settings to get the devices to remember the connection but I have not been successful on that yet.  I am still working with our Technology Department on this issue.

UPDATE:  My technology department has now set it up that screen sharing will work on certain wifi connections.  This makes it so much easier to run an expedition.  The only issue the tech department says is that we must use a CiTi issued device.

Once you have your devices, apps and cardboard you will need to run the Google Cardboard app.  This app will tell your device which cardboard you are using.  Once you have done this you will be able to use any app that works with Google Cardboard.  You will be asked to scan the QR code that came with your cardboard, I hope you held onto that item when you were putting your cardboard together.

Figure 4 View Master VR 

http://www.view-master.com/en-us

The Kit is set up now what?

I have a kit of 8 View Master VR headsets (Figure 4), 8 Android phones with no cell service and a Samsung Nook tablet.  In addition I have the charging cords and a power strip in a locking box. 

     My kit is all set up

• I have downloaded the Google Cardboard. 
• I have scanned my QR code into Google Cardboard. 
• I have downloaded the Google Expeditions App. 

I’m all set!  Not just yet.  Now I have to write lesson plans.  Just like an in person field trip you will need to do some planning and lesson plan writing.  Google for Education Training Center has added a training unit on Expeditions in Teach beyond the four walls of your classroom.  Here is the link https://edutrainingcenter.withgoogle.com/advanced_training/unit?unit=44&lesson=64, it is called Giving Your Students the World with Google Expeditions.  Teachers will be uploading their own lessons to this area to share with other teachers.  You are not required to upload your lesson to this area but they do provide a template for planning that you can use.  I use the template and I have not uploaded any lessons yet.

There are many expeditions that you can take students on, but where to start.  I started out with just the first ones that appear in the App, but Mr. Caffrey at http://mrcaffrey.com/google-expeditions/ has mapped out all of the expeditions and made this available through his blog.  This is a wonderful resource if you are deciding based on location.  I have set up a Microsoft Sway Infographic to find expeditions based on categories for education.  Here is the link to that info graphic https://sway.com/AKSGLCOJAcGH1FwO.  This will be refined using teacher feedback as they explore Google Expeditions.

Figure 5 CiTi Teachers Egypt Expedition

Google Cardboard is here to stay.  It is growing every day.  The Google Expeditions are created and curated by experts at museums and experts in their fields of study.  This is great for the quality of the expeditions plus these same experts have provided the guides with talking points for each section of the tours.  I would recommend that you preview and plan your Expeditions ahead of time.  These talking points may include names that are difficult to pronounce and at this time there is no connection to having the device pronounce it for you.  You will need to do a separate Google search for this ahead of time.  With this in mind take the leap into Google Expeditions and share the wonders of the world with your students and other teachers (Figure 5).

The following are the resources that I used while creating and using my Google Expedition kit.  These online resources inspired me to undertake this endeavor.  It is a journey that I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy with each new virtual tour.

Bell, Kasey. "Getting Started with Google Expeditions and Virtual Reality." Shake up learning, Shake Up Learning, LLC, 18 Oct. 2016, www.shakeuplearning.com/blog/getting-started-google-expeditions-virtual-reality/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2016.

Caffrey, Andrew. "Getting Started with Google Expeditions." mrcaffrey A blog about e-learning and things I have broken then fixed…, WordPress, 2 Aug. 2016, mrcaffrey.com/google-expeditions/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2016.

"Google Expeditions." Google Expeditions, Google, www.google.com/edu/expeditions/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2016.

Wylie, Jonathan. "Build Your Own Google Expeditions Kit." Jonathan Wylie Blog, WordPress, jonathanwylie.com/2016/10/03/build-your-own-google-expeditions-kit/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2016.

#GoogleCardboard #GoogleExpeditions