My First Experience with Google Cardboard

Google Cardboard

Trying out Google Cardboard

Today at NCCE 2016 I got to play with a cool new technology, Google Cardboard. They were on display at today’s Google Summit and again this evening at the GEG Washington meetup. These virtual reality glasses are made of cardboard and cost less than $20. Once you stick a smart phone inside and put them on, you are immersed in a 3D environment. They were on display through the Expeditions Pioneer Program, a team of people who bring Google Cardboard to schools so students can travel virtually to far distant places.

When I first tried them on this morning I found myself on the bottom of the ocean, looking at whales and other creatures of the sea. This evening, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in the sky above Rio de Janeiro looking down at the magnificent statue of Christ the Redeemer. Seeing that statue had a special meaning for me, as those of you who follow this blog may understand. If you’ve been reading my posts lately, you know that I have several students who are recreating the statue of Christ the Redeemer in MinecraftEdu. I thought to myself how valuable it would be for those students to be able to fly around the statue in a 3D environment in order to create a more realistic representation in Minecraft.

Christ the Redeemer in Google Cardboard

The teacher app that the Expeditions Pioneer Program uses enables teachers to highlight certain features in the 3D environment and point them out to students as they look through the glasses. Unfortunately, the program is still in the early stages of development and is not widely available. I would love to get them to come to Spokane, but they are leaving the state of Washington after this week. Check out more about the program in the video below: