SENECA, Pa. (EYT) — Local students working on a Google Expeditions Beta project are seeking community input on local destinations for a virtual reality tour.

(Pictured: Kyle Moore and Lucia Brown trying out the Theta 360 camera and using their phone as the camera remote.)

Students at Clarion, Clarion-Limestone, Cranberry, DuBois, Redbank Valley, Valley Grove, Clarion University and Penn State Extension in partnership with Riverview IU #6 are working on a Google Expeditions Beta project called “Love Where You Live”.

Through the Pioneer Program beta project, students will create virtual reality experiences of their communities that they will share with other participating schools around the world. Google provided a 360-degree camera, tripod, and a phone to the participating schools to capture their images for the tours. Google is also providing access to a private virtual reality tour builder website, which is currently in BETA and will be publicly released in the fall.
 
Students and teachers already have some ideas about what they would like to feature in the tours, but they are interested in hearing suggestions from others in the community.  Community members are invited to submit their ideas through an online form.  

(Pictured: Kyle Moore, Abby Cowles, Lauren Rembold, and Kelsi Wilcox Boyles, IU6 Education Program Specialist, figuring out the best angle for a 360-degree shot.)
 
Many schools around the world already use Google Expeditions on mobile devices in virtual reality viewers to give students virtual field trip experiences, from swimming through coral reefs to exploring Machu Picchu to visiting Antarctica to soaring with the International Space Station.
 
Making a virtual reality “world” for the first time has been designed to be easy, said Jennifer Holland, the lead program manager for Expeditions and G Suite for Education. “If you know how to type, you’re good to go.” Holland also stated, “We picked the theme, ‘Love Where You Live,’ because we thought it’s important to communicate in these times and could lead to a better understanding of the world.” Holland, a former teacher who has worked for Google for the past ten years, “wants to empower students to be the ‘change-makers’ in their community.”
 
Riverview IU #6 is excited to be part of the “Love Where You Live” Expeditions Beta program and looks forward to receiving your feedback to help the schools select what they will highlight in virtual experiences of the community. For more information or questions contact Kelsi Wilcox Boyles kboyles@riu6.org.