Fair Haven students recently took a virtual reality field trip.

They participated in showcase of Google Expeditions. Viola L. Sickles and Knollwood Schools were among the first chosen for beta testing for the virtual trip from a wait list of approximately 6,500 schools.

Google Expeditions associates visited both schools on Nov. 17 to introduce Expeditions to students in grades one through eight. Expeditions is a program that Google has created — using cardboard, smartphones, and the Google Expeditions app — to create a virtual experience of places and activities. Google views Expeditions as the “next level” in learning, since students can actively engage in the lesson.

During the Expeditions showcase, Sickles and Knollwood teachers were able to project images to the smartphones contained in their students’ cardboard viewing devices. By turning to the left or right or pivoting in place, students could get a panoramic view of places or proceedings. Talking points provided by Google allowed the teachers to explain exactly what the students were experiencing.

Gabrielle Illiano’s eighth-grade class, for example, experienced a day in the life of a Public Defense Attorney.

“You are speaking with a civil advocate and an immigration attorney in the County Hall of Justice,” Illiano told the students as they moved their cardboard devices about, taking in every image within the panorama. “Now you are in the courthouse waiting for your client’s cases to be called.”

“Google is working to make Expeditions accessible and useful for all schools and students,” said Expedition associate Julian Harris, who was part of the team that visited Knollwood. Harris is currently traveling to schools throughout the U.S. and internationally to introduce the Expedition technology.

Available for use on any iPhone or Android, the Google Expeditions app should be available free of charge in late December of this year.

— Edited press release from the Fair Haven School District