Google Cardboard....Great Christmas Gift for Kids!

So apparently I like Google so much that if they made a piece of cardboard, I would buy it.  Well it is more than just a piece of cardboard, its Google Cardboard!  This is fairly new, but I just got my box of cardboard yesterday and have been figuring out how it works (check out this video to see how Cardboard works).  This tool's main purpose is for VR (Virtual Reality).  There are plenty of free apps out there, but it works by looking at panoramic pictures or 3D videos through the Cardboard goggles with lenses inside.  The panoramic pictures are interactive by rotating yourself 360 degrees to see different parts of the picture.  Not only can you view Google Earth and StreetView through this, but you can take your own panoramic pictures and record sound while doing so.  For example, if your in the middle of the woods, you could take a panoramic picture while recording sound.  When you want to play it back in 3D, use your goggles and rotate your head to get a full 360 degree view with audio.  This will blow your mind!!

Here are a few ways this could be used in your classroom:

• Take VR field trips around the world using Google Earth.  
• Or even better, when you are on a field trip, students could take panoramic pictures of something that stood out.  These experiences could be shared with anyone and kept forever.  Use the app Cardboard for this.
• Have your students learn how to create their own Virtual Reality world using an app called Carboard Design Labs.

Because this is a Google product, it works best on an Android.  If you are an IOS user, here is a video on how this works with your iPhone.

Lastly, here is the coolest video I have seen with VR.  Check out the New England Patriots in a exclusive behind-the-scenes practice.  The YouTube video below is interactive.  Click and drag your mouse in any directions to get a 360 degree view of the practice.