Tag Archives: Google VR

Adding 50 new tours for schools with Google Expeditions

Since launching the Google Expeditions Pioneer Programme in September, we’ve visited over 200,000 students across the UK. They’ve gone on hundreds of virtual journeys, from the peak of Mont Blanc to standing on the battlements of Edinburgh Castle. And today, we’re adding 50 new adventures to their classrooms with our virtual reality field trips taking the total number of expeditions now available to over 400.

Students can now travel back in time to visit the famous warship Mary Rose, discover Viking settlements and even try to solve one of the greatest mysteries of all time, Richard III’s death. As well as covering Science, Art, English and History, the launch of this new content will also include several Expeditions that explore a variety of careers. These will invite students to experience a day in the life of those who work as an app developer, surgeon, chef, outdoors activity instructor and many more. Teachers will also be able to take students on a tour to explore the early life of Robert Burns, experience the Aurora Borealis and learn how magnetic forces create such magical skies, or even go inside a plant to see how photosynthesis happens.

[edu] expeditions - RichardIII(2)
Learn more about one of History’s greatest mysteries on the new expeditions about the life and death of Richard III.

Working with partners such as Twig, we’ve been able to create many more experiences for Google Expeditions - allowing us to regularly launch new content. Additionally, we’ve worked  with TES to develop over 100 lesson plans linked to Expeditions - created by teachers who are already using the app with their students.

Google Expeditions brings lessons to life

The feedback from teachers and reactions of students that are using Expeditions has been powerful and we are looking forward to visiting more schools across the UK in the coming 6 months. The Pioneer Programme is completely free and the team bring all the equipment needed to get started, including over 400 Expeditions to choose from. 

For more information and to sign up your school today visit g.co/ukpioneerprogramme.

Celebrating Native American culture, past and present

As a member of the Cherokee Nation, I’ve always tried to stay connected to my heritage. It is important to me to reflect on our country’s Native history and culture and the lasting impact that the first North American peoples have had on our shared experience as Americans.

In my family, I’m the first generation to grow up completely off-reservation. Much of my early exposure to Native peoples and culture was through public education. Over the years, I’ve learned that Native history is more complicated than any single perspective can convey. And as a Googler, I’ve learned that access to information is key to understanding our world. That’s why this November, during Native American Heritage Month, we’re making it easier for teachers and students to learn about how modern-day Native communities live and think.

To celebrate Native culture and spread awareness about its richness and history, we’ve added several Google Expeditions that explore various aspects of Indian Country, allowing students all over the globe to learn about topics ranging from Southwest tribes to powwows to the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Through Expeditions, students can virtually visit Crow Fair, often referred to as “The Teepee Capital of the World,” where 1,500 teepees line the banks of the Little Bighorn River in Montana. Through this virtual visit, they can experience traditional tribal dancing, a horse parade and a rodeo -- all moments of celebration that help preserve Native American heritage.

Watch students experience the Native American traditions of Montana through Google Expeditions

Also, we’re releasing the first story on Native American culture on Google Arts & Culture, created in partnership with key institutions such as the U.S. Bureau of American Indian Affairs, Wyoming State Museum, and Pueblo Grande. From film to fashion, Native American culture has influenced all creative mediums -- and through this Google Arts & Culture exhibit, students can learn about the lives and works of six different Native American artists.

Today on Google.com, we are also celebrating award-winning Native author James Welch. Welch spent his life and career writing poetry and fiction that gave readers a better understanding of modern Native Americans. On the Google Play Store, we’ve curated a list of books for Native American Heritage Month, including James Welch’s 1986 fiction novel, Fools Crow.

[edu] james-welch-blog.jpg
Today, our US users can see this Doodle celebrating the work of Native author James Welch

We hope that by making this content available today, and by adding content like this in the future, we will make it easier for teachers and students to understand our shared heritage and modern-day Native communities. They say that past is prologue: That’s especially true of the Native cultures that continue to inspire and shape our lives in the present and for the future.  

Celebrating Native American culture, past and present

As a member of the Cherokee Nation, I’ve always tried to stay connected to my heritage. It is important to me to reflect on our country’s Native history and culture and the lasting impact that the first North American peoples have had on our shared experience as Americans.

In my family, I’m the first generation to grow up completely off-reservation. Much of my early exposure to Native peoples and culture was through public education. Over the years, I’ve learned that Native history is more complicated than any single perspective can convey. And as a Googler, I’ve learned that access to information is key to understanding our world. That’s why this November, during Native American Heritage Month, we’re making it easier for teachers and students to learn about how modern-day Native communities live and think.

To celebrate Native culture and spread awareness about its richness and history, we’ve added several Google Expeditions that explore various aspects of Indian Country, allowing students all over the globe to learn about topics ranging from Southwest tribes to powwows to the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Through Expeditions, students can virtually visit Crow Fair, often referred to as “The Teepee Capital of the World,” where 1,500 teepees line the banks of the Little Bighorn River in Montana. Through this virtual visit, they can experience traditional tribal dancing, a horse parade and a rodeo -- all moments of celebration that help preserve Native American heritage.

Watch students experience the Native American traditions of Montana through Google Expeditions

Also, we’re releasing the first story on Native American culture on Google Arts & Culture, created in partnership with key institutions such as the U.S. Bureau of American Indian Affairs, Wyoming State Museum, and Pueblo Grande. From film to fashion, Native American culture has influenced all creative mediums -- and through this Google Arts & Culture exhibit, students can learn about the lives and works of six different Native American artists.

Today on Google.com, we are also celebrating award-winning Native author James Welch. Welch spent his life and career writing poetry and fiction that gave readers a better understanding of modern Native Americans. On the Google Play Store, we’ve curated a list of books for Native American Heritage Month, including James Welch’s 1986 fiction novel, Fools Crow.

[edu] james-welch-blog.jpg
Today, our US users can see this Doodle celebrating the work of Native author James Welch

We hope that by making this content available today, and by adding content like this in the future, we will make it easier for teachers and students to understand our shared heritage and modern-day Native communities. They say that past is prologue: That’s especially true of the Native cultures that continue to inspire and shape our lives in the present and for the future.  

Source: Education


Google Earth VR — Bringing the whole wide world to virtual reality

The world has so many beautiful and amazing places to visit. If we're lucky, we're able to travel and see a few of them. But even the most active travelers can only see a fraction. What if we could see them all?

Ten years ago, Google Earth began as an effort to help people everywhere explore our planet. And now, with more than two billion downloads, many have. Today, we are introducing Google Earth VR as our next step to help the world see the world. With Earth VR, you can fly over a city, stand at the top of the highest peaks, and even soar into space.

Now, at 196.9 million square miles, we know the world is pretty big, so we’ve made it easy to find great places to visit. Earth VR comes with cinematic tours and hand-picked destinations that send you to the Amazon River, the Manhattan skyline, the Grand Canyon, the Swiss Alps, and more.

Google Earth - Flying
Flying in Earth VR

You can download Google Earth VR today in the Steam Store for free. Like Tilt Brush, Earth VR is launching first on the HTC Vive. Stay tuned for more updates on Google Earth across other platforms next year.

Bringing Expeditions to 1 million students across the UK

Earlier today in a year 5 classroom in London, Sundar (our CEO) led 23 students on a field trip to the International Space Station, giving them the chance to learn about astronauts and space scientists.

Google Expeditions enables teachers to bring their students on virtual trips to places like museums, heritage sites, underwater, or even outer space — immersing students in experiences that bring abstract concepts to life and giving them a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom. Through partnerships with education companies such as TES and Twig, we’ve created more than 300 Expeditions and over 100 new lessons, which can be used alongside existing curriculum.

In addition to the 1 million students who have already taken an Expedition with Google Cardboard since we first introduced the Pioneer Programme, today we’re announcing our aim to reach another one million students in thousands of UK classrooms by the end of this school year.

Google Expeditions for the UK: Take your students around the world in VR

We’ve already received feedback from thousands of teachers in the UK who believe that Expeditions can help improve literacy and writing skills, and create excitement that complements and enhances traditional teaching methods.

The Google Expeditions team will be hitting the road to visit thousands of schools across Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Newcastle and Inverness in the next few months. The programme is free for any school in the UK and teachers are encouraged to sign up here.

Virtual reality can spark students’ imagination and help them learn about topics in an engaging and immersive way. Sundar Pichai CEO, Google
[edu] expeditions UK sundar

Bringing Expeditions to 1 million students across the UK

Earlier today in a year 5 classroom in London, Sundar (our CEO) led 23 students on a field trip to the International Space Station, giving them the chance to learn about astronauts and space scientists.

Google Expeditions enables teachers to bring their students on virtual trips to places like museums, heritage sites, underwater, or even outer space — immersing students in experiences that bring abstract concepts to life and giving them a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom. Through partnerships with education companies such as TES and Twig, we’ve created more than 300 Expeditions and over 100 new lessons, which can be used alongside existing curriculum.

In addition to the 1 million students who have already taken an Expedition with Google Cardboard since we first introduced the Pioneer Programme, today we’re announcing our aim to reach another one million students in thousands of UK classrooms by the end of this school year.

Google Expeditions for the UK: Take your students around the world in VR

We’ve already received feedback from thousands of teachers in the UK who believe that Expeditions can help improve literacy and writing skills, and create excitement that complements and enhances traditional teaching methods.

The Google Expeditions team will be hitting the road to visit thousands of schools across Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Newcastle and Inverness in the next few months. The programme is free for any school in the UK and teachers are encouraged to sign up here.

Virtual reality can spark students’ imagination and help them learn about topics in an engaging and immersive way. Sundar Pichai CEO, Google
[edu] expeditions UK sundar

Bringing Expeditions to 1 million students across the UK

Earlier today in a year 5 classroom in London, Sundar (our CEO) led 23 students on a field trip to the International Space Station, giving them the chance to learn about astronauts and space scientists.

Google Expeditions enables teachers to bring their students on virtual trips to places like museums, heritage sites, underwater, or even outer space — immersing students in experiences that bring abstract concepts to life and giving them a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom. Through partnerships with education companies such as TES and Twig, we’ve created more than 300 Expeditions and over 100 new lessons, which can be used alongside existing curriculum.

In addition to the 1 million students who have already taken an Expedition with Google Cardboard since we first introduced the Pioneer Programme, today we’re announcing our aim to reach another one million students in thousands of UK classrooms by the end of this school year.

Google Expeditions for the UK: Take your students around the world in VR

We’ve already received feedback from thousands of teachers in the UK who believe that Expeditions can help improve literacy and writing skills, and create excitement that complements and enhances traditional teaching methods.

The Google Expeditions team will be hitting the road to visit thousands of schools across Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Newcastle and Inverness in the next few months. The programme is free for any school in the UK and teachers are encouraged to sign up here.

Virtual reality can spark students’ imagination and help them learn about topics in an engaging and immersive way. Sundar Pichai CEO, Google
[edu] expeditions UK sundar

Source: Education


Experience Daydream today

From seeing a dinosaur come back to life, to traveling to the farthest reaches of Pluto, to saving a runaway goat from dangerous traps, Daydream brings you on immersive virtual reality adventures powered by a smartphone. And now you can experience it all with Daydream View, a VR headset and controller made by Google available in stores today:

Fresh featured content front and center

The Daydream app, available on any Daydream-ready phone starting with Pixel and Pixel XL, lets you launch your favorite VR experiences and browse from an ever-growing collection of apps, games and videos. Plus, the app brings new featured content front and center so there’s always something fresh when you put on your headset.

Daydream Home

Enjoy the best of Google in VR

With Daydream, you can experience some of the most popular Google apps like Google Photos and Google Play Movies in virtual reality. Visit 150 of the world’s most amazing places like the Pyramids and the Taj Mahal with Google Street View. And with YouTube VR, you can watch the entire library of YouTube videos on a virtual big screen and experience hundreds of thousands of immersive videos from top creators.

YouTube VR
Google Photos VR
StreetViewVR
GooglePlayMovies

And we’re also bringing Google Arts & Culture to Daydream. Step inside a virtual gallery and view masterpieces from over 50 world-renowned museums. Whether it’s Vincent van Gogh’s landscapes from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rembrandt’s works from the J. Paul Getty Museum, or a collection of the Most Beautiful Cats from RMN-Grand Palais, you can zoom in to see brushstroke-level details. The app is launching today as a Preview Edition with more enhancements to come in future updates.

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Arts&Culture3
Arts&Culture2

Explore, watch and play

In addition to Google apps, there are many other experiences available on Daydream. Explore new worlds, kick back in your personal VR cinema and get in the game with an intuitive controller that puts you at the center of action.

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WSJ_1048
HRD_1048
DangerGoat_1048
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VR Karts 1048
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PolyRunnerVR

Demo the magic in thousands of locations

Head over to one of thousands of retail locations to demo Daydream View. The demo includes an exclusive Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them experience where you can wave a wand (a la the Daydream controller) to explore the magic in virtual reality.

FantasticBeasts_1048

Our goal with Daydream is to bring high quality, mobile VR to everyone. And this is just the beginning. There will be even more apps and games coming to Daydream in the next few weeks and even more Daydream-ready phones available over the next few months.

Daydream View coming to stores November 10th

Last month, we announced Daydream View, a comfortable and easy-to-use virtual reality headset and controller powered by any Daydream-ready phone. It will be available November 10th on the Google Store and at retailers across five countries:

  • United States: Verizon, Best Buy; $79 (USD)
  • Canada: Bell, Rogers, Telus, Best Buy; $99 (CAD)
  • United Kingdom: EE, Carphone Warehouse; £69 (GBP)
  • Germany: Deutsche Telekom; €69 (EUR)
  • Australia: Telstra, JB Hi-Fi; $119 (AUD)

With Daydream View and a Daydream-ready phone like Pixel, you’ll be able to kick back in your personal cinema, explore new worlds and get in the game like never before. Take a look at some of the experiences that’ll be coming to Daydream over the next few weeks:

Your Personal Cinema

Hulu VR: Stream Hulu’s entire library of TV shows, movies and VR content. Plus, there will be two new pieces of VR content from Huffpo RYOT available exclusively on Daydream: a news program called “The Big Picture: News in Virtual Reality” and VR comedy show “Virtually Mike and Nora” starring Nora Kirkpatrick and Mike O’Brien. The Hulu VR app is available in the U.S.

Hulu VR on Daydream

YouTube VR: Watch the entire library of YouTube videos on a virtual big screen and experience immersive VR videos from top creators.

YouTubeVR

Google Play Movies: Enjoy thousands of popular movies and TV shows in your own virtual theater.

GooglePlayMovies

INVASION!: From the director of Madagascar, Invasion! is an award-winning VR animation narrated by Ethan Hawke that invites you to become part of the story. A pair of bumbling aliens, Mac and Cheez, plan to invade our Earth, but instead they are thwarted by the cuddliest animals on the planet.

Invasion

Explore New Worlds

Star Chart VR: From the Sun to the smallest moons of Saturn and out to the coldest, darkest, farthest reaches of Pluto, explore the solar system in a beautiful and accurate real-time space simulation.
Star Chart VR on Daydream

The Wall Street Journal VR: See breaking news and analysis in a whole new way with a real-time interactive market data visualization and interactive 360-degree videos.

WSJVR

Street View: Visit over 70 countries and experience 150 handcrafted tours of the world's most amazing places. You can also search to explore your hometown and everywhere else.

Street View VR

The Guardian VR: Step into the shoes of an urban explorer and discover the hidden labyrinth of London's Underworld - a subterranean web of Victorian sewers and lost waterways that lie active, deep beneath of one of the world's most famous cities.

The Guardian on Daydream

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Wave a wand to explore the magic of Newt’s case, cast spells and solve puzzles to explore the world of the film in this VR experience.

FantasticBeasts

NYT VR: The New York Times will premiere three exclusive films in the Daydream app in its first month, including The Creators: Rob Pruitt. It follows Pruitt on a typical day in his life, with a visit to IKEA in Brooklyn where he purchases 27 plush pandas that’s a signature in his artwork.

NYTVR

Get in the Game

Danger Goat: One runaway goat, hundreds of dastardly traps in his way. Guide, slide and catapult the goat to freedom in this all-new VR puzzle game.

Danger Goat on Daydream

Hunters Gate: Blast your way through the town of Hunters Gate as you defend it from demon invasion - then take the fight to the demons by invading their home world.

Hunters Gate on Daydream

Wonderglade: Magically teleport to an ever growing theme park where you can enjoy carnival-themed classic games such as Tiny Tee Golf and Tip N Tilt Racing.

Wonderglade

Gunjack 2: End of Shift: With a formidable arsenal at your disposal, live the life of a Gunjack, protecting the Kubera and its precious cargo from the bandits trying to blow the rig apart!

Gunjack2

Mekorama: Help a tiny robot stumble home through 50 puzzling mechanical dioramas.

Mekorama

Need for Speed: No Limits VR: Race for dominance in the first Need for Speed title made for VR. Launch yourself between chaos and control as you hit the loud pedal and roll into underground car culture.

NeedforSpeed

Home Run Derby: Hit monster home runs and get crowned as your favorite MLB Home Run Derby All-Star.

HomeRunDerby

From hitting bat-breaking homeruns to journeying to the rings of Saturn, immerse yourself in high quality, mobile VR with Daydream View. Mark your calendar today for November 10th and follow us on Twitter and Google+ to get the latest on new apps and games coming to Daydream.

Ok Google, cast your spell

Now anyone can try their hand at magic with a little help from Google and the new Warner Bros. Pictures film set in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Taking place decades before Harry Potter first arrives at Hogwarts, “Fantastic Beasts” follows the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander in a whole new era of the wizarding world — New York in 1926.

If you want to try being a wizard, try casting spells on your Android phone: Just say “Ok Google” followed by “Lumos” or “Nox” to turn your flashlight on and off. Try “Silencio” to silence the ringer and notifications.

FantasticBeasts_Lights.gif

You can also explore the world of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” with Google Street View. Visit New York in 1926 as brought to life in the film, as well as the real locations today. Fans can visit MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA); Steen National Bank, where Newt first meets Jacob Kowalski; the underground speakeasy The Blind Pig; and the magical apartment of Tina and Queenie Goldstein, two of the film’s key characters.

FantasticBeasts_ApartmentSV.gif

Once you’ve mastered charms and found the lay of the land, help Newt find his escaped beasts before they come to harm in a city already on edge from dark forces. Using our new Daydream View virtual reality headset, you can wave a wand to explore the magic of Newt’s case, a treasure trove full of everything he needs to cast spells, solve puzzles and find his beasts. The experience will be available when Daydream View goes on sale in November.

FantasticBeasts_DaydreamDemo.gif

Don’t forget to share your adventures with your friends by downloading an exclusive “Fantastic Beasts” sticker pack (coming soon) in our messaging app, Google Allo. You can also watch content inspired by the wizarding world from your favorite YouTube creators starting November 1.

To start your journey and discover more magic with Newt and friends, visit g.co/fantasticbeasts. “Fantastic Beasts” is in cinemas in November.

Source: Google LatLong