With the Google Expeditions app discontinuing in 2021, students and teachers have been searching for suitable replacements. Already one of the best classroom options in terms of hardware, the RobotLAB VR Expeditions 2.0 kits also provide amazing educational experiences in the classroom with immersive, vivid, and easy-to-use software. Expeditions 2.0 includes a similar immersive experience for students but it also provides teachers with a very familiar experience, too. And, there's also another familiar element back in the fold with the Tour Creator platform.
The RobotLAB team has made a number of updates to the Expeditions 2.0 app. Among those, they have added their own version of Google Tour Creator! Now, students can access this virtual tour creator using a perpetual license and create their own Expeditions right in the classroom. Seen as an awesome option for boosting student engagement while helping them develop crucial digital literacy skills, adding the angle of creating with VR is very valuable.
Let's be super clear about this: Expeditions 2.0, itself, is not a Google Tour Creator replacement. It does, however, include a lot of these longtime Google Expeditions features, including this updated Tour Creator environment. Any educator who purchases a VR Expeditions 2.0 kit with Teacher Licenses will be able to access this feature. Then, it's the same premise as the original Tour Creator software—creating your own Expeditions using VR content. Since creating content in VR is such a unique experience—especially for students—these opportunities truly help students them digital literacy skills.
With Tour Creator, kids can experience what it's like to combine storytelling, arts, and technology. Since so much of the content is story-based, this helps them make connections and combine stunning visuals with their storytelling abilities. Plus, students can go beyond the content found within Expeditions 2.0. Whereas much of that content centers on world-renowned destinations, they can also create Expeditions based on their school or community.
We've shared various tips for updating to the latest VR Expeditions 2.0 teachers app throughout our blog. To access this Tour Creator feature, the first requirement is updating to the latest version of the RobotLAB VR Expeditions 2.0 app. You'll want to make sure it is running V2.34. If you already have the app installed on your device but haven't updated it yet, a pop-up message should appear the next time you attempt to open it. To accept this and update to the latest version, simply click Install.
With Google Tour Creator shutting down, this platform from the RobotLAB team is a potential option. After you've updated the teacher app, you can navigate to the Settings tab (bottom left of the menu). There, you can provide an email address for setting up a Tour Creator account within Expeditions 2.0. You should then receive an email with instructions to activate it. Also, since this version of Tour Creator is only available on computers (not tablets or smartphones), it's best to do this while at your computer.
We should also mention that children need a 360-degree camera in order to create their own Expeditions. These cameras don't currently come in all of the VR Expeditions 2.0 kits on our store, however. There is another option, though, and that's using the huge library of Google Street View content. Once set up with everything they need, including connecting to the Internet, students can log in and either take or find and upload a 360-degree image to get started.
Once they create their own tours, students can save them in the 'Browse My Tours' section. Educators can then view them as well in the same section of the teacher app. Once students have created them, they can open and download them in the same way they've viewed other Expeditions. After downloading their tours, they'll appear in the 'My Downloaded Tours' section of the mobile app. Teachers can then lead lessons and broadcast these tours for student viewing—just like they do with regular Expeditions.
The RobotLAB team also created a download guide for their version of the latest Tour Creator software. It contains helpful technical information for teachers as well as other useful hints. With Tour Creator, students can move beyond consuming technology and grab hold of opportunities to create their own VR content. If you have questions about using this version of the Google Tour Creator with the RobotLAB VR kits or you'd like to create a quote, please contact our team anytime. You can find our RobotLAB VR kits below as well as on our store. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more.
