Saturday, April 25, 2020

Google Adventures with the National Parks

Escaping to exotic locales is high on everyone's wish list right now, but not at all in anyone's reality. Sounds like the perfect time for a virtual tour. This one in particular is well timed because National Parks Week this year is April 18th through 26th... timed perfectly for Earth Week!


As part of the U.S. National Parks Centennial, when the National Park Service turned 100 on August 25, 2016, Google created two ways to let you trek without ever leaving your tech.

By way of virtual reality and 360° videos, Google has invited folks into the National Parks from the comfort of your own home.

The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks is an interactive documentary and part of the Google Arts & Culture that launched in 2016. It focuses on these 5 National Parks:
  • Alaska's Kenai Fjords 
  • Hawai'i Volcanoes
  • New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns
  • Utah’s Bryce Canyon
  • Florida’s Dry Tortugas
Not only can you experience these 5 parks online, but also on the Google Arts & Culture App and in the Google Expeditions classroom app.


In Google Expeditions, a classroom teaching tool, students can visit over 200 places spanning the world. When used with the Google Cardboard view, it turns it into a virtual or augmented reality experience in class. If you can't get out and about in reality, you might as well experience something new, virtually!!


Images from https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/earth-day.htm and https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/25/google-now-lets-you-explore-u-s-national-parks-via-360-degree-virtual-tours/ and https://www.nps.gov/subjects/centennial/index.htm; videofrom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn_g80FXA-0&feature=emb_logo.

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