Google Apps for Teaching Culture

Teaching history, geography, and other social sciences can be an extremely rewarding. What better way to get students to understand and appreciate the diversity that exists within the classroom and in the world?

Yet, how is it possible to learn about and appreciate all points of view? Putting your students at the center of learning is how to get them most engaged and there are several Google for Education tools that make that easier than ever.

Google Cultural Institute

The Google Cultural Institute has paired up with museums and galleries around the world to digitize art collections. The site offers images of painting, photography, sculptures, and any other classification of visual art.

The art is organized by “Art Projects,” “Historic Moments,” and “World Wonders.” There are also virtual field trips that you and your students can take where photos of the art are already grouped and elaborated with a description.

If you don’t find what you are looking for, put key terms in the “search box,” and see what comes up. There are also several apps that pair with Google Cultural Institute, which are available on Android devices. And if you can get a set of Cardboard viewers for your class, then you can have your students traveling to far away destinations right from your classroom.

Google Cardboard

viewers make virtual reality a possibility for a very affordable price. The most basic viewer is available for around $15. You (or your students) will have to assemble the viewer in a few simple steps, and cell phones are necessary to use apps to view the 3D material.

The basic app is called “Cardboard” and is available for OS and Android devices. With cardboard, it is possible to travel to major cities around the world, explore cultural institution, and participate as a character in a video game. Google’s Cultural Institute is also in the process of making their collections available for virtual reality with Google Cardboard. demonstrates this ongoing project and shows what the basic version of a cardboard viewer looks like before assembly.

If you like this project, you can sign your school up to be a pioneer site for Google Expedition. If your school…