Seeing the World with Sphere

Last April on our Institute Day, several of our Ed Academy students made a presentation about virtual field trips. One of the apps these very knowledgable young teachers highlighted was Sphere 360o Photography.

This app is a user-generated program that allows for 360o views of a multitude of places. In order to see the full view of the image, the device, in our case the iPad, needs to be physically moved around. So, if you move the iPad in a circle, you will see the view as if you were standing there. Check out this gif below made from a Sphere created at the Grand Canyon.

Last year, this app was briefly used in Honors Spanish 4 classes as a way of soliciting use of the unit vocabulary in Spanish. Each student was charged with finding a unique Sphere “out in nature” as the vocabulary theme of the unit was the environment. From there, the students formed small groups and described what they saw on their Sphere in Spanish. The activity was a simple and engaging fifteen minute speaking practice that allowed the students to have some choice and connect with their peers.

So how else could this highly visual, engaging app be used in other ways?

• Have students explore different ecosystems. (There are underwater Spheres that are awesome!)
• Learning about another country? Have students explore different cities in that country.
• Ask students to compare a location through their knowledge of it at a specific historical time and how it looks now (like the Colosseum in Rome).
• Make a sphere of your own classroom to share with parents to see what their children see all the time.
• Ask the students to choose a location to create a setting for a writing prompt.
• Charge the students with making their own Sphere of somewhere personal to them in order to share about themselves.
• Project a Sphere on the AppleTV and ask the students to figure out where it is from the visual clues.
• Have students find examples of public art.
• Let students explore architecture around the world.

Interested in seeing a little more? Check out this video of a teacher talking about Sphere.

*One note-Sphere does not allow recording on the iPad 2 that many of the upperclassmen and staff have. They can still view them, just not create their own.

Have you used Sphere with your students? Please share your ideas in the comments section so we can all learn from each other!

Interested in trying it out and want to bounce around some ideas, learn how to use it, or just get a little support? Talk to Ms. Bodden or one of your DTCs!