School’s out Friday

Indulge me for a moment this Friday. One of my favourite memories from my visit to Italy last year with students from my school, was spending a day at Pisa visiting The Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square), where you will find the infamous Leaning Tower, the cathedral, the Baptistry and the cemetery. This video is like being there all over again, from the train ride through to the magnificent sights – the only thing missing is the exceptional gelato we experienced in the town centre.

And where did I come across this video? Why, at a new site on offer from Google, World Wonders Project. The project aims to bring to life wonders of the modern and ancient world. Here’s what they have to say on their Education page within the site:

The World Wonders Project is a valuable resource for students and scholars who can now virtually discover some of the most famous sites on earth. The project offers an innovative way to teach history and geography to students of primary and secondary schools all over the world.

Educational resource packs are available for Secondary history and geography classes.

Now take a look at how they did it.

It’s moments like these when I love what Google are doing. Giving people the opportunity to have a virtual immersive experience in locations that many will never have the opportunity to physically visit is an altruistic act. It’s one of the ways the web is a leveler – for those with Internet access of course!

Have a great weekend. I’ll be putting together my ISTE presentation, and giving more thought to the TEDxMelbourne Education Leadership talk. Hamish Curry sent out a tweet tonight saying the event is now fully booked -apparently in record time for them!

Enjoy whatever comes your way. Find some time for good friends, good food and maybe a drop of good wine into the mix. 🙂