Google Expedition

Yesterday morning while the Year 8’s went to tech, the Year 7’s had the opportunity to have a Google Expedition. We used Google Cardboard to look at things in a 3D perspective. The google cardboard is like the Oculus Rift but when you move it doesn’t do any effect with the cardboard. Also with Oculus Rift you can play your games like never before with a 3D view as well.

Mr Clarke provided us with these cardboards and he showed us places all around the world. He first took us to the Borneo Rainforest with David Attenborough. Do you know who he is? Well if you don’t he is a famous scientist and narrator of many documentaries. The 2nd location was another rainforest where we had to find a Python which was camouflage into the leaves. We also had to find a dead Leaf Mantis, praying mantis which were camouflaged too and were exoskeleton.

My favourite location was when we were at a skyscraper. It felt like I was going to fall of the building. I could see heaps of tall hotels, pools and lots of people. It was also scary because there was a man looking straight at you on the side.

The google expedition experience was awesome. I liked the 3D perspectives and cool locations. Did you also know that the cardboard is worth lots of money? I look forward to see what the Oculus Rift effects feels like.

GEGNZ Summit

My friends and I at a garage band workshop.

Earlier last week the Year 7&8 extension group travelled to Hobsonville Point Primary School (HPPS) to present at the GEGNZ (Google education groups New Zealand) Summit. We were split into 2 groups one presenting about P.E.N.N (My group) , our school news network and the other about how we use google apps.

When we arrived we all received a swag bag which included a google pen, book, name tag and other things too. Unfortunately I lost mine so that was unlucky. Soon after that Collin spotted a van with lots of technological stuff such as remote controlled robots, 3D printers and more. Other schools started to arrive which included Orewa College, Rowandale Primary and Henderson Valley… ! When most schools were there we were welcomed by a mihi and waiata then Toby Carr talked to us.

If you don’t know who Toby is already well you are about to now. Toby Carr is a 16yr Old entrepreneur and CEO/Founder of his million dollar company DeXTech. He studies in Stanford University and has been in business for 2 years. Some things he said was take every opportunity that comes by and don’t put down people because then other people will do it back. Tom Edison and Sir James Dyson were the two people who inspired him. They inspired him as they failed more than a thousand times but never gave up and came up with a finished product. One thing that interested me was that he was a 15 Year Old paper runner now he has a million dollar company but still juggling the demands of being a teenager in school.

After this inspiring talk we split up into different workshops these included How to Use Garageband on an Ipad and how to make 360 photo spheres on an android device. My favourite workshop was creating a game on Scratch (Street fighter) with Orewa College. I enjoyed this session as I learnt how to code/create a game. Also the presenters were helpful and humerous.

GEGNZ was an awesome experience for me as I got to see other workshops about how to do things that I didn’t know how to do before. I hope the GEGNZ create another summit next year or while I’m in college so I can attend again and maybe be a young entrepreneur!