Virtual Reality Lesson Planning Guide
Problem/Challenge
What problem of practice or instructional
barrier will this use of technology target?
The instructional barrier and problem is the
lack of ability to attend a field trip due to the
class I have. Currently my students are
studying the season of Autumn and none have
been to a pumpkin patch, apple orchard or
rode a hay ride.
How do you know this is a problem?
As a preschool inclusion teacher who has
students for half the day, going on a field trip
is out of the question. Students who attend
the AM session would have to stay all day,
students in the PM session would have to
come in the morning. Those students who
couldn’t attend would need to stay at the
school with a familiar adult, meaning one less
working adult to attend the field trip. Subs
plans would need to be written. The cafeteria
staff would need to make breakfast for both
AM and PM students, students would need
bring lunch them or pay for one. Retrieving
lunch for students who receive free lunch
would be a challenge. Students would miss
bus opportunities home and need someone to
pick them up. The school I work at does not
have a protocol for changing diapers on a field
trip.
Target Audience
Will this instruction be used to support an
individual student or a small group of
students?
This will be used during small group. The class
rotates through centers and this will take
place during my small group.
What are the academic, social and/or
behavioral needs of the individual(s)?
This is an inside general education preschool
class. Meaning it’s an inclusion classroom of
three years old. All students’ peers and IEP
students are learning how to share, take turns,
and play. I have two students on the Autism
Spectrum (ASD). I have three English
Language Learners (ELL).
What is one academic or social/behavioral
goal of the target audience that you will
address through this integration of
technology?
My students have IEP goals of labeling story
vocabulary words (pumpkin, apple, apple tree, classroom?
pumpkin patch, hayride, tractor, yellow,
orange, red, green, jack-o-lantern, pumpkin
pie, apple pie). Students will be asked to label display pictures and videos that are not for
what they see. For my verbal students they
will verbally label what they saw. For my
Technology
What virtual reality application will you use?
I will use the Google Cardboard googles with
the Google Cardboard app. I will take a
panoramic view of a pumpkin patch and apple
orchard.
Eventually, I will use YouTube for a virtual
reality hay ride. I plan for students to sit in the
wagon with hay while being pulled while they
look at the video.
Be specific about the functions of the tool
and provide a link to a site which provides
more information.
To learn more about Google Cardboard please
look at: https://vr.google.com/cardboard/.
Google Cardboard allows students to view
pictures on the Google Cardboard app and
videos on YouTube.
Will you use the application in conjunction
with any other forms of technology in the
The classroom has a smart board where I will
virtual reality.
None of my students know what an apple students who aren’t verbal, they will be given List all of the instructional materials
orchard or pumpkin patch is or what they look pictures to choose from to identify what they (technological and non-technological) that
like. saw. you would need.

Why is using virtual reality a better fit than Other IEP goals and classroom goals is to be  Picking Apples and Pumpkins (Book)
another instructional tool? able to take turns and wait for your turn.  Red Apples
Students will be able to wait for their turn.  Green Apples
A real-life field trip would be ideal; however,  Yellow Apples
virtual reality is the next best thing. I plan to  Small pumpkins
use virtual reality in conjunction with pictures,  Large pumpkins
videos, and real-life objects.  Pumpkin seeds
 Pictures of vocabulary words
For example, I will have a fake pumpkin patch  Google Cardboard Headset
with hay, fake grass, a scarecrow, and fake and
 Phone with Google Cardboard app
real pumpkins. I will bring in apples and allow
 Phone with YouTube app
students to look at the tree outside. I will bring
 Smart board that connects to teacher
in a wagon and place hay inside it. I will have
laptop and internet
my book and pictures.
 Wagon filled with hay
 Vocabulary photos

Guiding Questions Pedagogical Approach Reflection

As you prepare to integrate this technology,
what planning questions should you ask and
answer?
What are we learning about?
(fall/autumn/pumpkins etc)
How should we hold the headset? (hold to our
eyes)
Pedagogy refers to the method you will use (or how) you will to teach. Please see Blackboard
Remember that the VR will not replace your instruction but enhance it. Discussion Board to
Specify the pedagogical approaches you will use in integrating this post both reflection
technology. Here are some examples: responses.
• Lecture/explanation
• Modeling/demonstration Discussion
• Video modeling (i.e. show another student using the tool)
• Inquiry-based learning (exploration)
• Case-based learning (provide a scenario)
• Individual research
• Game-based approach

After you integrate this technology, how will
you know whether your student(s) has been
successful? How will you assess this?
I will ask students about what they saw. I will
ask students if they enjoyed their experience
and talk about it. I will assess this lesson by if
students said they enjoyed it, if they took
turns and if they labeled the vocabulary.
What is your back-up plan, in the event that
you have a problem with the technology?
Using the above list as a starting point, describe what teaching
methods you would use to integrate the technology into your
instruction.
During this lesson I will use lecture/explanation and
modelling/demonstration discussion.
Consider:
How will you introduce this to your student(s)?
The day before, I will expose them to place the Google Cardboard
headset to their eyes as practice, without the phone. Students will take
turns looking at the headset to get exposure to how to use the
headset.

In the event that my phone acts up, I will still During small group I would start the lesson off asking students what
have the real-life items, pictures, and videos to we have been learning about (Autumn/fall/pumpkins/apples/pumpkin
show my students. patch etc).

I would say today we are going to take a field trip to the pumpkin
patch in our class. We will take turns using this headset (holding it). I
will explain that we wait to take turns.

What will you say and do during instruction?

During instruction I will first model how hold the headset. Then I will
allow each student to stand up and look around while holding the
headset. I will remind students to take turns.

What will you say and do after instruction?

After instruction we will talk about looking at the pumpkin patch. We

will discuss the vocabulary (pumpkin, orange, pumpkin patch).
What is your plan for repeating the use of VR?

I plan to repeat using VR the next day to go to an apple orchard. Then

use it later in the month to go on a hayride.

Do you anticipate the use of VR over multiple sessions? Why or why

not?

Yes, I plan on using VR for the apple orchard and then later in the
month for the hayride over multiple sessions. As stated, my students
lack the ability to attend an actual field trips thus I plan to us VR for
future field trips over the course of the year.