Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor with 6 Virtual Reality Resources

December 7, 2016 will mark 75 years since the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, a day that took the lives of many and changed the course of history for the entire world. It is a day that we never forget and a day that, we as teachers, should always take time to share with our students. When I was a 4th/5th grade educator teaching students about World War II, we would find our information from books, pictures, articles, and web resources. I couldn't simply take them on a field trip to significant sites from history. But now-a-days we can, with virtual reality.

On December 6, 2016 the g Suite for Education blog shared my guest blog post, "Exploring the significance of Pearl Harbor with Google Expeditions". It documents my experience while visiting a 4th grade class at Pearl Harbor Elementary School. I took them on a virtual field trip of Pearl Harbor and the USS Bowfin with Google Expeditions. I want to expend on that post by sharing with you 6 virtual reality resources for teaching about the attack on Pearl Harbor and World War II in your classrooms!

1. Google Expedition - Pearl Harbor & WWII

Travel around the island of Oahu and visit significant sites from the attack on Pearl Harbor and WWII. Stand on the deck of the USS Missouri, visit the Waterfront Submarine Memorial, catch a gorgeous view atop Diamond Head and Fort Ruger, dip your feet in the water at Haleiwa's little known fighter strip, and pay your respects at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Punchbowl Crater.

Interested in taking this Expedition further with your students? Check out the FREE lesson plan by The Janus Group. Using g Suite tools for Education, students conduct mini research and collaborate on a Google May Map!

2. Google Expedition - USS Bowfin

Take your students inside one of the most famous submarines from WWII. The USS Bowfin was also known as the "The Avenger" during the war because of the amount of enemy ships it destroyed and sank.  On this Expedition you can give students a unique perspective of what life was like for sailors aboard a WWII submarine.

Interested in taking this Expedition further with your students? Check out the FREE lesson plan by The Janus Group. Using g Suite tools for Education, students learn about life about the sub, brainstorm questions that loved ones might ask with a collaborate Google Slide, and then take on the role of a sailor to respond by letter!

3. USA Today Network & VRTUALLY THERE

In this 8 min VR experience you're taken aboard a Japanese midget submarine used during the attack on Pearl Harbor and experience a reenactment of the attack from the perspective of a Japanese bomber flying overhead! (the last 2 minutes of the video are not related to WWII). direct link

4. TIME: Remembering Pearl Harbor VR

Although it is only a very short clip, it can give students a quick and unique perspective into the life during the War, narrated by a 103 year old veteran. This short experience is actually part of a much grander VR experience for the HTC Vive called "Remembering Pearl Harbor" by LIFE VR. If you have the HTC Vive, you can get this for $9.99 in the Viveport app store. But the YouTube video below is free. direct link

https://www.viveport.com/apps/987f821a-346f-4fa3-b101-e44bb6b6ed2c

5. JAUNT VR: Warbird Veterans

While standing on an airfield, experience a reenactment of the Japanese aerial attack on Pearl Harbor, listen to the stories of veterans, learn about the Dolittle Raid on Japan, and get up close with a few WWII era airplanes. You can watch this on their mobile app with Google Cardboard or watch it online here.

6. JAUNT VR: War Knows No Nation

This is a really great short film showcasing three veteran tankers and their life during World War II. You're taken through a variety of scenarios from the start of the war, to boarding the train as new recruits, and then to the front lines inside and outside a tank on the battlefield. You can watch this on their mobile app with Google Cardboard or watch it online here.

With December 7, 2016 marking the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, take some time in your classroom to talk with your students about the attack, how it altered the war, affected our nation, and changed the course of history. And take some time to help students consider how we are as a nation today and how we work with other nations around the world. Our students obviously weren't alive during World War II, but it's important for them to know and understand our past and where our nation has come from.