Using Google Arts & Culture in the Classroom

Google Arts & Culture is an online platform that works with cultural institutions to curate high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts.

In today’s blog post, I’m sharing ideas for how to use Google Arts and Culture in your classroom.

What is Google Arts & Culture?

Google Arts & Culture brings high-quality artifacts, stories, and knowledge from over 2,000 leading cultural institutions right into your classroom. In doing so, Google Arts and Culture makes the world’s art and culture accessible online to anyone, anytime, anywhere.

How to Use Google Arts & Culture in the Classroom

Benefits of Using Google Arts & Culture

Google Arts & Culture brings artifacts from around the world directly to your students – whether they are learning in-person or remotely.

No matter what subject you teach, Google Arts & Culture has quality resources on a wide range of topics to engage your students.

These resources are also interactive and immersive, allowing students to explore 360 videos, go on virtual field trips and expeditions, and even investigate objects and cultural artifacts in 3D.

Lastly, as a teacher, you will likely be happy to hear that since Google has partnered with over 2,000 of the world’s leading museums and cultural institutions, students will receive trustworthy and accurate information that they can use as primary source material.

Accessing Lesson Plans through Google Arts & Culture

In addition to these educational benefits, Google Arts & Culture also has downloadable lesson plans for teachers.

These lesson plans cover a wide range of topics and subjects, making them a great resource for teachers of all grades and content areas.

As a teacher, you can choose to incorporate these lessons into your curriculum in different ways. For example, you might want students to explore independently for homework, or maybe you would prefer to try a whole-class activity.

In terms of how these lesson plans are structured, a sample lesson might include:

• Lesson overview and estimated length
• List of learning goals
• Links to examples of artwork, virtual tours, etc. along with:
  • Powerpoint of images
  • Summary and historical context
  • Discussion questions
• Optional quiz questions (and answers)
• Ideas and resources to explore deeper

You can access these plans on the Learn tab here.

Ideas to Get Started with Google Arts & Culture

If you are looking to get started with using Google Arts & Culture in your classroom, consider trying the following ideas:

• Take your students on a virtual field trip: There are hundreds of virtual field trips available on Google Arts & Culture. Visit a museum, travel to the moon, dive into the Great Barrier Reef, and even zoom inside a cell.
• Conduct research on a specific topic: Students can do their own self-guided research on a specific topic by using the search feature or by browsing by subject area.
• Learn through play: Discover the world of art and culture through games. From using machine learning to bring music culture and history to life to exploring art coloring books, the Play tab is filled with engaging activities for students. Learn more here.
• Check out the teacher guide: Looking for even more ideas? Check out the Google Arts & Culture Teacher Guide here.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading this blog post about using Google Arts & Culture in your classroom. What other ways have you used this tool with your students? Let me know in the comments below, DM me on Instagram @edtechclass, or email me at myedtechclassroom@gmail.com.