Creating and Sharing Hometown VR Field Trips to Build Cultural Empathy

This hands-on workshop introduces educators to the My Hometown Project, a practical method for building cultural understanding and digital skills through immersive storytelling. Participants will learn how to guide students in creating and sharing virtual field trips of their communities using mobile devices and free, browser-based tools. The session will be led by Learning Futurist Eric Hawkinson, who developed and implemented this project across schools in Japan, the Philippines, and other countries. Educators will follow a step-by-step process that includes mapping ideas, capturing images, scripting tours, and building a shareable VR experience. The workshop is suitable for classrooms focused on social studies, language learning, global awareness, and digital literacy. By the end of the session, each participant will have created a basic virtual tour and will receive access to planning templates, editable guides, and curriculum integration strategies. The session is designed to be fully BYOD compatible and accessible for a range of grade levels and technical skill sets.