As a part of the implementation of STEAM education at the Faculty FPSC SumDU, the  Foreign Languages Department invited students to try themselves in the role of a virtual tour guide.

Despite the current quarantine restrictions, a trip anywhere in the world is now possible thanks to the latest information technology. In an online foreign language lesson on Traveling, students got the task to practice an English tour using a suite of Google Maps applications, a free cartographic web service with satellite imagery.

The programme provides users with the ability to panoramic street view (Google Street View), real-time traffic analysis (Google Traffic), route (by car, on foot, by bike, or public transport), etc. To get acquainted with the features of the Google Maps service, students prepared detailed instructions for using the various functions of its applications, reviewed the integrated business directory and road map with route search, and presented a report on the history of this technology. Using the special lexis to navigate the area on the map, each student had to make a particular route for a travel company, take a tour of favorite cities and streets, tell interesting facts and stories about attractions and their inhabitants.

Online travel has proven to be very convenient since browsing satellite imagery in Google Maps can be done both in "top-down" mode and in "flight mode". Street photos in the programme are updated regularly to appreciate the modern look of the area. However, during the class, students looked into the past to find out what areas of their hometown looked like ten years ago and how they have changed over time. A unique timeline option helped to view old photos, and Google Street View allowed you to "wander" in three-dimensional street projection.

#The_best_faculty_in_the_galaxy is actively implementing new multidisciplinary approaches to learning foreign languages. Combining the latest information technologies with standard methods helps increase students' interest in the educational process, faster assimilation of material, acquisition of new skills, and confidence during oral communication.