Virtual Field Trips

Platoni, K.  (2008).  Internet explorers: Virtual field trips are more than just money savers. Edutopia.   Retrieved from    http://www.edutopia.org/virtual-field-trips . 

Summary

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Virtual field trips have been around since the Internet got its start, with the promise of exotic destinations that no bus could ever go to. This offered excitement for low-income schools that lacked money for field trips.  But the reality at the time was that the trips ended up being a lecture with some pictures and often more entertainment than education.  Finally, technology has caught up with the idea of virtual field trips, and students can actually interact with the people in the exotic locales.  Additionally, trips  can be adapted to standards-linked curriculum, making this a very useful tool in the classroom.  Here are summaries of four sites listed in this article, but there areothers to be found online.  

Blue Zones is the first site described.  The researchers for Blue Zones are trying to find out why people in some parts of the world live longer than others.  Students vote for moves researchers make in their quest to find information.  In addition to videos, photos, and standards-aligned lessons, there is a four week fitness challenge that encourages students to increase fruit and vegetable consumption while cutting back on screen time.

GoNorth!, although currently on a short break, lets students virtually experience a real-life around-the-pole dogsled journey.  Students will learn about Arctic ecology, its communities, and its role for the planet.  There is live chat, "collaboration zones", and standards-based curriculum.  The trip helps students be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Yellowstone National Park's Windows into Wonderland offers flash animations that are cartoons mixed with actual photos of the park.  Also included are short quizzes and games.  Students learn about natural science and history.  There are live Q and A sessions with rangers, but only for 2 days after a new video appears.  Lessons are offered that help students better understand the phenomena found in the park.

National Geographic: Lewis and Clark allows students to trace the path of Lewis and Clark while experiencing animals (photos) and descriptions of what it was like for the explorers.  You can learn more about the animals, many of which are now endangered species.

Reaction

Because schools are faced with the challenge of tight budgets, virtual field trips offer a fantastic way to get students thinking about and experiencing the world.  Although looking at a picture or video of a location isn't the same as going there in person, these online trips offer great learning opportunities.  Project-based learning can easily be tied to what is obtained from the people exploring these exotic and fascination locations. Additionally, information from these virtual field trips usually crosses many disciplines, which offers students a chance to make important learning connections.  This is definitely something I will use in a future classroom.