Have you ever been sitting in a classroom full of disinterested students? Have you ever been bored by the drone of a teacher’s lecture? If you answered yes then you probably understand that sometimes students just wish they were somewhere else! Fortunately, virtual field trips make this wish a reality!
As we enter the twenty first century the world around us is changing rapidly. Luckily, technology now allows for diverse educational opportunities. One of these new opportunities comes in the form of virtual field trips. According to "Get Outta Class With Virtual Field Trips" published by Education World in 2006, virtual field trips are becoming more and more popular in our school system. It is not hard to see why! A virtual field trip has many benefits. Imagine allowing students at any moment to travel to Antarctica, Paris, or even through the Solar System!
Virtual Field Trips vs. Conventional Field Trips
Less Expensive / More Expensive
Less Planning / More Planning
Unlimited Destinations / Limited Destinations
Accessible at any time / Arrangements Needed
Weather is always Perfect / Weather can get in the way
Very little paperwork / Lots of paperwork
How to create a Virtual Field Trip
*Brainstorm your ideas *Develop a plan (include activities for the trip as well as equipment needed) *Connect the field trip to the curriculum *Prepare (be sure to take more pictures that actually needed) *Take your trip and collect the needed information *Build your field trip *Evaluate by testing your virtual trip for technical errors *Share your trip
Tools used to create a Virtual Field Trip
-diagrams, drawings/paintings, maps
-interviews & oral histories
-photographs
-digital camera, scan
-recordings: audio, video
-text: diaries, letters, newspapers
Awesome Virtual Field Trip Ideas
http://www.si.edu/
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/
http://www.exploratorium.edu/explore/exhibits.html
With new times comes new technology. In the education system we can learn, grow, and flourish from these changes. Virtual field trips can now bring students and teachers anywhere they want to go.
Information and links courtesy of Glencoe Online and Education World
Original Articles:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech071.shtml
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/33
14 comments:
I like the introduction, a great way to capture my attention. I also like how the sections are written in bullet form instead of paragraph, makes it easier to read.
I really enjoyed reading this post. The first sentence pulled me in and got me interested in what you had to say. The pictures were a really nice detail also. I think you did a good job explaining what exactly virtual field trips are and the different benefits that they have. The part where you compared regular field trips to virtual ones was very interesting and added some good reasons to why virtual field trips are becoming so popular in the classroom. Overall i think you did a really good job!
Great blog!! You used the same article as our group :) It was a great article with lots of ideas and tips. I really liked your comparison of virtual field trip to regular field trips. It really shows how accessible virtual field trips can be in the classroom.
I love the bullets---they were a great idea and very different. There were so many pointers on how to make a virtual field trip. I also enjoyed the section where you told us about regular field trips and how virtual ones are better. You guys did a wonderful job! The pictures are good as well.
I loved the way you set up your summery this week! The bold headings and pictures made it really easy and fun to read! You did an awesome job and I really liked how you compaired virtual field trips and conventional field trips! Great Work Team One!!
It apears as if you guys have chosen the same article as team 5. The way you guys set up your blog is interesting. Yours gives a totally different perspective on virtual field trips. Also I realy like the comparison form conventional field trips tp virtual ones.
I liked the way you listed the differences between virtual field trips and conventional field trips. Virtual field trips are a lot less work and planning but at the same time just as efficient as convential. Overall, I think virtual field trips offer a better learning experience.
Great post. Your summary contained excellent information. I enjoyed the section about virtual field trips as opposed to traditional field trips.
WOW! Great job team one....This was a very well organized blog. It was very "put together" and the different pictures were a great touch. I also liked the straight to the point way of saying things too. You said what was needed and also put the advantages making it very effective. Great job!
Your post really got my attention with the first paragraph. That was a great way to capture the audiences attention and get them interested. You guys did a great job with your article and provided alot of informative information about virtual field trips!
I like how you guys compared virtual fieldtrips to regular field trips... Sometimes virtual field trips can be more fun than actual field trips (as well as more convenient!) I like that you added pictures... I wanted to do that, but couldn't find any good ones...!
I really enjoyed reading your article. I thought the entire article it was very informing. I liked reading about how exactly to create a virtual field trip and also the tools that are used to create these field trips. I also thought it was very helpful that your group included some websites at the end to give your readers some virtual field trip ideas. Good job!
The pictures were definitely the first thing that caught my attention. Another thing I really liked was that you had additional links in your article. The details were helpful and it seems like you guys really knew what you were talking about! Nice work :)
this article really made me want to go on a virtual field trip myself. i liked how it compares real field trips with virtual ones. this article tuaght basically all i needed to know about virtual field trips.
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