Virtual Field Trips

Link: http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/sep01/stevenson.htm


SUMMARY:

"Over the years, the idea of using field trips to provide opportunities for extending learning through firsthand experience has become commonly accepted. The traditional field trip requires planning and preparation, participation, and follow-up, all needing a great deal of time and energy. Well, so does a virtual field trip! However, the expanded range of experiences extends to the limits of your imagination, and sometimes beyond" (Stevenson). This quote says it all.

Traditional field trips such as school trips to museums, the sheriff's office, or the zoo, were at one time not well accepted. There were issues regarding liability, funds and transportation that hindered acceptance of the idea of field trips. Also, at one time people believed that everything a student should know was provided in the textbook. Just like the quote states above, it is the idea of, "extended learning through first hand experience," that swayed people into agreement of the importance of field trips.

The largest benefit of incorporating virtual field trips into the classroom is that it is cost effective. When using a virtual field trip, you will be saving money that you would have otherwise spent on gas, food, fees, etc. In addition to commenting on financial savings, Stevenson also pinpoints four ways a virtual field trip can be incorporated into the classroom.

1. An instructional tool when a site visit is out of the question
2. A focus activity prior to a class taking an actual field trip
3. A reporting and reflecting follow-up activity for students after they have been on a field trip 4. A presentation tool for you to share your own travels

Based on the information in this article, and other learned information, virtual field trips are a great asset for school systems, in home schooling, teachers, etc. They are informational, cost effective, and accessible. This is a short but sweet article on the benefits of virtual field trips!

THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS:

"Discover and Create Your Own Field Trips" is a great article by Stephanie Stevenson, a 6th Grade teacher from Ft. Caroline Middle School in Jacksonville, Florida. In her article, Stevenson points out the advantages of a virtual field trip compared to that of a traditional one. In a very precise and informative way Stephanie lists all the risks and costs of taking a traditional field, and then with a great transition moves into the benefits of a virtual field trip, concluding by giving the readers access to virtual field trips that she was able to find searching the internet. This article was really impressive because of amount of quality resources that the reader is given. One of the greatest parts of the article is the chart at the end where Stevenson categorized 11 virtual field trips into 18 different categories. This organization facilitates the choice process of which virtual field trip would be best for his or her classroom based on content, target audience, medium and many more. The chart seemed professionally done and was a great conclusion to a great article.

IDEAS REGARDING TOPIC

From this article it is obvious that there are financial benefits of a virtual field trip versus a traditional one. Students will spend more money and go through so much trouble just to leave the parking lot school. By using the virtual field trips the students won't even have to leave their seat. The money being saved could be used to fund other facets of educational needs. They could save up and spend it on new computers for the classroom itself.

OPINION

Before this assignment I had never heard of Virtual Field Trips. However, after reading this article I can really see how beneficial they can be. Traditional field trips are costly and require lots of planning and preparation. Where as virtual field trips are often cost free and they allow the students' imaginations to run wild. There are also so many virtual field trips available; the educational possibilities are endless. You can create a virtual field trip for any grade level and on just about any topic. I think that virtual field trips are truly a great tool to use in the classroom.