Virtual FieldtripsBy: Allison Butler

EDIM 510

What is a Virtual Fieldtrip?

Virtual Fieldtrips are an inter-related collection of images, supporting text, or other media delivered electronically using the World Wide Web.

They are formatted in a way that can be professionally presented to relate the essence of a visit to a particular time or place.

Why use Virtual Fieldtrips?

Budget cuts Uses a variety of technology Enhances learning Creates connections to other places and cultures Takes students to locations too far away to travel

to or too expensive to visit Can take a student back in time, into outer space,

or into the microscopic world

Educational Benefits of a Virtual Fieldtrip When given the same care and credibility that

one would give to a real-life field trip, Virtual Fieldtrips provide many of the same cognitive and affective gains that a student would experience during a real-life trip.

These trips challenge and expose students to new types of technology.

They are a great way to spark student’s interest and motivation while learning a specific content area.

The trips may boost students' reading comprehension and expose them to different cultures and environments.

Personalized vs. “Packaged” Trips

Personalized trips are… Developed by the classroom teacher through a variety of online sources.

Tailored to meet the needs of the students and their educational goals.

Focused on directly assessing the curricular goals of the classroom, and they are aligned with the curriculum and standards.

“Packaged” Fieldtrips

Packaged trips are… Beneficial because a tremendous amount of the

legwork has already been completed, and the online material is often excellent visual quality.

They are worthwhile, but they do not always meet the needs of a particular group of students, or align with curriculum.

“Packaged” Fieldtrips Continued…Packaged trips are… Divided into three basic categories:

Commercial sites Present virtual experiences in the hopes of selling the reader

something, having the reader visit other links connected to the site, or getting the reader to physically visit the location.

Informational sites Prepared and maintained by organizations promoting a specific

cause. These sites promote the organizations point of view, and educate those who visit the sites.

Educational sites Constructed by students or teachers, and cover a wide variety of

topics. Their longevity on the Internet is short.

ReferencesDiscovery Education. (2005). View of the Great Wall of China at Beijing. Retrieved November 22, 2011 from

http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=1E10A945-99C2-4E08-8311-69D4018D1B93&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US

Discovery Education. (2005). Camel in the desert. Retrieved November 22, 2011 from http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=94BE125E-79EF-4B84-AE35-0033AB3D4FDB&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US

Discovery Education. (2005). Pyramid in Egypt. Retrieved November 22, 2011 http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=FD78A2B9-

B7E9-4CE9-A726-92AC8B530CAB&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US. Foley, K. (2003). The Big Pocket Guide to Using & Creating Virtual Field Trips (3rd ed.). Tramline. Moyerphotos (photographer). (n.d.) Retrieved November 22, 2011 from

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moyermk/3101427771/sizes/z/in/photostream/ NA. (2011 September 7). Retrieved November 22, 2011 from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_field_trip Pearson Education Inc. (2007 June). Retrieved November 22, 2011 from

http://www.phschool.com/eteach/professional_development/virtual_field_trips/essay.html Woodleywonderworks (photographer). (n.d.) Retrieved November 22, 2011 from

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/4006194802/sizes/z/in/photostream/

Wot Nxts’s (photographer). (n.d.) Retrieved November 22, 2011 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/mvs/3405603248/