Designing a virtual field trip.When I ask my preservice teachers to think back to their fondest memories of teaching social studies at the elementary or middle school level, they usually tell me about how teachers made history interesting and fun through hands-on activities. Most often, they reminisce rem·i·nisce intr.v. rem·i·nisced, rem·i·nisc·ing, rem·i·nisc·es To recollect and tell of past experiences or events. [Back-formation from reminiscence. about memories of field trips they took. When students visit historical sites, they are able to visualize what the daily life and work was like for people of the past (McEachron, 2001). Field trips enable students to connect history to their daily lives, and better understand the daily struggles and lives of people from the past. In our area of rural East Texas, students remember trips they made to Millard's Crossing, a renovated historical village, and the Hoya Hoya, city, Japan Hoya (hō`yä), city (1990 pop. 95,148), Tokyo Metropolis, E central Honshu, Japan, on the Shakoji River. It is a residential suburb of Tokyo and an agricultural center where raw silk is produced. Library, a historic home where Sam Houston once visited. For schools that are isolated from historical sites, however, taking a field trip may be impossible or too expensive. Virtual field trips offer a new way for teachers and students to visit historical sites and museums. "Virtual field trips are computer-generated environments that offer media-rich interactions with a particular location, such as laboratories, museums, parks, zoos, even other countries" (Stevenson, 2001, p. 1). Most notably, virtual field trips provide access to places that normally would be impossible for classrooms to visit, and this, in turn, provides a plethora plethora /pleth·o·ra/ (pleth´ah-rah) 1. an excess of blood. 2. by extension, a red florid complexion.pletho´ric pleth·o·ra n. 1. of learning possibilities for the classroom. Why should teachers consider creating a virtual field trip? Virtual field trips are an inexpensive way to integrate hands-on technology into the curricula while maintaining high student interest in the unit being studied. Virtual field trips offer a student-centered approach to instruction, and they diversify the teaching methods of content area instruction. Also, virtual instruction allows students to view people and places in a visually stimulating environment, which cannot be done through mere textbook reading. For a traditional field trip, the teacher needs to do much planning and preparation (McEachron, 2001; Stevenson, 2001). Typically, teachers contact staff at the historical site and plan organized tours, prepare observational guides for the students, and connect the field trip to a particular unit of study. During the field trip, teachers ensure that students ask questions while monitoring students as they complete observation guides. After the field trip, teachers discuss the field trip and connect it to additional learning activities (McEachron, 2001). The virtual field trip also requires planning and preparation, active participation, and follow-up learning activities (Stevenson, 2001). The steps below summarize the planning and preparation needed for a successful virtual trip (Lengel, 2003; Stevenson, 2001): * Identify the curriculum: Refer to your state standards, in addition to the standards set forth by the National Council for the Social Studies National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is a US-based association devoted to supporting social studies education. History Founded in 1921, NCSS engages and supports educators in strengthening and advocating social studies. (NCSS NCSS National Council for the Social Studies NCSS National Council of Social Service (Singapore) NCSS National Cooperative Soil Survey NCSS Non Commenting Source Statements NCSS National Center for Sports Safety ). The Council's 10 themes for the teaching of social studies have been adopted nationally as the core of social studies instruction (www.ncss.org/standards). It is usually best to teach a concept that is difficult to study in the classroom or library. Choose a virtual field trip topic that can enhance your classroom instruction. * Prepare for the trip: Clearly explain your purpose for taking a virtual field trip. Provide field trip activities that will challenge the students. Provide a clear guide through the field trip, including explanations, background information, and questions or steps to follow. Students seldom learn by aimlessly aim·less adj. Devoid of direction or purpose. aim  less·ly adv.aim surfing through a Web site. The virtual field trip must be highly structured and easy to navigate. * Prior to departing on a virtual field trip, provide students with background knowledge on the topic: Just as you would for a traditional field trip, familiarize students with key vocabulary; most important, ensure that students have an overall understanding of the topic. * Decide how students will participate in the virtual trip: individual, small group, or whole class. The key to successful implementation of a virtual field trip is organization, and in order to be organized, teachers must first be familiar with a variety of virtual field trips and how to structure such a trip. Teachers need to take several virtual trips themselves prior to planning a class virtual field trip, so that they are familiar with the process and design of an effective trip. Integrating technology in the classroom is a major component of current education reform, often pushed by educational theorists and politicians (Dils, 2000; Stedman, 1994). Many classroom teachers are skeptical of such reform efforts and most value ideas that come from practicing teachers. Therefore, I wanted to learn how a current teacher integrates virtual field trips into the curricula. Daniel Spikes, a 7th-grade English/language arts teacher at Lufkin Middle School in Texas, explains that he likes to use virtual field trips because they give him a chance to help students make connections to real life scenarios. Daniel states uses the virtual field trip as a resource while his class reads Lupita Manana ma·ña·na adv. 1. Tomorrow. 2. At an unspecified future time. n. An indefinite time in the future. [Spanish, from Vulgar Latin , by Patricia Beatty. He finds that the virtual field trip helps create a deeper understanding of the story, because it presents students with concrete images of the information being taught. Using a virtual field trip allows Daniel to integrate other content areas into language arts language arts pl.n. The subjects, including reading, spelling, and composition, aimed at developing reading and writing skills, usually taught in elementary and secondary school. instruction. In particular, he integrates geography into the online tour as students "visit" places mentioned in Lupita Manana. The book focuses on two teenagers who emigrate em·i·grate intr.v. em·i·grat·ed, em·i·grat·ing, em·i·grates To leave one country or region to settle in another. See Usage Note at migrate. from Mexico to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Thus, the students learn not only about culture, but also about the experiences faced by any young immigrants, while participating in a concrete, hands-on learning experience. Daniel finds many benefits to integrating virtual field trips into the curricula: "Most students enjoy field trips, so this is an effective way to have something students enjoy while integrating technology, social studies, language arts, and other subjects." Resources for Developing a Virtual Field Trip Web Sites Virtual Field Trips: Take, Create, and Visit (www.uen.org/ utahlink/tours). This site is sponsored by the Utah Education Network The Utah Education Network (UEN) is a not-for-profit consortium of higher and public education, libraries, state government and business. UEN’s high speed computer network connects Utah colleges and universities as well as the state’s school districts and libraries. . The site presents a comprehensive tutorial and evaluation rubric RUBRIC, civil law. The title or inscription of any law or statute, because the copyists formerly drew and painted the title of laws and statutes rubro colore, in red letters. Ayl. Pand. B. 1, t. 8; Diet. do Juris. h.t. on developing a virtual field trip. Sample student release forms are listed, as are step-by-step directions on how to create a virtual trip. Organizing a Virtual Website (www.geographyjim.org/ virtual.htm). This site, sponsored by the International School of Geneva The International School of Geneva, also known as Ecolint, is a private international school in Geneva, Switzerland. Its French name is L'Ecole Internationale de Genève, or Ecolint for short. It is the first ever established International School. , gives teachers a clear outline on organizing and managing a virtual field trip. Virtual Field Trip Examples Middle School Virtual Field Trips (www.madison.k12.wi.us/tnl/ tech/techlearn/virtualft.htm). This Web site is sponsored by Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The 2006 population estimate of Madison was 223,389, making it the second largest city in Wisconsin, after Milwaukee, and , public schools. The site lists their virtual field trips by subject area and by theme. A variety of well-designed virtual field trips are included. White House Kids (www.whitehouse. gov/kids/tour). This kid-friendly Web site is sponsored by the White House. Spotty spot·ty adj. spot·ti·er, spot·ti·est 1. Lacking consistency; uneven. 2. Having or marked with spots; spotted. spot , President Bush's springer spaniel springer spaniel: see English springer spaniel; Welsh springer spaniel. , gives a guided tour guided tour guide n → visite guidée; what time does the guided tour start? → la visite guidée commence à quelle heure? of the White House. Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is the historic district of the independent city of Williamsburg, Virginia. Colonial Williamsburg consists of many of the buildings that formed the original colonial capital of Williamsburg in James City County from 1699 to 1780, with all traces of later (www. history.org/History/teaching/ eftsched00.cfm). This site is extremely well-organized and well-designed, offering numerous options for online field trips. Schools must pay $100 for an entire campus to have access to the site's virtual trips. The fee covers a comprehensive teacher's guide, including online student activities, access to historians' perspectives, discussions on the Internet with other classes, and taping rights. The Mummy's Curse (www. hunterian.g21a.ac.uk/education/ mCurse.html). This site is sponsored by the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery The University of Glasgow's Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery is the oldest public museum in Scotland. It is located in various buildings on the main campus of the University in the west end of Glasgow. in Glasgow, Scotland. The site offers an interesting game in which students are asked to pretend that they have been left in the museum with a mummy, and they must find clues throughout the virtual tour to find an exit. Tramline (www.field-guides.com/ trips.htm). This site offers links to various virtual Web sites appropriate for the lower elementary grades, middle school, and high school. Big Bend National Park Big Bend National Park, 801,163 acres (324,471 hectares), W Tex.; authorized 1935, est. 1944. It is a triangle formed where the Rio Grande runs southeast then northeast in a big bend along the U.S.-Mexico border, notably through deep canyons such as the Santa Elena. Geology Field Trip (http:geoweb.tamu.edu/ faculty/herbert/bigbend/). This site was created by a student at Texas A&M University and is maintained by a professor at the university. The site offers a comprehensive, historical overview of Big Bend National Park. TheMysteriousMayas (www.uen.org/ utahlink/tours/tourFames.cgi? tour_id=14933). This site focuses on ancient Mexican history and culture. Students can explore numerous Mexican cities and ruins. Pompeii: A Virtual Field Trip (www. burlington.mec.edu/memorial/ Pompeii.htm). This site was created by a teacher in Burlington Public Schools, Massachusetts. The site is very well organized, and the designer uses clear directions to check for student understanding. Recommended Book Berson, M. J., Cruz, B. C., Duplass, J. A., & Johnston, J.H. (2001). Social studies on the Internet. Upper Saddle River Saddle River may refer to:
In 1913, law professor Dr. . Readers might be interested in this excellent resource book. The authors include an organized and detailed annotated review of Web sites that can be used to enhance social studies instruction while integrating technology. The book connects NCSS themes and provides information on specialized sites. References Dils, A. K. (2000). Using technology in a middle school social studies classroom. International Journal of Social Education, 15(1), 102-112. Lengel, J. (2003). Taking a virtual field trip. [Online]. Available: www.powertolearn.com/articles/teaching_with_technology/ taking_a_virtual_field_trip.shtml McEachron, G. A. (2001). Self in the world: Elementary and middle school social studies. New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of : McGraw Hill. Stedman, J. B. (1994). Goals 2000: Overview and analysis. CRS CRS Course CRS Certified Residential Specialist (real estate certification) CRS Central Reservation System CRS Can't Remember Stuff (polite form) CRS Cost Reduction Strategy CRS Consumer Relations Specialist Report for Congress. Springfield, VA. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 379791:51) Stevenson, S. (2001). Discover and create your own field trips. Multimedia Schools, 8(4), 40-15. |
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