Virtual Field Trips
Broaden your students’ learning experiences and avoid the administrative stress and cost of field trips by taking them on virtual field trips!
Virtual field trips are becoming more available online- from a detailed photo tour of museums to live cam tours and tours offering video and audio segments that are interactive. My exploration with virtual field trip started off when I tried to think of ideas to use with Google World and Google Map- I had designed a lesson where students used Google Map to practice giving directions to and from a place they choose (many chose their home countries for this activity). Through my research online on activity ideas I had discovered the existence of virtual field trips. Students can access websites learn just as they would on an actual field trip. Mind you, I do not think this replaces the benefits of physically being there.However, the web offers us endless opportunities to access and experience places, events, and opportunities that are otherwise impossible. Below are a few virtual field trip ideas that I have picked out:
Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
I am always impressed every time I go to the Museum of Natural History in DC- the uniqueness and significance, and just the sheer amount of exhibits on display in the museum is very impressive. Having just been to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in DC just two months ago, I can say that the virtual tour provided on their websites is no less informative and exciting minus the drawbacks of lining up and squeezing through crowds of people all times of the year. Students can click through different exhibitions including permanent, current, and past exhibits and take an in depth look at each piece. This would be a great idea for any student doing passion projects on related topics.
Students select their departure country and destination country and embark on a journey to anywhere in the world. As they explore each country, students can keep a travel journal on everything they learn. Each country they visit, students can learn about their ecosystem, current news, myths of the culture, and meet people residing in the country. This would be a great tool for students to broaden their global knowledge a great way to have discussions around cultural differences and diversity.
Students get to travel around the world by visiting crew members of the site. There are over 34 destinations and over 45 journeys for students to choose from. This is an excellent tool to foster global knowledge, awareness, competency, and empathy. For instance, Raquel is one of the crew members currently in Morocco. On her site, you can read about her current location, her logbook which includes background information on Morocco, her journals and her field notes.
Our local Vancouver Aquarium also offers live cam on their penguins, jelly fish, and otters. Students can use the camera to observe these animals at different times of the day, even before and after opening and closing times! On the flip side, students can critically examine the ethics around aquariums and zoos- a great way to practice persuasive writing as well.
This website offers a trip to another galaxy. It “is an overview of the history, mythology and current scientific knowledge of the planets, moons and other objects in our solar system. Each page has our text and NASA’s images, some have sounds and movies, most provide references to additional related information.” Again, great for a passion project or any self-directed inquiry project!