Virtual fieldtrips are enriching and exciting internet trips that allow individuals to visit destinations they might otherwise be unable to tour. Specifically, virtual fieldtrips are changing the way elementary school students explore our world! Teachers are currently incorporating these virtual fieldtrips into their classrooms to supplement a live upcoming fieldtrip, increase the frequency and variety of student excursions, or altogether replace the inaccessible or expensive field trip.

There are two convenient and inexpensive ways to incorporate virtual fieldtrips into the elementary school classroom. First, virtual fieldtrips can be used to explore a destination that the class will actually explore in the next few weeks. By exploring the destination prior to actual arrival the students can decide which locations and attractions they really want to visit and which locations do not pique their interest. In addition, virtual fieldtrips will get the students excited for their upcoming excursion! For example, prior to visiting Washington D.C. students can virtually take a fieldtrip to the Lincoln Memorial, White House, or the Washington Monument. Perhaps time constraints of the live fieldtrip do not allow the students to visit all three locations. After taking a virtual fieldtrip the students can decide together which locations spark their interest!

Second, a classroom of elementary school students can take a virtual fieldtrip to a location that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. The virtual fieldtrip is useful for students of all ages, but elementary aged children can benefit even more from virtual field trips. Students in the elementary school classroom are only able to visit destinations that can be quickly reached by road transportation because an overnight fieldtrip with students this young is normally not be feasible. It is also quite uncommon for elementary school students to visit destinations that are several hours away because these young students do not do well on extremely long bus trips. Unfortunately, these limitations only enable youngsters to visit attractions that are relatively close to their neighborhood, limiting their interaction with the broader community. Therefore, virtual fieldtrips are ideal for elementary school students!

So far virtual field trips sound just wonderful, don’t they? These virtual excursions are educational, exciting, and easily accessible! Computers with internet access are the only form of technology needed to take a virtual fieldtrip in the elementary school classroom. How convenient! Some virtual fieldtrips do require additional internet capabilities, such as Java, but are easily downloaded free of charge. If necessary, internet users will be prompted to download the appropriate internet capability when they attempt to access the virtual fieldtrip. For a teacher who has always wanted to take his or her students on a variety of fieldtrips during the school year, the virtual fieldtrip is perfect! Examples of locations that offer excellent virtual fieldtrips include: The White House, The Grand Canyon, The San Diego Zoo, Death Valley, Colonial Williamsburg, The Tower of London, and The Ruins of Pompeii. The educational possibilities are almost endless when using virtual fieldtrips in the classroom environment!

Accessibility. Virtual fieldtrips allow both students and teachers to visit destinations that would otherwise be inaccessible. It is likely that elementary school students from Williamsburg, Virginia would be unable to visit the Rocky Mountains in the west coast of the United States. Similarly, students from California are restricted by distance from touring locations such as the battle grounds of the Civil War. Thankfully, virtual fieldtrips eliminate the need to visit a local attraction. Virtual fieldtrips can expand a young student’s knowledge base to include information about distant locations!

Inexpensive. Another advantage of virtual fieldtrips is the inexpensive cost of these excursions. Virtual fieldtrips are usually free of charge or very inexpensive. This low price allows a teacher the ability to take her students on numerous fieldtrips during the school year, virtually of course! Districts with little funding or schools populated with students from low socioeconomic statuses are no longer restricted from touring exciting and educational destinations.

Safety. Student safety is another positive aspect of the virtual fieldtrip experience. With live fieldtrips, numerous chaperones must accompany the classroom teacher in order to keep students safe and manage behavior; however, virtual fieldtrips eliminate this problem! Although internet safety is an issue associated with virtual fieldtrips, proper planning by the teacher eliminates or heavily reduces this problem. Both parents and teachers can feel at ease during a virtual fieldtrip since all of the young students are really just sitting in their own school’s classroom.

Lack of Sensory Experience. Although there are numerous advantages to taking elementary school students on a virtual fieldtrip, there are also constraints when using this method of exploration. Unfortunately, a virtual fieldtrip cannot provide sensory experiences for all the five senses like a live fieldtrip may be able to achieve. For example, visiting a petting zoo provides an opportunity for students to interact with animals by petting them. Naturally, a virtual fieldtrip is simply unable to provide the sensory experiences of touch, smell, and perhaps taste where applicable. A virtual fieldtrip can only accommodate a child’s sense of sight and sound.

Inability to Ask Questions. Another downside of taking a virtual fieldtrip is the one-sided nature of this type of exploration. The students who use their computers and internet to travel to new destinations are unable to ask tour guides, docents, or other specialists any questions about the location they are learning about. Students are naturally curious and I believe they would have numerous questions after taking a virtual field trip that might not be in the teacher’s in-depth knowledge bank.

Lack of an Updated Experience. Exploring a destination using a virtual fieldtrip does not always provide an up-to-date experience. For example, a museum is a location that is constantly changing. Museums often change their exhibitions, feature a local artist every few months, or rotate special collections. Even the best websites are simply unable to constantly update the site’s activities and features, such as virtual fieldtrips. For a live, minute-by-minute experience a virtual fieldtrip just cannot live up to the real fieldtrip experience.

Patti Zvanut, a teacher in the California ABC Unified School District, has created an interactive and educational lesson plan for her students to take a virtual field trip to the Grand Canyon. I am particularly fond of this lesson plan because Ms. Zvanut allows her students to pair up and explore the destination together. I believe field trips, both real and virtual, should encourage students to socialize during the field trip. Exploration of the Grand Canyon should be a team endeavor! Another positive feature of this lesson plan is the use of evaluation during the virtual fieldtrip. The inclusion of a worksheet to be completed by teams of students reinforces the educational element of the fieldtrip. Students are encouraged to explore the Grand Canyon while also focusing in on particular details that the teacher believes are essential. Ms. Zvanut also takes her evaluation to a higher level by including information from the virtual fieldtrip worksheet on the classes’ next science test.

http://www.can-do.com/lessons98/Canyon.html

The Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Publishing Company has a website that provides a great lesson plan for a virtual fieldtrip to Death Valley, California. I love this lesson plan because it does a wonderful job of setting up and then reinforcing the virtual fieldtrip into the classroom curriculum. This virtual fieldtrip is set up by discussing the location, climate, and conditions of Death Valley. This classroom discussion offers the students some information about their fieldtrip location prior to exploring Death Valley in California. In addition, after their virtual exploration of Death Valley the students participate in several follow up activities that add enrichment to their experience. For example, the lesson plan encourages teachers to have their students submit questions to the makers of the virtual field trip, discuss the trip they took with their parents and siblings, and compare the information they learned from the field trip with information they read in magazines and books.

http://www.mhschool.com/socialstudies/2000/teacher/teachres/weblesson/weblesson.php3?program=4&state=&grade=4&unit=6&chapter=11&lesson=1

Christie Wood, a student at SUNY Plattsburgh, has created a great lesson plan that includes a virtual fieldtrip to the San Diego Zoo. I believe this lesson plan effectively incorporates technology into the current classroom curriculum using a virtual fieldtrip. Before elementary school students are exposed to vocabulary terms relating to animals and their habitats their teacher has them virtually explore the San Diego Zoo and additional websites to look up new terminology. Using new vocabulary words the students were exposed to during their virtual fieldtrip, the children create a word wall of the terms. I really feel that this lesson plan is useful for classroom teachers who want to incorporate multiple forms of technology into their classrooms. For example, Christie Wood had students use an online dictionary to define vocabulary words as well as view the San Diego Zoo’s virtual fieldtrip. Her technology integration positively added to the classes’ unit on animals and their habitats.

http://student.plattsburgh.edu/cwood001/teachingvocabularytusingvirtualfieldtrips.htm

The CyberSmart Education Company has a lesson plan that provides students with the opportunity to select their own virtual fieldtrip destination. The teacher provides the students with the links to eight different locations to explore, such as aquariums, zoos, and museums. This lesson plan really allows for a large degree of student flexibility and choice. The main aim of the lesson is to inform young students that the internet can be quite useful when they want to learn new information about a destination they might not be able to visit. Another aspect of this virtual fieldtrip lesson plan that I believe is beneficial is the evaluation method. After exploring different locations using a virtual fieldtrip, the students make a collage of information that should be kept private while they search the internet. This lesson is intended for young children, such as kindergarteners, to have initial exposure to the various uses of the internet. I believe a very useful feature of this lesson is the effective incorporation of virtual fieldtrips into the classroom curriculum of even the youngest students.

http://www.breitlinks.com/PDFsLibMedia/CyberSmartActivities.pdf

1. Just as you would with a live fieldtrip, select a virtual fieldtrip that meshes well with your classroom’s current curriculum.

2. Realize that a virtual fieldtrip still requires structure and supervision since you will “virtually” be taking your students to another location.

3. Begin or follow up the virtual fieldtrip with at least one lesson in order to help children make connections between the virtual destination and classroom curriculum.

4. Send home permission slips for parents to sign before having students go on a virtual fieldtrip.

5. Most importantly, plan ahead for a virtual fieldtrip just as you would plan ahead for a live fieldtrip!