Virtual+Fieldtrips

// 1—What is a Virtual Field Trip? // 1) A virtual field trip (VFT) is a standards-based activity which allows students to visit a place of interest on the Web rather than to an actual place. 2) You take a VFT using your computer and the Internet. 3) The place can be near you physically or anywhere in the world. 4) It can even be somewhere that would be otherwise impossible to go! 5) VFTs are not just about websites – they’re about learning. a. Students gain experiences and bring them back in a variety of formats, including photos, sounds, videos and text, which suit their learning styles. b. Students are expected to assimilate their experiences and discoveries to transform the material into knowledge demonstrated through a final product. 6) Use VFTs to introduce your students to new places, new people, new processes, etc.

// 2—How do I get Started? // 1) To prepare a virtual field trip, a teacher must choose a destination, locate grade-level appropriate resources, construct a web page, create meaningful learning tasks, and create rubrics for assessment. 2) It is important for the teacher to choose a destination that is aligned with state and national standards. 3) However, the best way to get started is to examine some of the numerous VFTs that are already available on the internet. We will do this shortly. 4) A few steps to help you in the process: **[]**

// 3—Assignment Ideas // 1) A good way to keep students focused during the VFT is by preparing a study guide to be completed throughout the trip. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">a. Have a general outline and spaces to fill in the information they find <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">b. Make it look like a trip itinerary <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">c. Include destinations, places to visit, things to look for (like maps, food, money, climate, etc), and even dates

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">2) At the end of the VFT, have your students organize and assimilate everything they’ve learned. Have them create: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">a. Travel brochures <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">b. Newsletters or newspapers <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">c. Posters or collages <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">d. Travel logs and/or journals <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">e. Simulated newscasts <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">f. Educational websites <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">g. Multimedia presentations

// <span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans Ultra Bold',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">4—Types of Virtual Field Trips // <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">1) We will take a virtual field trip to view several different types of virtual field trips.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">2) The field trip is located at **[]**.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">3) This field trip was created using Track Star, which can be found at **[|http://trackstar.4teachers.org]**.

// <span style="font-family: 'Gill Sans Ultra Bold',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">5—Resources/Collections of Virtual Field Trips // <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">1) Alice Christie’s Virtual Field Trip Guide: **[]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">2) Internet 4 Classrooms VFTs: **[]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">3) Innovative Teaching VFTs: **[]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">4) UEN VFTs: **[]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">5) Tramline: **[]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">6) Teach Digital-VFTs: **[]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">7) Virtual Field Trips & Web Museums: **[]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">8) Without the Bus-Virtual Field Trips: **[]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">9) Virtual Adventures: **[]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">10) Google Lit Trips: **[]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">11) Use a Google Search for the type of Virtual Field Trip you would like to use. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">12) Use a Google Search to find panoramas of places related to your topic. (Ex. Volcano Panorama 360) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">13) Others that you noticed during the virtual field trip in section 6:

//<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Gill Sans Ultra Bold',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">6—Tools for Virtual Field Trips // <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">1) Google Maps: **[|http://maps.google.com]** (Requires Google Account-Free!) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">2) Google Earth: **[|http://earth.google.com]** (Free Download) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">3) Google Sites: **[|http://][|sites][|.google.com]** (Free web site & wiki creator) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">4) Tramline: **[|http://www.field-guides.com]** (Requires download-Not Free!) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">5) Track Star: **[|http://trackstar.4teachers.org]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">6) Wikis: **http://wikispaces.com** or **[|http://pbworks.com]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">7) E-Sheet Style with Word: **http://uatim.wikispaces.com/e-sheet** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">8) UEN Virtual Field Trip Template: **[]** (Requires Free Registration) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">9) Delicious: **[|http://delicious.com]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">10) PowerPoint: An Example - **[]** & Video Tutorial: **[]** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">11) PowerPoint: Another Example - **[]**

12) Google Earth Lessons: []

13) Copyright Friendly Photo Resources: http://uatim.wikispaces.com/picresources

14) Adding photos to Google Earth Placemarks: <img src=" [] ">

//<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Gill Sans Ultra Bold',sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">7—Other Important ideas // <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">1) Video Conference Virtual Field Trips/Electronic Field Trips <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">2) Skype: Connect with an expert somewhere else in the world <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">3) Web Cams: Famous Places, Zoos, Museums, etc. often have these <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">4) How Stuff Works <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">5) APTPlus Videos (Insert into PowerPoint) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">6) Flickr (if it isn’t filtered!) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">7) Places that you can’t go…Inner Ear, The World of a Dust Mite or Virus, Virginia during the Civil War <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">8) Have Students Create Virtual Field Trips: Project Based Learning/Higher Order Thinking Skills <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;">9) Make a VFT from your own travel photos