I personally love the idea to take a classroom to places like The White House, The Grand Canyon, The San Diego Zoo, Death Valley, Colonial Williamsburg, The Tower of London, Tower Eiffel and The Ruins of Pompeii. Virtual fieldtrips are enriching and exciting internet trips that allow students to visit destinations they might otherwise be unable to tour. Specifically, virtual fieldtrips are changing the way elementary school students explore our world. When I used to be in school my major field trip was to the zoo, now teachers are currently incorporating these virtual fieldtrips into their classrooms to supplement a live upcoming fieldtrip.
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. 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! The educational possibilities are almost endless when using virtual fieldtrips in the classroom environment! . Some advantages are accessibility, Inexpensive and also safety. The most disadvantage for me is just the lack of sensory experience.
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I agree how wonderful it is to be able to have students go on virtual field trips to all of the great places of the world. Of course the lack of sensory experience you wrote about is a big concern. I think it's great for places that are way too far away or too expensive, but I think children need to have at least a couple "real" experiences during a school year. But with all of the endless new technology out there, it sure is a wonderful thing to be able to explore areas of the world that students may never get the chance to do!
ReplyDeleteMost people these days aren't fortunate enough to travel and see the world. It is great that they have come up with Virtual Field Trips. As for myself; I have been to Colonial Williamsburg, The Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore,Death Valley, San Diego Zoo,and Niagra Falls,(Just to name a few). I was very lucky to have a father in the military. I traveled to places that most of my classmates did not. Every child needs to travel outside of their comfort zone. This is an amazing country we live in!
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