The Present of Virtual Field Trips
Virtual Field Trips provide a number of affordances that a traditional field trip does not. With a VFT you and your students are able to visit pretty well anywhere they want to go on Earth, they can even go to space.
These VFTs can be created by you, your students, or others.
Pre-Constructed VFTs:
Pre-constructed Virtual Field Trips provide educators the opportunity to experience VFTs with their class, to determine if they find them beneficial to the students’ learning and to determine if they should create their own in the future.
As educators there is no need to design your Virtual Field Trips from scratch. Countless museums and similar organizations have pre-arranged VFTs. Imagine your art class has been studying the Louvre and its history, you may want to take them to the remains of the Louvre’s moat. Have your students been studying the solar system and the planets? For a trip to Mars, students can visit Google Mars. Where they will be able to look at the geological features of the Red Planet.
For a nominal fee many organizations are opting to offer VFT options that allow the students to have a virtual tour guide, an expert, Skype the class.
Educator Constructed VFTs:
Educators may wish to create their own virtual field trip if they are unable to find a pre-constructed trip that suits their needs, or that they do not have access to the technology required for pre-constructed VFTs. Educators can plan a VFT using class websites or slide-shares with embedded links. Educators may wish to use their own personal photographs and videos from vacations and travel to create VFTs for their students.
Student Constructed VFTs:
Allowing students to create their own virtual field trip would allow them the opportunity to transfer their learning and apply the knowledge they have previously learned in class. They would be able to learn more about the locations they want to visit, to think more about the knowledge they want to share, as well as providing them the opportunity to develop technology skills.
These VFTs can be created by you, your students, or others.
Pre-Constructed VFTs:
Pre-constructed Virtual Field Trips provide educators the opportunity to experience VFTs with their class, to determine if they find them beneficial to the students’ learning and to determine if they should create their own in the future.
As educators there is no need to design your Virtual Field Trips from scratch. Countless museums and similar organizations have pre-arranged VFTs. Imagine your art class has been studying the Louvre and its history, you may want to take them to the remains of the Louvre’s moat. Have your students been studying the solar system and the planets? For a trip to Mars, students can visit Google Mars. Where they will be able to look at the geological features of the Red Planet.
For a nominal fee many organizations are opting to offer VFT options that allow the students to have a virtual tour guide, an expert, Skype the class.
Educator Constructed VFTs:
Educators may wish to create their own virtual field trip if they are unable to find a pre-constructed trip that suits their needs, or that they do not have access to the technology required for pre-constructed VFTs. Educators can plan a VFT using class websites or slide-shares with embedded links. Educators may wish to use their own personal photographs and videos from vacations and travel to create VFTs for their students.
Student Constructed VFTs:
Allowing students to create their own virtual field trip would allow them the opportunity to transfer their learning and apply the knowledge they have previously learned in class. They would be able to learn more about the locations they want to visit, to think more about the knowledge they want to share, as well as providing them the opportunity to develop technology skills.
(Tutorial, 2014). How to Create a Virtual Field Trip Video.