What are they?

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Virtual Field Trips

• What are they?
• How can you utilize them?
• How could they be useful in your classroom?

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Are on-site field trips a thing of
the past?

• Actual on-site field trips are fading in a
  students academic life due to
• funding
• time away from instruction/classroom
• focus on testing
• ???

3

• Virtual Field Trips (VFT) are an inexpensive way
  to bring the world into the classroom!
• VFT planning does take time, but the VFT can be
  done in segments, as an entire trip, and utilized
  in the future.
• Article Grounded from Edutopia, October 2005.

4
Virtual field trips have 3 main focuses

• First
• they may be created prior to an actual trip.
• Second
• they can be created after an actual trip.
• Third
• students can take an actual virtual field
  trip.

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Taking a tour of a site

• What are you looking for at the site?
• How do you evaluate the content?
• How do you evaluate the literacy level?
• How do you evaluate to see if the site meets
  the standards?
• Discovery Channel Evaluation Forms

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• Now, lets see how a VFT can be utilized in the
  classroom or approached as an assignment for
  students.

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The Assignment . . .
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The Assessment . . .
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• Heres what a few students said about creating a
  VFT and its use in the classroom!
• will get the students attention in the
  classroom
• something I will definitely use in the
  classroom
• It is a neat experience for students to see,
  but in no way would it begin to give the students
  the experience of a real field trip.
• I showed it to my cooperating teacher, and she
  was very impressed. She began sharing it with
  other teachers. Therefore, this could help
  distinguish us from other candidates for a
  teaching job.
• I was worried that the end product would not be
  beneficial, but after seeing all the
  presentations, I think they were wonderful!
• awesome project
• neat and fun to put together

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• creativity was key
• I like the idea of a VFT and am glad I know
  how to make one, but I doubt if I will find that
  many hours of free time to make one when I am
  teaching. I think it will be more practical to
  use ones already available.
• Its time consuming, but still easier than
  trying to get permission for kids to do this,
  especially with flying.
• My VFT project sparked interest in community
  ?my co-workers wanted to be involved by bringing
  in pictures or wanting to take pictures for me.
• It is a neat experience for students to see,
  but in no way would it begin to give the students
  the experience of a real field trip.
• I dont really feel that there was a down side
  to this project, except it took a low of time.
  We were given time to complete it though, so it
  was doable.

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Angel Learning Management System

• Accessible from any computer withInternet link
• Post Assignment
• Articles
• Post Resource Links
• Post Tutorials
• Team Blogs
• Team File Space
• Post Grades

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Virtual Field Trip Links

• Elementary
• http//www.moomilk.com/tour.htm
• http//www.plimoth.org/education/olc/index_js2.htm
  l
• http//www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/index.h
  tml
• Middle
• http//www.whitehouse.gov/history/whtour/
• http//www.civilrightsmuseum.org/gallery/movement.
  asp
• High
• http//www.oyez.org/oyez/tour/
• http//knowingpoe.thinkport.org/default_flash.asp
• ESL
• http//www.medtropolis.com/VBody.asp

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Links to Student Work

• http//www.franklincollege.edu/pwp/mgerline/Virtua
  lFieldTripWebsites/ConnerPrairieVirtualField.html
• http//www.franklincollege.edu/pwp/kwarner/Virtual
  20Field20Trip/VFTHome.html
• http//www.franklincollege.edu/pwp/awest/VFT/Intr
  o.htm
• http//www.franklincollege.edu/pwp/aelam/VFT20Ind
  ex.html
• http//www.franklincollege.edu/pwp/lwagner/VFT/Vir
  tual_Field_Trip_to_Jobs_in_Our_Town2.htm
• http//www.franklincollege.edu/pwp/sniederhaus/Tit
  le_Page.html
• http//www.franklincollege.edu/pwp/ematt/VFT20Bac
  k.html

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Let's make a field trip!