Journal #1

Zanetis, J. (2010, March/April). The Beginner's guide to interactive virtual field trips. Learning & Leading, 37(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=March_April_No_6_1&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4516&ContentID=25443&DirectListComboInd=D


This is an interesting article that states informative ways to bring the outside world into the classroom via technology. The author discusses the differences between the two types of virtual field trips (VFT’s), asynchronous VFT’s and interactive VFT’s. Asynchronous VFT’s are usually video tours of a given of a location and they are not in real time. She also states that these fluctuate in quality and list a few that provide decent programs to use in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Interactive VFT’s uses videoconferencing to bring the students to the location of interest. There is interaction between the students and the experts in the field they are studying. The students are also able to take virtual tours of the locations they are visiting. Zanetis also gives a list of award-winning interactive VTF’s for interested teachers.

After reading the article, I thought of many uses VFT’s would have in my classroom. I visited a number of sites listed and agreed with the author on how beneficial VFT’s are to the students as well as to the teacher’s and parent’s budgets. Many of the sites were also located in other countries, which some students would never have a chance to visit on their own.

Questions:

Is the time and effort the teacher puts into setting up a virtual field trip worth the benefits?

I would think the first time a teacher set up a VFT it would take up a large amount of her time. However the students would be very excited to take a virtual tour or speak to an expert in that subject which they have just learned about. After learning how to set up the the VFT’s it seems as though the others the teacher would want to incorporate into a lesson would be easier. My answer is yes the benefits would be greater. In my subbing experience in s middle school social studies class, I gave a lesson on the White Chapel in Egypt. The teacher only had a picture of the site that was able to be viewed on the projector screen. The class loved the picture but what a great addition to the lesson to be able to take a tour of the Chapel. I think that would have made the lesson more memorable to the students!



If my school does not have the equipment to videoconference, how do I go about getting the technology?

With the California budgets being so low right now I think I would need to look into other sources to find the money to fund the equipment. Zenetis states other was such as looking into winning grants or finding companies to donate the technology to the school.