Virtual Field Trips

What are virtual field trips?

Virtual field trips are computer-generated environments that offer media-rich interactions with a particular location, such as laboratories, museums, parks, zoos, even other countries.

The components of a virtual field trip include content background information, images/animations, QuickTime movies and VR, sound/music, video, online forums, additional links, educational materials, and more.

The experience enables students to make learning connections that extend the content into a context. Virtual field trips are often free, but some do require subscription rates for multiple trips. But the best part is interaction!

Ways to Incorporate Virtual Field Trips

an instructional tool when a site visit is out of the question

a focus activity prior to a class taking an actual field trip

a reporting and reflecting follow-up activity for students after they have been on a field trip

a presentation tool for you to share your own travels

Take a Trip http://www.uen.org/utahlink/to

urs/

SURWEB--State of Utah Resources Web http://www.surweb.org/

Easter Island--Interactive tour sponsored by PBS and NOVA. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/easter/textindex.html

Internet Education Projects: Virtual Tours--Over 300 tours including museums, US Government, and countries around the world.

http://www.virtualfreesites.com/tours.html

Culture Quest--Worldwide tours of cultures. http://www.ipl.org/youth/cquest/

The Nine Planets--Tour of the solar system. http://www.nineplanets.org/

The Whitehouse--Visit the home of the President of the United States. http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/tour/

Virtual Cape Cod http://www.virtualcapecod.com/Towns.asp

Temple of Liberty Building the Capitol for a New Nation http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/us.capitol/s0.html

Tramline Field Tripshttp://www.field-trips.org/trips.htm

Create a Trip

Plan

Create

Edit

Revise

Evaluate