Journal 7 -NETS Five

Zanetis, J. (2010). The Beginner's guide to interactive virtual field trips. L&L—Learning & Leading with Technology, 37(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org


Virtual Field trips (VFTs) sounds pretty cool, I think it is a great way to get students into an educational activity. It reminds me of a cartoon that aired when I was a kid, The Magical School Bus." In it kids would go with a crazy teacher on random and fun adventures thanks to the aid of a magic bus. The entire class would be transformed into a bat or or massive whale and the class would go on make-believe field trips. Of course real school can't be as fun as that cartoon but these virtual field trips would be as varied and educational as the cartoon. Students could visit deep into the ocean or under the earth's crust. Of course there is also a more real aspect to the program. So students could go on more traditional field trips like DC or Mount Rushmore. In many of my other journals I made arguments about the heavy costs of technology, and its burned on the already bankrupt education system. But this might be a way technology could even save money. Consider the costs of taking an entire class to a museum. There is transportation, admission, and food. Those cost can be very heavy when you consider distant locations. This offers a great alternative. VFT offers hundreds of museums and science centers. I think it would be silly of me to claim that this would be as good as the real thing. But realistically this offers a lot. Most schools and students don't have the means to visit places like Scripts Aquarium or Sequoya National Park. When the real thing is out of reach, why not allow students to learn through this virtual medium?