Maybe not if you consider digital or virtual field trips (VFT). VFT's have been around as long as the Internet. Originally developed to extend the reach of newly acquired computer labs, VFT's don't require a lot of effort, but they do require some pre-planning and website work. A Virtual Field Trip is not unlike a Scavenger Hunt or Webquest. It is created on-line as part of a website or blog. The student is given a URL to the home page and from there you can proceed in groups just like a real field trip. Instead of walking from display to display in a museum, the students move from link to link. Links can be images, videos, photos, maps, pod-casts, or text. The teacher can provide "essential questions" that guide the teams through-out the field trip and evaluative reflection pieces can assess the content knowledge acquired during the field trip. A VFT has many advantages:
- They are FREE
- Age or Grade appropriate
- Provide audio and video stimulation which promotes interest.
- Don't require logistical support like buses and permission slips. Every Student can go, even absent ones if they have a computer with them.
- Can visit any place on Earth
- Some are pre-made, there are templates and assistive sites. They are teacher and substitute friendly.
- Many museums, zoos, planetariums, and historical locations provide on line tours with all the perks like guides, essential questions, and overview maps for as part of their on line tour.
- Can easily be revisited
- Can provide reference material for reports and projects in an easily consumed digital formate
- Can easily be shared and peer reviewed (hence improved)
Consider the 4th grade history assignment to study the Oregon Trail and westward expansion. Well the VFT for the Oregon Trail is amazing. Janice Johnson-Palmer and Tramline, developed a field trip that actually moves west from the Mississippi River to Oregon and passes through key locations. Each location has multimedia displays and actual quotes from settlers. Tramline provides and easy to use interface for creating Virtual Field Trips with no HTML coding required. It is teacher friendly.
Here are some sites to visit for reference or for ideas of what is available. I recommend doing a Goggle search for Virtual Field Trips before trying to do one on your own. You'll find losts of ideas from the hundreds of sites that you will find.
A favorite amongst teachers is the tour at the Louvre.
Eco Tourism is exceptionally popular. Here is a VFT to the Rain Forest by Digital Frog Int. This one includes 360 panoramas.
This 360 view is by AirPanoru. You can see Florence, Italy from any perspective. Notice how easily it is embedded into your website or VFT.
Additional sources to help get you started.
http://www.pitt.edu/~poole/VirtualFieldTrips.htmlhttp://www.onlineeducation.net/virtual-field-trips
