Running head: VIRTUAL FIELDTRIP

Virtual Fieldtrip
Sarah Stout
Ivy Tech Community College

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Standard #7 Planning for Instruction

The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by
drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as
well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
Name of Artifact: Virtual Fieldtrip
Date: June 28, 2016
Course: EDUC 255: Multicultural Education
Brief Description:
This assignment will show how to do a virtual fieldtrip for a science project. Writing
about how virtual fieldtrip is helpful tool for teachers to use to teach their students about science.
Rationale:
I chose this assignment, for Standard #7 Planning for Instruction, for teachers need to
plan. Teachers need to plan ahead, if they decide to have their students go on a fieldtrip. Teachers
need to plan for transportation, permission forms for their students to give to their parents, etc.

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Introduction

Teachers use all kinds of technique, to teach their students. They would teach their
students by using: lecture, testing, using visual aids, and fieldtrips. Fieldtrips are great activities
for students, especially, for kids in grades K-6. However, fieldtrips are, sometimes, can be
difficult to schedule. Instead of a regular fieldtrip; teachers are starting to use a virtual fieldtrip.
Information Gathered from the Questions
Virtual fieldtrip, also known as virtual tour, is a stimulation of an existing location, or in
other words, it is a recorded video of a location with a voice-over narrator, who will tell
information about what you are looking at. The way of defining what a virtual fieldtrip is; it
seems to be like watching Discovery Channel on TV.
There are different websites, you can go on for virtual fieldtrips. Some websites like
http://www.youvisit.com/ and

http://www.educationworld.com/ are good for educational

subjects, especially, science.

There are many, many places where a teacher can take his or her students to a physical
tour. The places, where teachers would take their students on a fieldtrip. A first-grade teacher can
take his or her students to the zoo, and learn how animals from different parts of the world; eat,
live, and how big does an elephant grow. Some zoos, actually, let kids feed or pet the animals.
For example, a zookeeper would give each child a fish and the children would feed the penguins,

as they learn about penguins and the fact they are from; the southern part of South America or
Antarctica.
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Museums and historical sites are other places, teachers can take their students on a tour
and have an educational experience. There are many types of museums, other than historical
museums, there are science and children museums. In the Children Museum, located in
Indianapolis, Indiana, has a large science department. It has an area where the students can:
explore cells and DNA, insects, the science of music, sound, magnetism, and light. There is, also,
universities offer a science fairs, during the fall or spring. For example, Purdue University, every
year, has a science fair during the spring. They have different displays of insects. They give free
chocolate grasshoppers, (it is a real grasshopper.) They have little games for kids to play. This is
not all, there is farmers fairs, where the kids can learn how to milk a cow. There is so many
things out there; it seems to be virtual fieldtrip is almost not necessary.
The virtual fieldtrip is for all grade levels. However, I think the way, the textbook,
Multicultural Teaching, as well for some of the websites I had seen, pinpoints more for kids in
elementary school, K-7. I think kids in elementary schools, will be able to pay attention more in
an virtual fieldtrip setting than a regular fieldtrip setting, because they have only one thing to
attract their attention, which is the virtual tour. As in the regular field trip, there are many
distractions like, there could be balloons, salesman advertising their products, rides, games, etc.
Kids, at this age, have a short attention span.

Another thing is, teachers do not have to worry about permission slips and reminding
their students to give the permission slips to their parents/guardians and have them sign them.
They

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need to worry about setting a transportation services, asking volunteers for chauffeuring the kids,
for it is harder to maintain thirty kids in a bigger area, like a zoo, than in a classroom. In todays
society, it will be hard to ask parents/guardians, to volunteer, for many parents/guardians work
full-time.
The Virtual fieldtrip will make you feel like you are at a place, where in reality, you not.
Places such as space, the ocean, the Amazon, etc. You will listen to tour guide as you tour the
Amazon, or the ocean.

Summary

The virtual fieldtrip, also known as virtual tour, is a new technology will replace the old
tradition of field trips. It is a better way for kids to learn. The virtual fieldtrip will show places in
the world, the kids will not be able to go physically, for it is too far, such as the Amazon, the
ocean, or space.

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Virtual Fieldtrip Notes

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Virtual Tour is a video of real world tour.

http://www.youvisit.com/
Museums
Young kids like between K-7
Different tours like the ocean, the Amazon, space, etc.
Teachers do not have to worry about telling the students, You need to give this
permission slip to your parents/guardians, for them, to sign. Teachers do not need to
worry about arranging bus service, so they can have transportation to their location, and
asking volunteers for chauffeuring the kids, while they are on the fieldtrip.

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Reference Page

http://www.educationworld.com/
http://www.youvisit.com/