Wouldn’t it be great if you could step into a transporter and beam yourself across the country or around the world to take advantage of all the wonderful field trip opportunities? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if bad weather, lack of transportation, or a strict budget couldn’t hold you back from visiting that exciting art gallery or checking out a don’t-miss museum exhibit?
The good news is the lack of your very own transport room, low funds, or even the sniffles doesn’t have to interfere with field trips. You can get out and see the sights–virtually.
What Is a Virtual Field Trip?
A virtual field trip is an Internet collection of photos, slides, videos, or live webcam feeds that explores a particular subject or attraction. It uses technology to create a field trip experience you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home–often for free. This is a great way to make online learning work for your homeschool.
What You Should Know
You don’t need a lot of preparation to go on a virtual field trip. In fact, you really only need a reliable Internet connection and a quiet place to take in the sights and sounds without too many distractions. However, your child may get more out of the experience if you discuss the field trip and what he will see and learn in advance and then recap afterwards, giving him the opportunity to process his thoughts and ask questions.
Ready? Let’s Go
You can make your own virtual field trips using images or videos you either own or have a legal right to use. If you choose to do this, upload your images or videos to a webpage or create a power point presentation out of them. However, why put in all of that work when there are so many virtual field trips already set up and ready for you? Just search the Web using the term virtual field trips and you will find a wealth of options. Here are some to explore right now:
- 20 Wonderful Online Museums and Sites for Virtual Field Trips to Use in Class
- Ten of the Best Virtual Field Trips
- Get Outta Class With Virtual Field Trips
- Virtual Field Trip: Collections
- 360Cities.net
Go on now. Get out there and see the world via your computer. Then come back here and tell us about the amazing trip you took. Share the details in the comments!
