Saturday, April 17, 2010

Journal #7: The Beginner's Guide to Interactive Virtual Field Trips: NETS-5

Zanetis, J. . (2010). The Beginner's guide to interactive virtual field trips. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(6), Retrieved April 5, 2010 from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=March_April_No_6_1&Template=/
MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4516&ContentID=25443&DirectListComboInd=D

Summary/Reflection:

The article, The Beginner’s Guide to Interactive Virtual Field Trips, introduces the concept of virtual field trips (VFTs). The article explains that there are two types of VFTs. The first type of VFTs are asynchronous and the second type are interactive synchronous. Asynchronous VTFs are websites that include text, audio, or video. Asynchronous VTFs are not in real time. The quality and substance of asynchronous VTFs varies. The article provides a list of websites that have reputable asynchronous VTFs. Interactive VTFs are synchronous experiences that are in real time. The technology required to participate in interactive VTFs is h.323 videoconferencing. During interactive VTFs an expert presents information to students. The presentations can be interactive. Students are able to interact with the expert. Some examples that experts may present include; a museum display, a demonstration of an experiment, or a tour of the location they are at. The article explains that educators and schools should not be discouraged by the technology required or the cost of the technology for interactive VTFs because grant money is often available. The article also states that many schools realize the benefits of interactive VTFs and that when compared to the cost of real field trips that the fees for the technology do not seem so bad. The author of the article writes that VTFs are of great value to students who have the opportunity to participate in them.

I found this article to be interesting. I am curious to learn more about VTFs after reading this article. I can certainly see the benefits of real-time tours of museums, demonstrations of science experiments, and a presentation of an exhibit. I think these interactive VTFs can be especially great if they are significantly far from where the students live. If I were a student in California and were able to participate in an interactive VTF of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York I would be very excited! I doubt many students in California have the opportunity to go to New York and experience the art there. I would feel disappointed, though, if I were a student living in San Diego and took a VFT of the San Diego Zoo. I think this virtual field trip would be less meaningful because the Zoo is in San Diego. I think students should be exposed to field trips that are local but I can see how wonderful the opportunity would be to have a VFT that took place in Alaska, or New York City, or in a foreign country. It would probably be exciting to have VFTs that took place at obscure locations that are not usually accessed by schools such as a NASA location, a movie set, or a congressional office. I think these learning opportunities would be significant for students of all ages.

Question 1: What are the advantages of VTFs?

I think there are many advantages to using VTFs in the classroom. I think a major advantage is the students are exposed to opportunities that they otherwise would not have. Students can interact on a more personal level with museum curators or real-life chemists, biologists, etc. I think these opportunities could provide students with exposure to careers that they may have never considered before. I think this could be really beneficial to students. Another advantage of VTFs are that there is no driving time to eat up the day. As a kid, I remember going on field trips and we would spend what seemed like hours on the bus. We would arrive for our field trip and have to rush through the day and then get back on the bus. As an adult, I’ve had the opportunity to chaperone field trips with my cousin’s middle school and it still feels that a great deal of the day is spent on the bus. I think interactive VTFs can cut down on wasted downtime and provide for meaningful time spent in class learning something new and exciting.

Question 2: What are the disadvantages of VTFs?

The most obvious disadvantage of VTFs is the lack of the whole “field trip experience.” I can sympathize with students, teachers, and parents who feel that the meaning of field trip is lost. There is something very exciting about boarding a school bus and being whisked away to a field trip location. Students are exposed to the real-world. There are ample opportunities for learning on a field trip. Students obviously learn about whatever it is on the field trip they have come to see but they also learn patience and proper behavior for the real-world. Another disadvantage is the lack of exposure for students to new places. Many students, in San Diego, do not have the opportunity to visit the Zoo or Legoland or Sea World but on a field trip they are exposed to these wonderful places. I think the experience of seeing these places in person is a great opportunity for students. I believe if they saw them through videoconferencing technology a lot of the meaning and excitement would be lost. 

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