Virtual field trips come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are just audio with pictures or a “follow along” video, and others may need a virtual reality headset. These new technologies have opened many doors for our students that they wouldn’t have had without these new technological developments. You can take your students on all kinds of virtual trips to places they may never be able to visit in real life. I truly believe this is a resource available to many schools that is being underutilized.
In this post, I will talk about 5 reasons you should use virtual field trips in your own classroom or homeschool. I have also linked some of my favorite virtual field trip options and ideas below!
5 reasons to use virtual field trips
1. Engaging
When I first started using virtual field trips in my classroom, I was just experimenting with it. So, late in the school year I had my students research to find a virtual field trip that they thought was interesting. I was quite overwhelmed with the response from my students. My students were sending me multiple trips that they enjoyed. They were so engaged and happy to share their new experiences and knowledge with me. I even found myself getting drawn into the various options from Wonders of the World to National Parks in the United States.
The first reason to use virtual field trips is that they can be very engaging for your students. After I introduced virtual field trips for the first time, I had students coming in the following days telling me that they had done more of them at home. My students and myself found virtual field trips engaging and so might your class.
2. Easy to Incorporate
Another awesome quality of virtual field trips is that they are relatively easy to incorporate. If you have equipment like a laptop, headphones, and internet access your students are literally minutes away from a virtual tour. There are some that require special equipment, but just find out what technology your school has access to and then find the virtual tours that work with the technology that you have. When your students have the technology in front of them, the rest is easy. The student are just a few clicks away from their assigned virtual field trip. Many of the trips are already made and recorded, you just have to supply the technology. With everything already made, all the teacher has to do is facilitate and help with any technology issues.
3. Educational
Virtual field trips are educational and many were designed with schools in mind. Many have been tested by thousands of students over the years. If you search hard enough, you can even find trips that tie perfectly to multiple standards. The trips are educational in nature and give students opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise. Sometimes I select a standard and intentionally try to find a virtual field trip that works for it. I had one standard where students needed to recognize producers, consumers, and decomposers, so I started a search for a virtual trip that would work for it. I found a forest virtual tour that was like a hike. In each section of the forest, it would give students an opportunity to click the various organisms in the shot. My assignment was that students had to recognize each organism in the tour as a producer, consumer, or decomposer. Also, I have found that social studies and historical events have a lot of virtual trips associated with them. Virtual tours and trips are naturally educational and can be easily connected to multiple standards.
4. Enriching
Many times it is so challenging to keep all of our students engaged. Virtual field trips can be a way to not only engage students, but enrich them as well. Virtual field trips allow teachers to enrich students in areas they are studying. There are multiple trips that would just serve the purpose of general enrichment. If your early finishers finish early, as they always do, have a meaningful and enriching field trip that they can do as they wait. If students finish their assignment early on the Alamo, have them tour it virtually. The virtual trips and tours have really exploded in recent years. Enrich your students with experiences that you never had, and give them the opportunity to be enriched in areas you are studying in class.
5. End of the Year
Seems like many times students check out after the end of the year testing is done. That is why we recommend doing some things before and after testing to help your year come to a smooth close. Please check out our post on testing to help you with testing and bringing the school year to a close (here).
Virtual field trips can be a great educational tool that can be used in the weeks after testing. The trips and tours can be used to engage students and enrich them on material already taught throughout the year. It makes for great review and reinforcement. You can select topics and places previously taught, or decide to teach your students about something totally new and different. Nothing quite beats the real thing, but many of these tours and trips are great for the end of the year. Sometimes, I will frame the virtual field trips as a summer vacation trip before school ends. What an easy, educational, engaging, and enriching way to bring the school year to an end. Virtual field trips are great for the end of the year.
Virtual Field Trip Ideas
YouTube
One virtual field trip option is YouTube. It may seem too simple to make the list, but it has an abundance of virtual trips that students only need a laptop, headphones, and internet access. Simple and easy is always welcome in my classroom.
YouTube has such a variety of different virtual field trips that are just a search away. I have had students go on trips to the rainforest, Paris, an African safari, and much more. I love YouTube because it is simple and easy to incorporate if your students have access to YouTube. The resources on YouTube vary in quality, but are typically educational and engaging. Simply search “virtual field trips” on YouTube and you will find many options. I will link some of my favorites below!
NASA – click here
Washington D.C. – click here
Dinosaur Exhibit – click here
Australia – click here
If you have younger children, check out Blippi! My favorites are: Aquarium Visit – click here and Zoo Visit – click here!
Wonders of the world
Resources in the field of virtual trips is always updating, so it is hard to always be 100% up to date. So, what I like to do is show you resources we use and you can see how virtual resources can enrich your instruction. My wife did a writing and research project on the Wonders of the World. I thought it was awesome and her students loved it and were so engaged. When she assigned all her students their wonder, she had a virtual enrichment for students that finished early. One of the virtual enrichments was http://www.panoramas.dk/7-wonders/. At this site, students have the opportunity to look at panoramic photos of the Wonders of the World. This gave the students a whole new perspective and enriched them with a greater appreciation of the wonders. Linked below are a few more resources for the Wonders of the World. These virtual options help students gain a better appreciation and understanding of the world around them.
National Parks
When I was growing up, I always enjoyed learning while vacation. Unfortunately, many of our students don’t always have the opportunity to travel and explore various areas. The national parks across the United States are great locations for educational vacations. We can’t buy a ticket for all our students to visit all of the National Parks, but we can give them an opportunity to explore them in the classroom. One project that my wife did in her classroom was a State Research Project. During the project, students would research one state. When the students discovered the National Park in their state the option of exploring the National Park was available. These little enrichments and opportunities make all the difference in student engagement and interest in their projects.
Check out the State Research Project for Upper Elementary here.
This resource is a fun and engaging virtual trip to some National Parks – click here
General Search
Never forget that one of the easiest and simplest ways to find new virtual resources is just a basic search on Google. Sometimes, I have just searched to find whatever we were studying and the virtual resources are overwhelming. One virtual field trip that I do every year with my students is Washington D.C. These virtual tours I found just by searching Washington D.C. virtual tours just a few weeks before the trip. We are fortunate enough to visit in person, but only for a couple days. We can’t possibly see everything, so I fill the gaps with virtual field trips. Here is the website I use https://scholasticatravel.com/2014/02/24/washington-dc-virtual-tour/. It is such a great experience for the students. Virtual field trips are really a fantastic opportunity for students. I remember searching for other trips and have found great resources ranging from the Alamo to just a tour of a forest.
Skype Field Trips
I have not been involved with Skype field trips personally, but I have heard a lot about them. In my opinion, Skype field trips are in many ways closer to reality than the virtual reality field trips. Many schools are having these skype field trips led or initiated by a technology integration specialist or someone technology savvy at your school. The trips many times include a short tour and a question and answer session with an expert in the field. At least the ones that I’m familiar with have been formatted that way. For example, a tour of a marine biologist work space and a Q&A segment with the marine biologist. The Skype field trips might be something you might investigate for your students next trip. Check out Skype in the Classroom here!
Virtual Field Trip Books
Another option is to buy virtual field trip books. You can buy a book for your students to read, but the book has a special code to type in for a virtual tour of the place the book is about. For example, I found a virtual field trip book on the One World Trade Center. When you enter the code, you can take a virtual trip to this building. All books in this series offers some kind of online content to bring the book to life! I’ll link some of my favorites below!
Hopefully this list has helped you find some virtual field trips for your students!
Thank you for Continually Learning with us!
Kyle and Sarah
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