This morning I arrived at work at 6:55am as usual and went to the main office to check my mailbox. Inside my mailbox was a postcard from NYSERDA that was offering a "Free Virtual Field Trip!" . I was immediately drawn to the post card due to our economic times and the challenges we as educators face in the current 21st century budget battle. The idea of a field trip in such a troubling time is one of the areas that schools may have to cut back in.
But, if there is a will, there is a way! And another way to have a "field trip" can be by going virtual.
NYSERDA stands for New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. NYSERDA offers a large array of information in regards to sustainable living in the 21st century and has become an active organization offering workshops to help science educators teach students how to "act green". I attended a Sustainable Living workshop in January. Though I don't feel the workshop was as beneficial as I had hoped, it did offer resources, guides, and some physical tools which are always cool to receive from a free workshop.
The post card I received pertained to a virtual field trip called "Clean Energy Across New York". The way the virtual field trip works is NYSERDA mails a DVD to you completely free of charge that you can use in your classroom. The DVD is 38 minutes log and takes students on a trip of some of the most energy efficient and research driven areas of New York. I am extremely excited to pre-screen this movie to see if it will offer that "field trip" experience.
I currently have not done any virtual field trip activities in the classroom, but I am curious to see if anyone else has. Also, I am curious of your educational opinions if a virtual field trip is comparable to a real field trip.
In my opinion, a virtual field trip could never replace all the excitement that goes into a real trip. From the loud, boisterous bus ride, to the new surroundings and the idea of "I never knew this place existed!" that all have an important place in a real field trip. However,with our current education situation, I think it's important teachers realize there are programs out there that offer virtual field trips so students can still experience content and make connections to places outside of the school building.
In a way to transfer this free virtual field trip to you, here are the directions:
Log on to: Get Energy Smart
Click on Energy Education in the left hand column
Fill out the information and wait for your DVD to arrive!
I think that virtual trips can help in this time where we, as educators, are faced with budget cuts across the board. One positive thing about virtual trips, I think, is that it can be very beneficial to students that may have difficulities being in the noisy bus, with the crowds, in short the simulation of doing the trip in real life. I think virtual trips can help students prepare for the experience of what to expect before they go. For example, kids would get to see the museum of natural history in New York City before actually going. I think that virtual trips would also help teachers to plan a trip. Perhaps a teacher wants a visual to plan what the group is going to explore during the trip. Parents can also take a look at what their child is going to see, if they cannot attend. I haven't done a virtual tour in a classroom, but I think it has many benefits for students.
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