V-Trip Travel Guide

Classroom Strategies for Virtual Field Trips

What Is a Virtual Field Trip?

• A V-Trip is a visit to a specific Web destination to accomplish educational objectives.

• A V-Trip gives students access to places they might otherwise never get to visit.

Where Can You Go on V-Trips?

• A rainforest or desert

• The Whitehouse

• NASA

• Museums

• Zoos

• National monuments

• Other countries

Why Take a V-Trip?

Providing access to various forms of technology at the right time can significantly improve the rate and amount of learning that a student accomplishes on a given topic.

Why Take a V-Trip (Students)

• Gain understanding through “first-hand” experience

• Solve real-world problems• Gain access to places or people• Get a private tour of an area without all the

confusion and chaos of a real field trip

V-Trip Preparation

• Purpose– Gain information, experience, understanding

• Web site addresses and considerations– Plug-ins?

• Preparations, materials or people needed

• Extra equipment needed

V-Trip Hints

Test your site prior to the lesson!!

V-Trip Hints

• Introduce the geography of the area and find it on a map.

• Use parent volunteers.

• Use a projector if not enough computers.

• Use the computer lab.

• Add imagination to your V-Trip.

Virtual Field Trips

Time to take one yourself…

Follow the directions on the Virtual Field Trip to Ancient Lands form.

Record your answers on the form, please.

Scavenger Hunts

• Two types– Published – Original

• Two types of searching– Review of one or more pre-selected sites– Hunt using search tools such as Google or

Vivisimo

Time to take one yourself….

• Use one of the three examples in your packet

• Go to the URL and follow the directions