Week 4: 2/14/22

 Exploring Virtual Field Trips

Professional Learning Board

Through exploring the Google Arts and Culture website, I created a virtual field trip for students and a lesson plan meeting a Social Studies standard from second grade… Below is that plan. 

 

Second Grade Standard: SS2H1 Describe the lives and contributions of historical figures in Georgia history. c. Jackie Robinson (sportsmanship and civil rights) d. Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights)

Objective: I can explain the life events and contributions of important civil rights leaders in Georgia.

Description: Under "Historic Figures" Martin Luther King Jr. is the main focus. They will be taken through his exhibit and the struggle to march. The exhibit explains details of early life and his education. There is a lot of information, photos, and details on his efforts to support and lead the Civil Rights movement.

They can log information in a chart made on google docs and include the name of the slide/exhibit title, and on the comment side, they can jot down either something new they learned, new insight, and new perspectives.

Assessment: After using this technology students will create their own art display. Either through 3D figures, Painting a picture, making a clay sculpture, or using other creative methods to recreate one of his photos including a brief caption of what information they gained.

Professional Learning Board

The Professional Learning Board website outlines the steps involved in planning a virtual field trip. 

Step One: Conduct Research

• PLB explains that in order to do a virtual field trip, research must be done. Teachers should attend the virtual field trip in its entirety beforehand to make sure it meets the standard that is wanted and to make sure it is appropriate for students.

Step Two: Lesson Plan

• The Learning Board states that each field trip should be standard specific and relevant to the class content. Teachers should consider whether this virtual field trip adds to the lesson content and if it will be engaging for students,

Step Three: Design Assessments

• Teachers should introduce the content before the field trip, observe students during the field trip, and conduct a post field trip assessment… similarly to what would be done in a traditional off-campus field trip.

Step Four: Secure Permission

• Though the students are not leaving the classroom, teachers must gain approval from administrators and parents before doing this field trip. This is a necessary step because it informs parents of things they are being exposed to outside of the classroom.

My Lesson Plan compares to the Professional Learning Board steps very similarly. When planning this hypothetical virtual field trip I obviously did not have to complete step four. Though I did not find the Google Arts and Culture website on my own, I did explore the resources it had thoroughly to make sure it met the goal I set and was able to determine that it was an appropriate tool. I was able to do step two and design the lesson plan with a specific standard and objective that benefits the students. Lastly, I did create an assessment that also allows students the opportunity to share what they learned while also choosing an avenue that is most interesting to them.

Why do a Virtual Field Trip?

The pandemic has impacted education in seemingly endless facets; one of these being the loss of traditional field trips. Virtual field trips in the wake of Covid-19 is such a creative tool to connect students to environments outside of the classroom. So many students gain knowledge and appreciation on field trips throughout their childhood. With schools being unable to facilitate these experiences for close to two years, students are missing out yet again. By using technology to go on virtual field trips, such as the Georgia Aquarium video from 2020, endless possibilities are available at the tips of educators' fingers. They can allow students to access and experience things they never had the opportunity to before or, by having international virtual field trips, give them experiences they may never have.