This week, I was in a class lead by Kelly Rexine, and I was reminded about the power of virtual field trips. In the past, I've had great experiences with National Parks virtual trips. All National Parks (to my knowledge) will Skype with your class. You just contact them on the NPS website to set up a time.
I've had great experiences with Yosemite in the past (our 4th graders read a story about Yosemite). The rangers are able to show my Midwestern students what a mountain looks like, giant pine cones, and trees taller than anything they have seen. Once, the ranger was talking to the kids outside and a herd of deer passed right by the camera!
I've had great experiences with Yosemite in the past (our 4th graders read a story about Yosemite). The rangers are able to show my Midwestern students what a mountain looks like, giant pine cones, and trees taller than anything they have seen. Once, the ranger was talking to the kids outside and a herd of deer passed right by the camera!
I learned about Google lead field trips via Connected Classrooms and how to utilize street view to virtually take students outside the four wall of their classrooms. After the class, I was motivated to search for other great virtual field trips and live webcams that I could use with students this year. I create this Symbaloo webmix to get me started. I was impressed by the number of continents, countries, and famous landmarks we could visit.
How do you use virtual trips in your classroom/library? What are your favorite places to visit? Please leave your ideas in the comments below!