Journal 1 YC NETS-T IV & V Beginners Guide to Interactive Virtual Field Trips

I read and reflected on this article from the ITSE (International Society for Technology in Education) website and also used Citation Machine to cite the journal in APA format.

Zanetis, J. (2010). Beginners guide to interactive virtual field trips. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(6), Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20100304#pg1

This article addressed the wonderful world of virtual field trips! It is basically enlightening educators about the possibilities of creating opportunities for their students to learn electronically. These VFT's or virtual field trips, are becoming more and more popular as it seems to be a more practical way of learning outside the classroom. It is slowly taking the place of local field trips.

VFT's fall into two categories; Asynchronous and Synchronous.
Asynchronous VFT's are not conducted in real time. They are websites that offer information on specific topics. Some websites to explore would be:
www.efieldtrips.org
www.accessexcellence.org and
www.gaillovely.com.

Synchronous VFT's are completely interactive and conducted in realtime. Students learn from educators in other locations like museums, historic castles or organizations.

Some may argue that these VFT's are more costly because of the h322 equipment needed. However, studies show that 30% of U.S. schools already have this type of equipment on hand.

VFT's offer students another form of learning by interacting through virtual technology and most seem to find the experience engaging!

QUESTIONS: What are some of the virtual field trips that a student can experience?
Students can experience things like a live science experiment, a live tour of a historical location, a detailed explanation of a display and even attending a folk festival.

How does the h322 videoconferencing equipment differ from the regular videoconferencing equipment?
The h322 differs from regular videoconferencing because it requires a specific device called a codec. Studies show that schools could actually be saving money by doing VFT's as opposed to the cost of regular local field trips.