Virtual Class Field Trip
At the beginning of the month, our daughters went back to school. Granted, it is all virtual but they are starting to adjust, and thankfully so are we. Every year they go on amazing field trips which will probably not happen this year. There are 17 Smithsonian Museums in our nation's capital and other museums as well. Even if one were to take a trip to the capital they would probably not have the opportunity to see everything. Luckily, there are some virtual opportunities that will further educate our children on the birth and growth of our nation as well as the world.
During research for this week's post, I stumbled upon what I think is an amazing find. It not only has links to virtual museums but also to assignments that can be completed as part of the virtual learning experience. It is called Virtual Itinerary, Class Trip Edition. The awesome thing about the virtual itinerary is that it incorporates virtual museums, YouTube, videos from curators, a tour of Arlington, and many other memorials, and landmarks. The National Zoo is linked as well and has live footage of animals in the park. They have incorporated a healthy usage of educational technology. I encourage you to take a look. Even if you don't have children I think you will enjoy all that it has to offer.
As always, thank you for stopping by. Please join me again soon as we delve further into virtual museums and their use in the classroom whether it be in the home or a brick-and-mortar school.
-Mandy
Mandy
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great links you provided on this topic. I was stationed at Fort Detrick in Maryland and went to the Smithsonion, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Gettysburg National Park. Guess what I never had enough time to see everything. I saw three of the Smithsonion museums, and only about a quarter of the battlefied at Gettysburg so as soon as I have a break from school work I am going to use the link you provided and go to some musuems (virtually of course). Great post!
Tammy
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome resource and opportunity. I think that in many ways this could be more advantageous than actually visiting the museums in person, from an educational perspective. As you mentioned, it can be tough to see all of one museum during a trip let alone more than one. This gives the opportunity for deeper exploration and investigation of historic artifacts and artworks while providing supplemental information on the pieces themselves. While nothing will replace walking in to the New York Museum of Natural History and seeing the T-rex staring down at you, I think this has its advantages too. Thanks for your words Mandy.
-Donny
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the awesome information. I have visited DC many times in the past. As I mentioned before, loved going to the museums (especially since they were free). There is so much information in those walls of the museums, too bad the Indiana Jones adventures are fiction, I think if the idea of an archeologist or curator of a museum were based off of the Indiana Jones series, more people would enjoy the museum. So for now we just have the Night at the Museum movies. Thanks for the information.
v/r
Andy E.
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteSo I am not going to lie I just spent the better part of an hour watching live camera feeds of several animals in the National Zoo... I am pretty sure I witnessed the Naked Mole Rats being "inappropriate"! I switched away from the camera quick!! This is an awesome post, after my son is done with his reading test we are going on a "field trip"! Thanks for the idea and for the post, keep up the good ideas!
Andy D.
Andy, the National Zoo is one of my favorites as well! I could watch a documentary about animals any day. The awesome thing about the live camera feeds is that it is actually happening in real time. It is an awesome use of technology.
Delete-Mandy
We have spent 30 minutes (at least) every day since I read your post watching the animals! we all love it. Every morning my son asks me to watch the animals!
DeleteMandy,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog this week. I am happy to hear that your family is starting to find a sense of "normal" with the current educational challenges of the pandemic. I was very interested to hear Virtual Itinerary Class Trip Edition, as I have never had the opportunity to visit Washington D.C. myself. This was a great way for me to move through the links and interact with lots of things that I have always wanted to see. Although this is not quite the real thing, it is definitely a cool piece of technology to substitute for being on the site. Thanks again for the great insight on such a cool experience.
Kevin
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a great find for families that have such a hectic schedule that do not allow them the amount of time necessary to see everything they would like in our nation's capital. Although it cannot beat the experience of being there in person, this allow us to teach our children and at least establish a base. When time allows and we are able to return safely and see things in person, there can be a great discussion on the differences between what is seen online and what is experienced in person. Virtual museums like this are such an advantage, because you are able to experience multiple exhibits that may not be available at your local museum.
Walt
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I especially appreciate the links and information you provided about some of the virtual class trips students can take. I am first to admit, the longer virtual schooling continues the more difficult it is to find creative ways to keep children engaged in their learning. I think you have found one amazing option for parents to consider. This will come in handy for my wife and I this week as we look to find creative ways to entertain the kids during the week that would be there "fall break" Again, I appreciate you sharing this find. I will visit this blog again next week to share our experience as a family using this resource. Have a great week.
Anthony
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteGreat post and apricate the links. I can see myself taking these virtual tours, just to see something I can't visit. Tours like this will be game changers not just for kids who can't get out because of COVID, but for small town schools that are to far from any museum. We will get through this pandemic but the things being made during it I think will benefit kids for years to come. Here is an article that has put together all the free tours you can take right now. Hope you find one you like or can use for your class.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/free-virtual-tours/