Virtual Field Trips

With the current state of our economy, many schools have been given a low budget for the rising gas expenses which prevents traditional physical field trips from taking place. High gas prices have also resulted in many families struggling to put food on the table, afford school supplies, or even fill up their own gas tanks to make it to work. As a result, the high costs of field trips per each student becomes a burden for those particular parents to work into their budgets. Given those dilemmas, many schools have had to resort to other ways of giving students the opportunity to experience places that enrich their education. Virtual field trips are a relatively new and inexpensive way for students to visit places that would otherwise be out of the question.
This day in age, the majority of children grow up with a computer in front of them. Many young elementary aged children know more about computers than some of the adult and elderly population. Given this advantage, virtual field trips are a unique way to connect students to educational experiences which help to further their knowledge of a particular topic. The methods used to conduct virtual field trips vary from state to state and some are more advanced than others. For instance, students in California connect to their virtual field trips via a live, two way video conference which enables them to ask questions and get involved. Other schools who have just recently begun introducing the idea of virtual field trips use general websites that allow teachers to chose video topics that correspond with the curriculum. Due to the rising demand in virtual field trips, some companies have risen to the occasion by developing websites devoted to these virtual field trips. The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration is one example of an organization which provides virtual field trips that satisfy national standards and skills set by the board of education. Another popular program devoted to virtual field trips is Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students, otherwise known as PORTS. PORTS is exclusively available in California and strives to help students be able to visit many of the national parks in California, for free, that they would not otherwise have access to.
My initial reaction to virtual field trips was that they take away the hands on aspect of learning. With budget cuts happening all over the country many students are already experiencing a lack of hands on activities due to high numbers of students per classroom. I was immediately concerned that students might not retain as much information as they would if they were at the actual destination. Another concern I had was that unless the virtual field trips were a live, two way feed, such as they are in California classrooms, that they would be very similar to educational films that have been used for decades, such as Bill Nye. It is no secret that watching something, whether it be on a television or a computer, does not have the same lasting effect as witnessing it in person. However, after reading this article the advantages of virtual field trips became apparent. For one, students can visit places that they would otherwise not be able to, such as volcanoes and expensive state parks. Also, physical field trips are often times cut short due to problem students and/or time restrictions. By taking virtual field trips, students are able to see more of the attractions and do not have to worry about one student ruining the trip for the rest of them.
Before I am completely convinced that virtual field trips should be the way of the future, I would like to see further research done to make sure that students really do take away as much knowledge and understanding as they would during a physical field trip. In page one of this article it was mentioned that "students took a physical field trip to a zoo, but filmed video and streamed it back to students who weren't able to go, so they still had the chance to see the animals up close". My concern here is that the students that had the opportunity to visit the zoo retained more information than the students that simply sat in their seats and watched it on a computer or projector. This article also states that schools in England use similar technology for similar purposes. I would like to know how successful those schools overseas have been using these methods.
Virtual field trips are still a relatively new way of educating students. As with any newly proposed way of learning, questions and concerns are likely to arise. I believe that more evidence needs to be shown that students who experience physical field trips and those who experience virtual field trips both benefit the same. Either way, if school budgets completely eliminate the opportunity for physical field trips, than virtual field trips are a great and creative new option for students and teachers to experience places together.

Article Link: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=54518&page=1