Internet: Taking Learning Beyond the Classroom Walls Milpitas Christian School January 3, 2005 Gail Lovely –

Overview of Session This workshop gives participants hands- on guidance in locating Web sites for virtual tours that enhance existing classroom lessons. Participants will develop activities that take their students on journeys to other lands…and beyond.

Objectives: Explore a variety of Internet resources that support the classroom curriculum. Understand how to use Web site evaluation skills/rubrics. Gain an understanding of the variety of online activities and projects. Design a lesson using virtual tours on the Internet.

Two Truths and a Dream

Wishes, Hopes, Fears Every Workshop brings with it wishes, hopes and fears (or concerns)… What are ours?

Agenda Introductions and Overview Discussion of Strategies and Success Stories Examples of Virtual Field Trips Tools  Filamentality  TrackStar  Word  Rubistar Work Time Evaluation and Sharing

Strategies and Successes

Virtual Field Trips A definition: A “trip” using the Internet which utilizes real-world resources or other “rich” resources to create experiences which are similar in depth/impact to “real” field trips.

NOT a replacement for the “Real Thing! Field trips of our past Successful? Issues? Problems? Lessons Learned?

Strengths Use of Primary Sources Letters, first hand accounts, pottery shards, diaries, THE places Primary sources encourage students to make inferences, hypothesize, and make comparisons. No one else is deciding what is important Virtual primary sources can provide these as well

Strengths Can create a more student-directed approach to learning Provide multiple points of view or entry points to information and knowledge

Types of Virtual Field Trips Fact Finding Missions Awareness Explorations Exposure to Primary Resources Multimedia Approach to Content Preparation for Actual Field Trips Follow-up to Actual Field Trips Way to Show What One Knows

Fact Finding Missions Students visit a variety of online resources to learn about a topic or concept. Can be more like a scavenger hunt with guiding questions – but be careful not to create an online worksheet. One example: baltrek/index.htm baltrek/index.htm

Awareness Explorations Students explore a land, culture, biome, career, to gain basic understanding or as an introduction to a topic. This approach can lead to application of knowledge or information later, or as a follow-up to a unit of study. Example: (A compelling story) 4.html 4.html l l

Exposure to Primary Resources A focused, first-hand experience MAY be the best, but seeing things or hearing things you can’t hear or see or visit may be almost as good. Look, listen, explore the artifact, article, interview and come to your own conclusions, form your own questions for further exploration or validate your prior learning. An Example: ntrailVFT.html ntrailVFT.html

Multimedia Approach to Content Listening to the music of a time period, looking at the art of a nation or culture, exploring ideas, concepts and time periods through audio, video, art, and more to enliven and enrich the experience. Examples: _of_china/index.html _of_china/index.html tanic/Titanic/titanic.html tanic/Titanic/titanic.html

Preparation for Actual Field Trips You can use or create a virtual field trip to help focus your students during a “REAL” field trip. Remove some distractions or provide some incentives for the physical trip. Provide a taste of what to expect and what they may want to explore more. Provide tools to prompt thought while on the trip. An Example: cations/ghost/index.html cations/ghost/index.html

Follow-up to Actual Field Trips Compare a “REAL” trip with a virtual trip to the same (or a different) place – Provides insight into how similar or different things may be (Are all farms alike?) Provides insight into how point-of-view may color presentation of “facts” online An Example: eo.html eo.html

Way to Show What One Knows Students can create their own virtual field trip for others. Students can explore on line and then compare and contrast their experiences. An Example: ewTrack.do?number= ewTrack.do?number=242449

Challenges While virtual field trips made with the Internet have some great advantages, they also create several challenges. Getting more comfortable with a learning process which is more controlled by the student and less directed by the teacher. Having enough computers for all the students to take their virtual field trips. Planning, planning, planning!

Virtual Field Trips – Planning Steps Curriculum needs to drive the trip What does it help you teach or your students learn? (Internet skills is not enough) (Being interesting or fun or cool is not enough) You can often repurpose a trip to work FOR YOU Reading in Content Areas or for Details Enrichment Culture to go with a story to be read Teacher is still central in the planning!

Virtual Field Trips – Planning Steps Think through your lesson planning steps – like normal! Introduce Purpose Input Guided Practice Independent Practice Assessment and Evaluation

Virtual Field Trips – Planning Steps Extend the learning during… Paper Guidebooks Passports Travel Buddies Peers Experienced travellers Adult helpers Sketchbooks Question sheets, scavenger hunts or other guided experiences

Virtual Field Trips – Planning Steps And extend the learning after… Create a Multimedia product Multimedia show, report or newscast Make a video review Create a Print product poster, travel brochure, report, newspaper article, Travel journal, diary, sketchbook Create a “Performance” Share a story or favorite “place” Act out a tour or visit Tell about it

Virtual Field Trips – Make them POWERFUL! Connections, connections, connections… Guidance (but not spoonfed) Planning Have a sense of adventure!

Let’s See What WE can do!

Everything is Online