VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS Robert Fedosoff 1412557 EDSE 417 University of Alberta

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS

The need for teachers to keep up with the demands of the current classroom environment become more and more apparent with each year that passes. The historical model of the classroom is becoming less embedded and the development of new teaching methods is a requirement of teachers across all disciplines. The continuous advancement of technology can make instructing students a daunting task but can also, and has proven to do so, make this environment a rich a fulfilling experience for both the students and instructor. As stated in Diversifying Higher Education: Facilitating different Ways of Learning, The students seemed to learn better and enjoy the teaching more when alternative methods were exploited. After only a little extra effort invested in learning the new tools, we received good feedback from students and the actual teaching experience was more motivating and rewarding for faculty as well, (Virtanen, Myllarniemi, & Wallander, 2013).

In addition to technology moving forward and becoming more accessible, the students themselves are becoming less and less homogenous as our world becomes a greater global village. These different cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic variables add

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS to the differences that have become visible over the years in the continuing development

of effective learning and teaching styles. This type of enriched instruction can take many forms. Some of the more common techniques are, role playing, class debate, concept mapping, and virtual field trips, but these are just a few of the many resources available amongst teachers. As these styles are developed, the works of Neil Fleming and the introduction of the VARK (Fleming, 1995) learning styles become very important. The understanding that different students will learn by different means is a theory that has been around for some time, but there has never been a greater need to understand it than now. As teachers begin to understand learning styles, it becomes apparent why multimedia-based instruction appeals to learners and is an effective teaching methodology. Students learn differently from each other, so mix of media satisfies the many types of learning preferences that one person may embody or that a class embodies, (Farmer, 1995).

If we take an example of one of these strategies we may be able to discern what benefits it will grant to a body of students. The virtual field trip is a great example of implementing multiple media types with engaging subject content. Field trips have long been an exciting escape from the day-to-day grind of the classroom. Unfortunately not all classrooms can access these destinations with the financial and safety concerns of todays education system. The virtual field trip allows the instructor to take the students on tours from the confines of the classroom, avoiding the dangers and issues that arise from the traditional style of trip. These destinations can be as close as the farmers market down the road or as distant as the prehistoric caves in central France. Allowing the

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS students to learn about places, items, cultures, and environments from all over the world gives them the ability to develop a greater understanding and acceptance of the global community we are in. Incorporating visual, audio, readings and student interaction within these tours allows for different learners to take away the same knowledge in different ways. Using interactive instructional designs VFTs (virtual field trips) engage learners in using and thinking about phenomena and not just passively receiving information. Given a contextual situation, in a VFT learners can use graphical, text, auditory and numerical information to explore in ways that suit them as learners, in keeping with new understandings about multiple intelligences (Klemm, E Barbara, Tuthill, Gail, 2003).

Virtual field trips have the ability to show students the world we live in as well as other worlds around us; and the same technology gives us the ability to help students to develop these types of tours for themselves. This added dimension of personal engagement increases the students ownership of the knowledge and opens up the opportunity for collaborative peer teaching. The topics of these virtual field trips are limited only by our imagination as instructors; however the ability to use them in the classroom may be affected by a few different reasons. The number of available computers would limit the amount of time and the number of students that can be engaged at one time. Not all instructors are comfortable with this type of technology and with the quick pace that new technology is developed it becomes a continuous race to keep up. The time involved in creating the tours can range from hours to days and without the knowledge of how to do it well most instructors are at the mercy of others to

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS develop them.

Klemm and Tuthill (2003) state, Nothing replaces real life experiences, this may be true but the ability to offer students the opportunity to see beyond the walls of the classroom despite not having the resources or time is a great benefit. A combination of engaging classroom teaching strategies and the incorporation of technology are the first steps in reaching and instructing to the many varied learners we see in todays classrooms. It is our duty as good teachers to use every tool possible to ensure our students are graduating with all the knowledge possible.

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS

References Farmer, L. J. (1995). Multimedia: Multi-Learning Tool. Technology Connection, 2(3), 30-31. Fleming N. VARK: a guide to learning styles 2007 [cited 2011 24 July 2011]; Available from: http://www.varklearn.com/english/index.asp Gardner, H. (1983, Rev 1993). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books Tuthill, G., & Klemm, E. B. (2002). Virtual field trips: Alternatives to actual field trips. International Journal of Instructional Media, 29(4), 453-468. Retrieved from http://login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docvi ew/204317859?accountid=14474 Virtanen, P., Myllarniemi, J., & Wallander, H. (2013). Diversifying Higher Education: Facilitating Different Ways of Learning. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 30(3), 201-211. Zapalska, A. M., & Dabb, H. (2002). Learning Styles. Journal Of Teaching In International Business, 13(3/4), 77-97.