Virtual Field Trip vs Traditional Field Trip

Virtual Field Trips versus Real-Life Field Trips...Which One Offers a More Educational Experience? (Chapter 6) from Maloy Text 

First Source:

Zaino, Jennifer. "Field-Tripping Goes Virtual." Instructor 119.2 (2009): 34-36. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.

This article outlines four components as to why virtual field trips are beneficial and are more efficient in the classroom. According to Jennifer Zaino, virtual field trips, "Are customized curriculum, make global connections, make field trips work and are on a level playing field." This is important for schools that have a lack of funding or access to museums, zoos or locations of interest. Students still have the opportunity to experience a field trip setting from the comfort of their own classroom environment, as well as, the opportunity to expand their schema. Zaino is an accomplished writer and is very knowledgeable in the IT industry. She has worked with many businesses to increase their technology usage and efficiency.




                              VS

        

Second Source:

Example of a Virtual Field Trip: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum:
  
Life in Shadows:Hidden Children and the Holocaust. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 1990. Accessed February 26, 2013. http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/hiddenchildren/index/

This is an example of a virtual field trip. This exhibit is at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. Students and teachers can view the entire exhibit, read testimonials, watch a video about the exhibit, read about first hand accounts of individuals and their stories, and can listen to recordings of children's interviews about their experiences. The topic of the Holocaust is a sensitive one. Teachers must be very careful when teaching related topics because of the sensitivity of their students and parents of the graphic material. This virtual tour in particular can be useful because of the museum's location relative to most schools, as well as, the historical relevance to topics covered in Social Studies classrooms across the nation and the world.

Stephanie L'Esperance

Online Bullying Bridgett Glover

ROTHENBERG, BEN. "Player Overcomes Bullying and a Hiatus." New York Times 18 Feb. 2013: D6. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Mar. 2013 accessed 3/6/2013 http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic/?csi=6742&sr=headline(Player%20Overcomes%20Bullying%20and%20a%20Hiatus)+and+date+=+2013

This article tells the story of Rebecca Marino of Canada, a professional tennis player. She began to make headlines in 2010 with her skillas as a player, but she says that as her skills grew negative online chatter and cyber bullies began to appear. She was so distraught by the onslot of bullying and comments she retreated into hiding and quit playing for a while as well as withdrawing from all social media. She had to take time to regroup and gather back up her self esteem before she could return to competition. She warns that people treat professional athletes like what they say to them doesn't matter, but people need to remember that athletes are real people too.

This short video is made by children for children to explain cyberbullying. It shows them examples of what it is and what to do about it. It is kept light and silly enough to keep a young child's attention (maybe 8 to 12 years old) and random pictures of things keep them interested. They discuss instant messenger and texting and chatting. They also let other children know that if they are being bullied that they should keep doccumentation and report to the authorites.

"http://teachertube.com/embed/player.swf" width="480">

Chat Room Saftey and Online Predators Maria Dobos

Chat Room Saftey:
Questions to Ask Your Children About Their Digital Life

Loftis, Tony. "5 More Questions to Ask Your Kids About Their Digital Life." Huffington Post. 28 02 2013: n. page. Print. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tony-loftis/kids-and-technology_b_2780290.html.

           This article gave helpful questions for parents to ask themselves and their children about their child's online experiences. As a parent who may not be aware of all the different things children can expose themselves to, this article helps parents make sure their child is being safe.

Questions to ask your children to get an idea of what they are doing online:

• Are you involved in any multi player online games?
• How do you choose the people you play these online games with?
• Who do you text most, and when?
• Do you send a lot of picture messages?
• Have you ever met someone in person that you first met online?

This article was writting by a Huffington Post writer, who is also President and exectutive director of Missing Your Child, a website and useful resoruce to help parents learn how to use social media to find a lost child. With over 30% of children admitted to meeting someone they met online, and that number continuing to rise, parents should take action to make sure their child is being safe.

I think this is a great article for parents to read because most parents do not monitor their child's online activity, and they should. This article was written to give parents tools find out exactly what their child is using the internet for. Chat rooms are one of the easiest ways to meet new people, and can easily escalade into a very deep relationship, which could be life threateing to your child.

"The Reality of Online Predators." Youtube. keep your family safe, . web. 5 Mar 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZUx11jSeW4>.


           This video is an inverview with a Police Officer who dealt with online preditors, and trying to find them. If parents saw this video, they would realize how common it is for young kids to be dargated on a daily basis by online preditors. Because this information came directly from someone who has dealt with online preditors first hand, people are more willing to listen to the message. Parents need to realize how serious online preditors and chat rooms are. I think this video is a great addition to the article because it first gets parents informed about the risks, and the articles helps parents understand what their child is really doing online.

Virtual Field Trips vs. Real Life Field Trips

(Posted by Marian Pycraft, EDCT264:Educational Technology)

"Virtual Field Trips." Instructor Magazine. n.d. n. page. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. <http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/virtual-field-trips>.        

• The article was written for educators to discuss the increasing popularity of virtual field trips to far-away places, collaborated interactive trips with traditional on-site field trip destinations, or teacher created and scripted electronic field trips using on-line sites such as you-tube.  Not only are electronic field trips more time and  cost effective, but they can be more  innovative and engaging for students who are used to using technology.  Most virtual trips can be accomplished using free Web 2.0 tools, using Skype and simple webcams and internet access.   
• The article describes how electronic field trip  experiences can be extended and customized to meet education goals, which are very important for meeting required standards in today’s classrooms. The article offers opinions of teachers actually using this technology in their classrooms, and references actual virtual field trip web sites, making the article more credible.
• This topic is very important in today’s economic climate for classrooms all across this country. This technology levels the playing field of having access to experiences and information for both rural and urban school districts and even for individual classrooms within a school.  Bringing access to the world into the classroom not only provides current information to students, but can save school systems money and teachers’ valuable teaching time when trying to meet standards and multiple learning styles of students.  

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/virtual-field-trips



                  VS

 

KidVisionVPK at First Church Preschool. 2011. video. you-tubeWeb. 24 Feb 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCHCLTfui1U

• This you-tube video demonstrates how a preschool classroom in Florida is using internet   access to a website called Kidvision VPK to take a virtual field trip to the zoo. 
•  The video will show the children watching the zoo video and then the follow-up activities that the preschoolers used to apply the information they saw in the video.  The video will also show an example of the prepared lesson plan, and assessments forms.

• The Kidvision VPK website provides over 35 free virtual field trips, appropriate for meeting preschool and national Head Start education standards. Each field trip includes at least three prepared lesson plans, follow-up “hands-on” activities for the classroom, evaluations and assessments of student learning goals.

 

Courtney Smith

Noonan, Kaley. "She Used to Be Pretty: Schoolyard Harassment Goes Online." Edutopia. N.p., 14 June 2007. Web. 03 Mar. 2013.

"She Used to Be Pretty": Schoolyard Harassment Goes Online | Edutopia

 In the article, "She Used to Be Pretty: Schoolyard Harassment Goes Online" author Kaley Noonan, a woman who speaks to teenage girls about bullying, visited a school and talked to young girls about cyber bullying. This article goes in depth about what goes through a young girls mind and why she might think that online bullying has no effect on the ones that she makes fun of. It also lets the reader see how a young girl who is being made fun of might feel. The article takes real life examples from both sides of the bullying spectrum. It is a good source of information to use to talk to young ones about what the effects of what they say on the internet may have on other people. This article would be very beneficial to those trying to help young ones deal with cyber bullying or for those who are the bullies, it provides resources at the end of the article that provide advice and information in dealing with online bullying.. Online bullying is a very serious subject and should be addressed in ways like the article portrays.

"Students Take On Cyberbullying (3 Min) [2,466 Views]." TeacherTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013.

This video from www.teachertube.com talks about cyber bullying and how to make a difference. It takes a look at online bullying and harassment from the student's points of view and shows them coming up with ways to prevent it. It is a great representation of cyber bullying and the effects that it can have on people. It shows students that want to make a difference and help stop the trend of online bullying. This video is very encouraging for those who want to take a stand against cyber bullying but do not quite know how.

Virtual K-12 Schools

Searching for the Reality of Virtual Schools

St. Andrie, Rebecca, ed. Searching for the Reality of Virtual Schools. Rep. N.p.: Center for Public Education National School Boards Association, 2012. Print.

The article Searching for the Reality of Virtual Schools, discusses the benefits and shortcoming of virtual schooling. The article touches base about how virtual schools are are created and run, either by the state, district, or non/for profits as well as how they are funded. The article goes in depth about the different formats there are and the benefits and downfalls of each of them. According to the research, there are mixed results on the effectiveness of virtual schooling. This resource is a good source for parents and school districts to better understand the benefits of virtual schooling. I feel that the article explains what virtual schools are all about. It gives different views and research and basically leaves it  up to the reader to make up their mind about them.

  


 "Online learning...can transform instruction and provide the 21st century education our students need..."






YouTube. YouTube. YouTube, 30 Sept. 2009. Web. 03 Mar. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypKrqmRB_Cw>.

This video is a great  source to learn from about virtual schools. The video describes why students choose virtual schooling and how they benefit from it.  The video talks about what kind of students are enrolled and how they interact between each other. The video gives a great real world look at what a virtual school student goes through. The video is great source for students and parents who are contemplating the virtual school route. It answers many questions that a prospective student might have as well as calming some fears that parents may have. I feel as if the video, even though it is a little old, answers the main questions that are out their about virtual schools.

Virtual Schools

Jennifer Pinkney
Chapter 7 Virtual Schools: The American Experience with International Implications. Trends and Issues in Distance Education: International Perspectives By Lya Visser Updated 2012

 

Definition: A Virtual school is any K-12 online learning program offered by an educational organization in which students can earn credit towards graduation or toward promotion to the next grade. 

• This article addresses the growing trend in online educational opportunities for secondary and primary grade students. This article was written to help educators figure out the best strategies for helping their students by using online learning. This article has also specifically provided standards to help assess quality in virtual teaching. This Article also reviews important considerations for planning, building, and evaluating an online learning program. 
• This article was written by the editor of Trends and Issues in Distance Education: International Perspectives. She has also been an adjunct professor of various universities including Nova Southeastern University and George Washington University. She was also the Director of Research for Instructional Technology and Distance Education Program. This journal is quite up to date and was published in 2012. There has been a dramatic increase over the past decade in the number of virtual schools.  
• I do not believe that Virtual Schools would ever be a substitute for student teacher interaction. One on one instruction is very important in education and therefore online learning should be an addition to the public school system but not a replacement of. Virtual schools should be used as a tool for education. There are some states concerned that virtual schools are more about making money than being committed to providing excellent education. 

http://www.maine.nea.org/home/1310.htm  

•  With these virtual instruction labs in the high school these students can take online courses from an instate university that will count towards college credit. The students interact with certified teachers and can ask questions of a certified lab instructor while they work. The lab instructor makes herself available to all students whenever they need her help, including over the weekends. This is a great way to integrate online learning in the public school setting.

Rachel Lenk: Mobile Devices in the Classroom

Mobile devices in the classroom. Are they a tool or are they a distraction? Well, if teachers can help shape the "toy" into a tool, they can be very beneficial in classrooms. When you watch the video below, it shares many example of how a cell phone can be used in a class room. They not only show examples where smart phones are helpful but also any phone with texting abilities (3:48). Most kids today grow up completely surrounded by technology. Why not use that technology to help make more connections between the lesson and how they can apply it to everyday life?

"A recent survey indicated that 68% of students in grades 6-12 bring cell phones with them to school on a regular basis." (Putnam County Highschool) Incase you are bad at math, that is over half the student population in that school district. The majority of the students, if you will, bring this potentially amazing tool to school already. Many schools are like that across the country. Yet, a bad stigma and a lack of educational exploration with mobile devices prevents students from using this tool in class.

For an example as to how this can be a great tool, I have a lot of technology (e.g. laptop, desktop computer, smart phone, school computers) at my fingertips that I use on a daily basis. I use them for entertainment, contact, and educational purposes (Until recently my cell phone was not used for educational purposes). One of these devices is near me at a 24/7 rate. That opens up more opportunities for me to do my school work (but let's face it, I'm a "last minute" kind of student). Using my cell phone in class encourages my use of it for educational purposes. I just downloaded a cloud storage app that I can upload my notes to, and then study them on the road, or access them in class. I also find it helpful to take pictures of drawings or examples the professor hand writes on the board (let's face it, even if I did copy the drawing down, it would look like you gave a baby a sharpie). That is just the beginning, and I don't know where the end is or how to get there.


The main reason for my lack of knowledge about how to use a cell phone as a tool is that there is a very little teacher source who is willing to show me the way. To be honest, what student would explore the educational purposes of a "toy" unless incited to or shown how.


Rubenstein, Grace. "Cell Sanity: Mobile Phones Ring Changes in the Classroom | Edutopia." Edutopia | K-12 Education & Learning Innovations with Proven Strategies that Work.Edutopia, 19 Oct 2006. Web. 6 Feb 2013. <http://www.edutopia.org/cell-sanity>.

"Can cell phones be used inappropriately? Sure, these theachers say, but it's the behavior, not  the device, that's the problem" - Grace Rubenstein

In the article above, it talks about how cell phones are used as a communication device, and a toy, but it has so much potential to become a learning tool. I think that Grace Rubenstein, the author of the article, and I share the same perspective on cell phone use in classroom. That is why this article was chosen with much bias on my part.

 Welcome to  the class blog for EDCT 264 Education Technology.