Virtual field trips allow students to experience educational opportunities without leaving the classroom through interactive video conferencing. They can serve as introductions to new topics or extensions of learning. Teachers should ask what pre-and post-activities are available and what students will do during the trip. Databases like CILC and VC Content Providers catalog field trips searchable by curriculum and grade level. Students and teachers reported that virtual trips were engaging and provided learning equal to an in-person experience.

1. Virtual Field Trips
Laura Phelps - lphelps@rsu1.org

2. Tandberg Video Conferencing Equipment
• Every school has access to this equipment,
which allows us to:
• Connect to other classrooms
• Conference with experts
• Make the globe our classroom!

3. What does this mean?
• For little ($75-$125) or no money, no bus
and no travel, kids can experience a
plethora of opportunities.
•

4. Virtual Field Trips:
• Happen in real time
• Are interactive and two-way
• Are guided by instructional partners
• Can serve as an intro to a topic or as an
extension of learning on a particular
subject.

5. Before you go on a trip:
• 3 important questions to ask:
• What pre-conference materials do you have
to give the kids some background
knowledge about the program?
• During the conference, what will my
students be doing?
• After the conference, how will I assess, so
that I know that my students got what they
should have from the trip?

6. Finding curriculum connections:
• There are two databases that we can use
to find virtual field trips:
• CILC Database
• VC Content Providers Database

7. Explore the databases...
• Use search terms that match your
curriculum content
• Choose a trip that fits your grade level
• In the CILC database, look specifically
for the and because they indicate
the program was reviewed favorably by
educators.

8. Happy kids...
• “I liked getting to talk to someone really far
away. -SW (4th grade student)
• “I especially liked how she gave us information
about the things we had in our hands.” -DD
(5th grade student)
• “I think it was just as good as being there.” -DG
(5th grade student)

9. Happy teachers...
• “It was perfect for my students and I will absolutely go
on another virtual field trip.” -KH (2nd grade teacher)
• “It was a way to use technology to engage students and
provide an opportunity to experience something they
would not be able to do otherwise - like talk to a
museum curator in Virginia about explorers.” -AS (5th
grade teacher)
• “The virtual trip aligned perfectly with the Maine
Learning Results I was targeting for classification in our
ocean unit.” -JB (5th grade teacher)

10. Happy travels!

11. Thank you!
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you
have any questions:
lphelps@rsu1.org
Thank you for filling out a session
evaluation.