Since vaccinations for kids 5-11 has opened up, I found myself pondering all of the places we may not (more) safely go. It is an exhilarating feeling, so I decided to take virtual field trips to places I’d love to go, but also, given the restraints of a teacher salary and the cost of having a family, will probably never be able to go. Thus, I used Google’s Arts and Culture because I knew they would have tons of places and things to see, and I also knew it’d be pretty intuitive to navigate. First, I explored South Africa’s Kruger National Park. This was pretty cool, and it was really neat to see so many animals and the expanse of the Savannah, but it did not fill me with awe. However, my second field trip to Polynesia to see the Moai statues and the impact of climate change upon them absolutely took my breath away–it was both stunning and harrowing. Perhaps because I never considered ever being able to see them in person, or perhaps because the contrasts of island landscape and enormous statues is staggering, or perhaps because it is one more alarming reminder of our damaged planet, but this field trip affected me in a way I was unprepared for. Finally, since I spent a lot of my youth in New Orleans, I took a field trip there so that I could see how the virtual field trip would feel in a place I knew really well. It was interesting, but lost its immersive feel, likely because I have too many ingrained memories that really can’t be emulated by virtual reality. It was also mostly photographs, which was fascinating from a historical perspective, but didn’t feel “real” at all. I think part of the thrill for me is “going” to place that I really can’t, so the places I’ve been are not as novel.
Layered Tools
There are a few layered tools that I can easily see use for. First, I do love the Google Arts and Culture exploration tool. This is a great tool in any classroom, but I would find it especially useful because of the connection between literature, time, and place. This would allow students to go explore places, times, cultures in a way that a textbook simply can’t deliver. I also was drawn to the augmented reality books, and set out exploring those on Amazon. My son has curated a wish list already, and even though he is elementary age, I could see high schoolers enjoy this as well. I strongly appreciate Mursion, and I sure wish this was around when I was student teaching. At times, it was awkward and difficult to teach high school seniors when I was so young, and a tool that allows you to gain experience and competence in areas that cause anxiety is so helpful. I would absolutely use this for my IB students who have to do presentations and answer follow up questions presented by the audience and the instructor. This would help them gain practice, manage their anxiety, and allow them to focus when completing the official presentations. Of all tools, this is the most obscure and difficult one to implement, but honestly may have the greatest impact.
I think you made a good point about Mursion. I didn’t pay a lot of attention to that one because it seemed to me like it would be too expensive and be difficult to use in a regular school library, but for the right students, it could make a huge difference.
I think I will. Heck out the Polynesian statues. I’ve always written off the virtual tours but I think some are so well done you really get the feeling of being there!
I think I will check out the Polynesian statues. I’ve always written off the virtual tours but I think some are so well done you really get the feeling of being there!