Virtual Field Trip
The virtual field trip I explored was Introducing South Africa. The field trip explored the Cape Peninsula which is the southern most tip of Africa and extends 30 miles from Cape Town to Cape of Good Hope. The landscape is beautiful with the western coast facing the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern coast facing the False Bay from the Indian Ocean. This area includes the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve which was established in 1939 and is home to baboons, Cape Mountain zebras, different kinds of antelopes and 100’s of species of birds. The nature reserve is part of Table Mountain National Park which includes a tall rocky mountain with a flat top. The distinctive flat top is what gives the mountain its name. One of the world’s largest botanical gardens, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, is next to the Table Mountain National Park. This garden is full of natural flora and forests. The South African landscape includes botanical gardens, rocky mountains and ocean beaches. It is beautiful.
The field trip also went to Robben Island which was home to South Africa’s maximum security prison from the mid 1960’s until 1991. During apartheid, 1948-1994, many of the anti-apartheid leaders, including Nelson Mandela, were imprisoned there. The trip ended at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg which in 1995 hosted the Rugby World Cup. It was here during the World Cup that Nelson Mandela, then the president of South Africa, helped bring blacks and whites together by supporting the all white rugby team. Up until that time, black South Africans, who were oppressed, would always root against the team. During this final game however, both blacks and whites not only cheered for the team, but chanted Nelson Mandela’s name.
Reference
South African Tourism. (n.d.). Introducing South Africa. Google Arts & Culture. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/introducing-south-africa/uQISrgvLt3poLw
QR Code
I created a QR code using QR Stuff. The code links to a YouTube video of a live performance of the song Joy by the band For King & Country.
Reference
For King & Country. (2021, May 27). For King & Country – Joy (live arena performance) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvCykHcGrYo
Layered Reality
The various technologies and possibilities of layered reality offer educators and students new and exciting ways to teach, learn and experience content. Virtual or immersive technology allows students to feel like they are part of an experience, not just reading or listening about it. Going on a virtual field trip to Jamestown as part of Virginia history studies gives students the opportunity to see the area without actually going there. Experiencing ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome through VR, helps bring the past to life and engages students. This allows students to have “realistic travel experiences” (Immersion VR, n.d.) and engage in activities that they would not get to experience in person.
The Double Robotics (2015) video was very inspiring. The telepresence technology gave Jasmine the opportunity to attend school and interact with her classmates. This technology could provide a sense of belonging and inclusion for home-bound students who are unable to physically go to the school building.
QR codes seem to be everywhere. I use them in my classroom to link students to websites and apps. They are easy to create and use. They allow young students to independently get to where they need to be on their devices. Sending QR codes to parents to allow them to connect to school and student info is quick and easy (Kharbach, 2020). Each year I send a QR code home that allows parents to connect to their child’s Seesaw account.
References
Double Robotics. (2015, June 17). Case study: Sebasticook Valley Middle School + Double Robotics [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aln1V0rtCkE
Immersion VR. (n.d.). VR for education. https://immersionvr.co.uk/about-360vr/vr-for-education/
Kharback, M. (2020, June 12). 10 ways to use QR Codes in online education. Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2020/06/10-ways-to-use-qr-codes-in-online.html
Thank you for sharing your VR trip to South Africa. I loved reading about Robben Island as well. Jamestown was another VR trip you suggested. I can imagine how helpful these VR trips would be in an elementary school setting. It could also help if funding is an issue.
I have never thought about putting a QR code in my syllabus, but I think I might try that this year to make it easy for everyone. Thanks for the suggestion with your Seesaw link.
I was also inspired by the double robots. It was amazing to see how the students accepted their peer. It’s great you use QR codes already in class. So cool!
Ooooh! Your virtual field trip sounds amazing. I’m adding it to my must try list! Linking the QR code to a music video was a fun idea! Thank you for sharing!
In my elementary school, every fourth-grade class goes on an overnight trip to see James Town. In my fourth grade year, there was not enough funding, so we missed out. Since then I have always wondered what we missed. It was very cool to go through and see the virtual tour. Good choice.
I would love to check out South Africa. It is pretty neat that we are able to explore places that we want to visit, but may not be able too. It’s also great that we can also expose students to visiting places that we may not be able to travel to due to funding, or because they are far away, such as Greece and Rome. Great ideas!
You had me at “the world’s largest botanical gardens, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden”! That sounds absolutely gorgeous. I love Botanical gardens. I have old college friends that live in South Africa, I wonder if they have been there. It is awesome we can travel to these places through virtual tours and documentaries. 🙂