Field Trips-Virtual

Field Trips - Virtual

Microsoft Innovative Educator - Skype Interactive Field Trips

Microsoft Skype in the classroom has many Guest Speakers on the platform. Educators can search for a specific speaker by topic or location. Try a few different terms when searching...i.e. “Electrician” can also be under “Engineer”. This link will take you to the “find an expert” page where you can search. If you do not find an expert in the topic you are searching for submit it to Microsoft. They may be able to find you an expert. Also look for field trips to companies or organizations that fit your CTE need.

Tour of Abraham Lincoln's Home - Park rangers will take the class exploring the neighborhood that transformed Abraham Lincoln into the 16th President of the United States. Focusing on the 17 years 1844-1860 students will learn about the family's home life and the events leading up to the 1860 election.

Amazing Animal Adaptations from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. During this lesson, students will discover the basic habitat needs of animals, and explore how living things adapt to seasons and environments. Students will journey through four habitats in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem – the alpine, forest, mountain meadow, and plains/basin environments. We will visit immersive museum exhibits that highlight animals in each of these unique habitats. Then students will compare the adaptations of animals like a grizzly bear, beaver, and raptor to those of animals in their own region. Ages 6-13. There are activities for the class to complete prior to the field trip.

Skype an Author Network - The platform for the virtual trip will be Skype. This website has curated a list of authors that want to Skype with classrooms. This is an independent network separate from Microsoft. There are directions for teachers and librarians on how to use the platform to connect to authors, suggestions for interviews and many more resources to plan this type of event. Users can search by author's last name or genre. The Skype overview page is very informative.

Educators need to sign up for a Microsoft Innovative Educator account. (Many other resources available!) Easy to look at the available days and times that can be scheduled. As with all field trips, plan at least 1-2 months ahead of time. Make sure all technical requirements and equipment is checked and working prior to the date.

Meet George and Martha Washington - In “first person” as George and Martha Washington, we discuss in story-telling fashion, most all aspects of their lives including the family dynamics and events that surrounded their lives.We have 10 talks that cover from their youth to their retirement years (vine and fig years) at Mt. Vernon including their deaths (which would be appropriate for 4th-5th grades through adult) plus the Q & A session (2nd grade through adult). Educators can choose from 9 different topics to have for this field trip.Educators need to sign up for a Microsoft Innovative Educator account.

Lisbon Zoo - Learn about Darwin & Animal Evolution - In this field trip students will reflect about the origin of species over time, the journey Darwin went on as he formulated his theory and how Darwin's theory affected the perception of man on the natural world. Students will be able also to argue about the strengths and weaknesses of the different theories and learn more about Darwin and the evolution of knowledge of the natural world.This Field Trip complements the Biology curricula of students aged 14 to 18 years old.

Microsoft Mystery Skype - Want to join a global game with classrooms around the world? Microsoft provides not only the connect to classrooms/guest speakers, but also a notebook of resources with handouts, collaboration ideas and more. Educators will need to have a MIE account and "opt in" to be part of the mystery Skype program. Want to know more...check out this Office Mix video.

Museums, Parks and Universities

Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants - Bringing science, exploration, adventure and conservation into classrooms across North America. Monthly list of "hangouts" The platforms connects classrooms through virtual speakers and field trips with leading experts across the globe. Since starting in September 2015 we've hosted over 400 live Google Hangouts reaching tens of thousands of students. Easy to get started, watch a live stream...or check out their YouTube Channel for previous adventures. Classrooms can request to "Grab a camera spot" and have their classroom participant in the adventure online.

Smithsonian American Art Museum - Explore U.S. history and culture through a free interactive video conference. Museum presenters create connections between American art and your curriculum, engaging students and lifelong learners at schools, libraries, and senior centers throughout North America. Artful Connections programs promote collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication via discussion. Content for 3rd grade and up. Offered M-F from 9am-5pm Eastern time. Most session last from 45-60 minutes. Educators will be required to register at a 3rd party website (Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration) in order to schedule a video conference. All video conference topics can meet the following Common Core College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading, as well as for Speaking and Listening. Request specific standards when placing video conference requests. Links to national content standards can be found with individual video conference descriptions. Grade band lesson are available for all conferences.

Canyon Connections - Grand Canyon National Park's free distance learning programs offer student an exciting introduction the science behind the park. Lessons for 4-6, and 5-8th grade.Explore five major ecosystems and the various plants and animals living in them. Through a live and interactive lesson with park rangers via the Internet, students journey from rim to river as they learn major concepts of ecology such as biodiversity, adaptation, food chains, and conservation. The program lasts about one hour. There are materials for educators to download prior to the field trip that include a pre and post assessment.

NewseumED offers ED classes & Training for students and educators. Student activities can be a Virtual class lesson. When users come to the site they can select All Classes, for students, for educators or for professionals. The resulting list shows all class offered at the Newseum. Look at the titles to see which ones are offered virtually. Educators will need to submit a request for a particular class. The organization will coordinate best to meet classroom schedules and require a "test run" prior to the date to make sure all technology is set. Topics such as Fake News, First amendment, Photo Ethics and Media Ethics for Students are just a sample. Educator resources to support prior, during and after the virtual class are available along with connections to standards within the documents.

I nner Asian & Uralic National Resource Center - The university has compiled several FREE video conferencing programs for K-12 classrooms. Educators will be required to register at a 3rd party website (Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration) in order to schedule a video conference. Topics Include:
Baikonur and the Soviet Space Race
History of the Silk Road
Innovations and Inventions: Science and Technology along the Silk Road
Central Asian Architecture
The Aral Sea and Central Asian Ecological Problems
Environment and Culture of Tibet: Continuity and Change
Mining and Sustainability in Central Asia
Afghanistan in Context...and many more!

Discover Jurassic Fossils at Dinosaur National Monument- Park rangers will bring your class on a journey to Dinosaur National Monument to learn about fossils, dinosaurs, and paleontology of the late Jurassic environment revealed in the rock layer known as the Morrison Formation. One of the most famous dinosaur quarry sites in the world was discovered here in 1909. Fossils from the dinosaur quarry are on display in museums throughout the world. A section of the quarry was preserved with many bones left in place as they were found. Today, the quarry still contains 1,500 fossilized dinosaur bones preserved in place. Bones are visible of Apatosaurus, Allosaurus, Camarasaurus, Diplodocus and Stegosaurus. K-12

Learn Around The World - They offer paid and FREE virtual field trips. The free choice is called GEOshow and has a set schedule that any classroom can join. They host interactive content such as a Kahoot during the "trip". There can be 1 - 90 classrooms in a session at a time. The sprint season runs from Feb 12 - May 11th 2018. Topics range from Monuments of DC, Asian elephants, wonders of Mexico...etc. Each field trip has resources attached- Lesson plans, standards connections and Kahoot logins. All grade levels are accepted, but each description will tell what grade level is the target. (Only target grade levels will be allowed to be "on camera" (cost) during the trip. There are some "premium" resources within the trips. Currently around $1.99.

Self Exploration Websites

San Diego Zoo KIDS - Educators have available videos and LIVE CAMS of many of the animals at the zoo. The site includes stories, games and activities to connect to the videos and live cameras. Appropriate for elementary level classrooms.

Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips - Take your students beyond the classroom walls and into some of the world's most iconic locations for rich and immersive learning experiences — no permission slips required. Tour the National Archives, see how an egg farm works, explore NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, or hear from the President of the United States. Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips are fun, educational, and free! Previous field trips have been archived and can be viewed. Search by content, theme or grade level.