A New Take on the Field Trip

Abstract

Because I used to be a geologist, when I started teaching science, I wanted to incorporate field experiences my classroom. But, like many teachers, I faced obstacles: insufficient budgets, testing requirements, a lack of chaperones and transportation, and the safety concerns that come with fieldwork. As a result, a real field experience wasn't an option. So I started looking for an online alternative, a field experience for my students. But most of the virtual field trips I found were web pages with photos and text from a location or museum, like an online book. I continued my search and found resources such as Virtual Earthquake and Smog City (see On the web), where students run tests and collect data at artificially constructed locations, and Google Earth, where I could embed photos and video clips for my students to view in situ. But these sites presented new challenges: What if the school computers didn't have the needed software or updates? What if they didn't have enough memory capacity? What if the internet or web page went down? A field experience was losing its appeal. I realized I needed a relatively low-tech solution that would work on any computer or smart device without internet access, special software, large amounts of memory, or hours of training. I wanted an approach I could use to teach any topic my Earth and space science class. My solution? I developed a hyperlink-based field experience (VFE) that I created PowerPoint less than an hour (after collecting images and planning the field site) and saved as a PDF that could be easily posted, downloaded, or shared. This article describes the VFE that I created with directions and best practices for using it to support inquiry the classroom. Step 1: Choose a field site and make a plan As with real field site visits, effective planning helps students make the most of their VFE experiences (Kisiel 2006). VFEs, however, require additional advance planning--about one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half hours--because the student view and experience are dependent on what you choose to include. Planning a VFE has four essential steps: 1. establish the learning goals; 2. select a site that you have photo resources for or can collect; 3. produce a storyboard or map of what you want your students to see and experience at your field site and how they will navigate through it; and 4. outline how you want students to document and communicate their VFE. Design your VFE with the end mind. For example, what are your primary goals for student learning? What content standards do you want them to meet? Which field skills do you want them to practice and master? Also consider the curriculum context. What previous knowledge will students need as they engage the VFE? What level of inquiry are your students ready for: guided, coupled, or open or full inquiry (Martin-Hansen 2002)? Answers to these questions may influence which field sites you select and the type of images you include. For example, if you want students to practice making critical observations about the hazards of volcanoes, you would select a variety of field sites that illustrate both effusive and explosive hazards (e.g., volcanoes with lava flows and pyroclastic flows, respectively). However, if you want them to evaluate the risk of volcanic eruption (i.e., form an argument based on their observations), you would select one volcanic field site and photos of specific features that indicate the explosivity and activity level of that particular volcano. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An alternative approach is to select a field site first--perhaps a local geologic feature, park, or museum, or a site that connects to other topics students are studying--and then identify the learning objectives that site supports. For example, I selected Mount Etna Italy as a VFE study site for my Earth and space science students because it linked to the ancient mythology they were learning about another course and the SP crater (a cinder-cone volcano) Flagstaff, Arizona, because it was a local feature. …