Experiencing the World From Inside the Classroom: Using Virtual Field Trips to Enhance Social Studies Instruction

Abstract

Due to the changing landscape of K-12 education in the United States, particularly issues arising from funding, safety, accessibility, and standardization, the frequency at which teachers utilize traditional field trips has diminished over the last few decades. Thanks to continued advances in communicative technology, however, teachers are able to offer students virtual field trips (VFTs). Although not a perfect substitute for real life field trips, VFTs still take students beyond the classroom walls and help bring history, geography, economics, and civics to life. Still, there is some work teachers need to be aware of when planning to use VFTs. This paper attempts to help teachers in that avenue including providing a theoretical background for VFTs, explaining the basic benefits and limitations of VFTs, and detailing ways teachers can use VFTs. Finally, this paper provides a list of quality platforms, which teachers can use to locate VFTs.

Keywords:

• Experiential learning
• social studies
• virtual field trips
• technology