Virtual Field
Trips and Global Education
Basis for the Workshop:
This
staff development workshop will take place in the library media center at a
middle school serving grades 5-8. All
teachers and subject areas will be welcome to this workshop as it will be
encompassing a teaching and learning series on the importance of global
education, and innovative ways to build student’s global perspectives. The workshop will focus on the teaching and
description of two resources named by AASL as the best websites for teaching
and learning global education (http://www.ala.org/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/bestlist/bestwebsiteslandmark). These resources include Google Earth and
Field Trip Earth, and can be utilized in countless ways throughout middle
school curriculum. The workshop will
provide two handouts for teachers with step-by-step instructions and overview
of Google Earth and Field Trip Earth.
The itinerary of the workshop will include a beginning presentation of
each of the resources and their importance, examples for use in teaching and
learning, as well as a walk-through of the programs on the projector. The ending of the session will be a hands-on
workshop with time for the teachers to explore each resource, as the
library media specialist walks around to help and answer questions.
While
many teachers may be familiar with Google Earth, they may not be aware of the
current version available, and of all the possibilities it has for
education. Field Trip Earth is probably
a resource less well-known among the teachers, but is a unique website worth
sharing, as it allows students and classes to take virtual tours around the
world through videos, pictures, reports, and interviews with field researchers
around the globe. Google Earth and Field
Trip Earth are related in their promotion of global education, and have the possibility
to be used together for many educational purposes. For example, classes taking a virtual field
trip through Field Trip Earth, can switch over to Google Earth for further
information on a specific area like the current weather, 3D views, or just take
a look at the location they are studying.
Whether used together or separate, Google Earth and Field Trip Earth
present countless opportunities for students to learn about the global
community, and give teachers endless possibilities to connect with the
curriculum in interactive, creative, and fun ways.
Listed Below are links to Google Docs of the materials involved in the Staff Development workshop including the following:
1. Document including Rationale for Workshop as described above, Agenda, hand-out for Google Earth, hand-out for Field Trip Earth, and Evaluation
2. Workshop Flyer
3. Part 1 of the PowerPoint presentation including introduction, and Google Earth, and short video
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6onuvFBS3O4blBTWU9lLWdZdWc/edit
(This is the video in the PowerPoint from slide 10 that won't covert in Google Docs)
4. Part 2 of the PowerPoint presentation including Field Trip Earth and conclusion
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6onuvFBS3O4djBsS0ZKNzZyMGM/edit
