However, there are those school leaders who, when faced with adversity, figure out a way to overcome. Rather than view budget cutbacks as a threat that denies immersive learning experiences, they ask, “If we can’t afford either the time or the money for field trips, is there another way we can supplement classroom lessons by engaging students in the world around them?
Videoconferencing Makes Field Trips Possible Despite Budget Cuts
Whereas some school leaders see videoconferencing as too expensive, those with techno-ingenuity recognize its value proposition for an immersive learning environment without the high cost of travel and time off task. These ingenious school leaders see financial costs associated with videoconferencing as a bargain, especially when faced with having to deny students the opportunity to connect what they’re learning in the classroom with the world outside it.
When budget woes close the door to field trips, schools that use videoconferencing to connect outside their buildings continue to engage students with the past and help them imagine the future. These are important components of field trips, whether physical or virtual.
Fortunately, there is an ever-increasing number of high-quality museums, zoos, cultural centers, libraries and other institutions around the world that offer access through live, highly interactive videoconferencing connections. A large majority of these content providers can be found on the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration’s portal, http://cilc.org.
With their rich histories of information and artifacts, these museums and institutions bring art, science, culture and history to life through videoconferencing—very much in the same way as a physical, land-based field trip.
Virtual Field Trips are Not Magic, Though
The same preparation a teacher does for a land-based, physical field trip to the zoo, a teacher must do for a virtual field trip to a zoo. To get the most out of a videoconference, the teacher should communicate with the provider to discuss details of the field trip. There should be a clear understanding of expected outcomes. The provider should know students’ prior knowledge of topics that will be discussed. And, as is true in any quality learning experience, there should be ample opportunity for engaging interactions between students and the professional at a distance. Astute educators do not leave this aspect to chance, however. Discussing how students will be engaged should be a part of the pre-event conversation. Equally important to the success of a virtual field trip is the teacher making use of the pre-and post-activities most providers make available.
Yes, it is true that education budgets are being cut nationwide, forcing schools to eliminate worthwhile programs. And field trips, with their high fuel costs and time away from the classroom are typically among the first to be cut. However, forward thinking educators know they can continue these valuable experiences, albeit with field trips through fiber rather than by putting buses on the road.
Given the relatively low cost of videoconferencing and the hundreds of virtual field trip locations already connected to our national fiber infrastructure, there is no reason to deny hundreds of thousands of children the learning opportunities they deserve and need to become well rounded contributing members of society.
Ruth Blankenbaker is Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC). In addition to her work at CILC, she has served as a board member for the International Society for Technology Educators (ISTE), as a council representative for Internet2, and on the Board of Directors for the Agency for Instructional Technology. In 2007 she was awarded the United States Distance Learning Association Award for Outstanding Leadership by an individual in the Field of Distance Learning. Ms. Blankenbaker has professional teaching licenses for grades Pre-K-12. She was the Director of Technology at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis, Indiana for 11 years prior to becoming executive director of CILC in 1994.