Other sensory experiences could complement google earth tours in a classroom. Say for example you're taking the students on a tour to the rain forest. You could play a cd of rain falling, birds chirping, etc. to help them feel like they're really there. You bring in food that the people who live there eat (that's sure to be an attention getter!). A teacher could also bring in feathers, scales, or furs of animals there for the students to touch. If you found out what kind of plants are there, maybe you could find a candle that smells like it. Pictures would also be great. I know all these things would be pretty hard to come by, but if any of them could be used it would be such a neat experience for the kids!
I watched three examples of virtual field trips. The first one, World War II had great pictures and thought provoking questions to help the kids connect emotionally with what they are learning about. The second one, the 7 wonders of the earth had great info on each of the sites for the students to read. The third one, the Grand Canyon also had great information and pictures.
A great thing about implementing a virtual field trip in the classroom is that it provides so many opportunities for the students to learn. They can see where it is in the world they're learning about, what it looks like close up, and get a feel for how big it actually is. The only downside I can see in implementing it in the classroom is the possible errors to do with the technology. Sometimes it's hard to find what you're looking for, and even when you find the location it's sometimes difficult to navigate around the sites. But I think that with adequate preparation it would be a great experience for the students.
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