ISTE Standard 2b

Virtual Field trip to Sturbridge Village

       In my Assistive Technology class (EDTS 660), during the summer 2015, we were tasked with creating our own virtual field trip that we could use with students in our classroom. The goal of this assignment was to learn how to create a virtual field trip from the ground up, including visiting a location, taking pictures and video, and creating a digital experience for our students to maneuver through at their own pace. Such an activity is extremely helpful for schools that do not have it in their budget, the staffing, or the bussing to go on field trips, and is also great for locations that may be too far for a day trips. This project also met the ISTE Standard 2b (Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments) which states; "teachers will develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress." I was able to meet this goal by visiting Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge Massachusetts, which is an 1830’s New England living Museum. I took hundreds of photos and videos of the various locations as well as interviews with the actors throughout the museum. I then created an interactive PowerPoint, rich with multimedia including pictures, video, text, and audio that students can navigate through. Because it is such a large PowerPoint file with over twenty locations to visit throughout the village, with multiple areas to explore within each location, each student is able to explore content that he or she feels personally drawn to, resulting in no two students having the exact same experience.