Virtual field trips, or efield trips, refer to virtual visits to places or eras that actually exist or existed in the world. Such trips are often conducted in classrooms to give students the opportunity to discover destinations and cultures around the world. Through text, images, and other media, they can help students gain extensive knowledge of certain locations in the world.
There are many reasons why educators choose to let their students go on virtual field trips. These trips can be conducted indoors, and they do not require elaborate planning. Real field trips expose students to greater risk of accidents because they involve traveling to unfamiliar places. If there are many students going on a real field trip, the educators may have trouble controlling them. Additionally, virtual field trips will give students the chance to work with computers and learn about the wonders of technology. Another benefit of efield trips is that they make it possible for students to see things that they are unable to see in real life, such as the inside of a volcano or the deeper parts of the ocean.
There are several different kinds of field trips for educators and students to go on. Some websites offer virtual field trip materials for educators, while others may provide streaming videos, video conferencing with professionals, or interactive tours. Educators have to choose the kind of efield trips that suit their students’ educational needs. Here is a list of links to websites that offer excellent virtual field trips:
Online Field Trips Defined
Museum and Exhibit Virtual Tours
Virtual Field Trip and eField Trip Sites