Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Description
Digital Public History: Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) as Engaged Learning
addresses new opportunities and challenges in teaching with technology,
specifically, capturing the attention of the emerging "cyber-literate" generation by
using virtual field trips to directly engage learners in public history and community
memory. The project will consist of three parts: an assessment of the
opportunities for technology integration in teaching and learning, the connection
between digital resources and social studies, and case study of a virtual field trip
using the Boca Raton Army Airfield (BRAAF) site.
Our view of the past is influenced by the media, religious upbringing,
monuments, memorials, and cultural influences such as family and school.
History and social studies classes are where most young people learn about the
collective, public past. Virtual field trips (VFTs) are an ideal way to transport students back in time to learn about different communities and to experience the
history of the people and place in thought-provoking ways. VFTs can introduce
learners to primary materials that are too far away or too fragile to examine.
History can be brought to life with first-person narratives that "virtual travelers"
can watch via streaming video technology. Activities such as scavenger hunts for
specific objects using maps and 30 virtual environments can be incorporated into
virtual adventures so visitors can move around and "walk" through a room or
landscape. Hand-held computers, cell phones, and tablet computers are being
used with wireless networking to connect participants in geographically diverse
locations. Classes in different schools and even in different countries can work
collaboratively on projects.
There are many advantages to taking , designing, and developing virtual
field trips, however, the two reasons I chose to use a virtual field trip as a method
of engaging students in history and social studies are: (1) History is more
engaging when presented in an interactive, multimedia experience; and (2)
Virtual field trips can be used to build relationships between generations and
cultures. The ways students are taught must engage them in a journey of selfdiscovery
in order for them to become self-directed, lifelong learners.
addresses new opportunities and challenges in teaching with technology,
specifically, capturing the attention of the emerging "cyber-literate" generation by
using virtual field trips to directly engage learners in public history and community
memory. The project will consist of three parts: an assessment of the
opportunities for technology integration in teaching and learning, the connection
between digital resources and social studies, and case study of a virtual field trip
using the Boca Raton Army Airfield (BRAAF) site.
Our view of the past is influenced by the media, religious upbringing,
monuments, memorials, and cultural influences such as family and school.
History and social studies classes are where most young people learn about the
collective, public past. Virtual field trips (VFTs) are an ideal way to transport students back in time to learn about different communities and to experience the
history of the people and place in thought-provoking ways. VFTs can introduce
learners to primary materials that are too far away or too fragile to examine.
History can be brought to life with first-person narratives that "virtual travelers"
can watch via streaming video technology. Activities such as scavenger hunts for
specific objects using maps and 30 virtual environments can be incorporated into
virtual adventures so visitors can move around and "walk" through a room or
landscape. Hand-held computers, cell phones, and tablet computers are being
used with wireless networking to connect participants in geographically diverse
locations. Classes in different schools and even in different countries can work
collaboratively on projects.
There are many advantages to taking , designing, and developing virtual
field trips, however, the two reasons I chose to use a virtual field trip as a method
of engaging students in history and social studies are: (1) History is more
engaging when presented in an interactive, multimedia experience; and (2)
Virtual field trips can be used to build relationships between generations and
cultures. The ways students are taught must engage them in a journey of selfdiscovery
in order for them to become self-directed, lifelong learners.
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