5+ Ways To Inspire Your Students With A Free Virtual Field Trip

Regardless of geographic home base, time constraints, or budget, every teacher and student has the imagination to explore an unknown place in space or time.  Virtual field trips enable entire classrooms to embark on a multi-media journey where participants can see, hear, and interact with people and locations that might otherwise be inaccessible.

Self-Guided Virtual Field Trips

Some of the simplest virtual tours engage learners in a self-paced excursion through hallways and doorways, down winding staircases or along forest paths, stopping on the way to explore. 

1. Meander through the Louvre in Paris, France, with this online tour, choosing a variety of routes through the museum and pausing for a closer look at the Great Sphinx of Tanis or descending into the medieval Louvre for a glimpse of the ancient fortress and moat.

2. Learn about forest ecosystems and sustainable forestry practices by taking a walk in the woods with the UPM Forest Life virtual field trip. Accompanied by a vivid soundtrack of birdsong, wind, and water, each panoramic view is studded with maps and informational highlights where viewers can investigate a particular plant or animal in further detail.

3. Choose a historical hot spot and follow associated maps and timelines to learn more about our state’s history with GPB’s Georgia studies virtual field trips. Digital time travelers can climb the prehistoric Indian mounds at Etowah, Ocmulgee, and Kolomoki, learn about the Creek and Cherokee Nations, visit points of interest throughout the Civil War prison site at Andersonville, or experience the establishment, expansion, and integration of the University of Georgia. Some field trips even encompass the entire state of Georgia, such as those exploring its physiographic regions and physical features.

Live Virtual Field Trips

Certain special places and events are best experienced in the moment, and live virtual field trips allow classes to register for participation in real-time tours and activities.

4. Discovery Education schedules regular live virtual field trips that are accessible to all DE members. (Remember that GPB sponsors free DE membership for all Georgia educators – contact education@gpb.org for your school passcode!)  

• Coming up on January 31st, students can virtually follow and interact with the American Heart Association and NFL players Whitney Mercilus and Christian Covington as they share their knowledge about fitness and heart health.  

• February virtual viewing parties and trips include a President’s Day interactive celebration of Georgia Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and a behind-the-scenes tour of 3M’s world headquarters and innovative labs.

 5. Skype in the Classroom also hosts numerous virtual field trips and an exciting 2017 schedule of free online events, including Teach Graphix Week from January 23-27, Climate and Conservation in April, Virtual Adventures Month in September, and Coding in December.

Whether you are looking for unique opportunities for your students to learn more about history, build literacy, experience wonder about the natural world, expand their STEM knowledge, or simply explore a new place or idea, there is a virtual field trip available for you.  Use this short list as your launch pad and don’t look back.  As this amazing NOVA virtual field trip of the solar system proves, the sky is never the limit! 

Regardless of geographic home base, time constraints, or budget, every teacher and student has the imagination to explore an unknown place in space or time.  Virtual field trips enable entire classrooms to embark on a multi-media journey where participants can see, hear, and interact with people and locations that might otherwise be inaccessible.

Self-Guided Virtual Field Trips

Some of the simplest virtual tours engage learners in a self-paced excursion through hallways and doorways, down winding staircases or along forest paths, stopping on the way to explore. 

1. Meander through the Louvre in Paris, France, with this online tour, choosing a variety of routes through the museum and pausing for a closer look at the Great Sphinx of Tanis or descending into the medieval Louvre for a glimpse of the ancient fortress and moat.

2. Learn about forest ecosystems and sustainable forestry practices by taking a walk in the woods with the UPM Forest Life virtual field trip. Accompanied by a vivid soundtrack of birdsong, wind, and water, each panoramic view is studded with maps and informational highlights where viewers can investigate a particular plant or animal in further detail.

3. Choose a historical hot spot and follow associated maps and timelines to learn more about our state’s history with GPB’s Georgia studies virtual field trips. Digital time travelers can climb the prehistoric Indian mounds at Etowah, Ocmulgee, and Kolomoki, learn about the Creek and Cherokee Nations, visit points of interest throughout the Civil War prison site at Andersonville, or experience the establishment, expansion, and integration of the University of Georgia. Some field trips even encompass the entire state of Georgia, such as those exploring its physiographic regions and physical features.

Live Virtual Field Trips

Certain special places and events are best experienced in the moment, and live virtual field trips allow classes to register for participation in real-time tours and activities.

4. Discovery Education schedules regular live virtual field trips that are accessible to all DE members. (Remember that GPB sponsors free DE membership for all Georgia educators – contact education@gpb.org for your school passcode!)  

• Coming up on January 31st, students can virtually follow and interact with the American Heart Association and NFL players Whitney Mercilus and Christian Covington as they share their knowledge about fitness and heart health.  

• February virtual viewing parties and trips include a President’s Day interactive celebration of Georgia Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and a behind-the-scenes tour of 3M’s world headquarters and innovative labs.

 5. Skype in the Classroom also hosts numerous virtual field trips and an exciting 2017 schedule of free online events, including Teach Graphix Week from January 23-27, Climate and Conservation in April, Virtual Adventures Month in September, and Coding in December.

Whether you are looking for unique opportunities for your students to learn more about history, build literacy, experience wonder about the natural world, expand their STEM knowledge, or simply explore a new place or idea, there is a virtual field trip available for you.  Use this short list as your launch pad and don’t look back.  As this amazing NOVA virtual field trip of the solar system proves, the sky is never the limit!