The Benefits of Virtual Field Trips

Most classrooms today experience at least one field trip within the course of a school year. Often, those field trips require extensive planning and funding for the event to occur.  One alternative to live field trips is the virtual field trip. Following is a list of some of the benefits of virtual field trips.

Virtual field trips benefit students, teachers and families. Those benefits include the fact that:

• Virtual field trips are free. 
• They can occur independent of weather conditions.
• They save on travel time.
• Students can individualize their own virtual field trip experience by clicking on links within the agreed upon site.
• Parents can experience the field trip with their children after school hours by logging on to the site at home.
• Virtual field trips can be local, national or international.
• Virtual field trips can accommodate every grade level.
• Virtual field trips, like their live counterpoint, are educational and entertaining.

Some places to experience a virtual field trips are:

• Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Teachers in the Cleveland, Ohio area can complement Money Smart Week (April 22-27, 2017) with a virtual field trip to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland before touring the facility live. In preparation of the tour, students can engage in money management skills, including counting, sorting, and simple investing (depending on grade level). 

After the tour, students can return to the classroom and discuss their individual take aways about the Federal Reserve and money management. Parents can also experience the money lesson plan, either by chaperoning the Federal Reserve tour or taking the virtual tour with their child at home.

Creativity is key to maximizing the experience of a virtual field trip for students, teachers, and parents.