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Ways to better teach Science virtually.

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Patricia Ponzoa Patricia Ponzoa 745 Points

One way to better teach Science virtually and engage students is with exciting virtual fieldtrips. Many websites have added virtual tours and virtual fieldtrips. You can find virtual tours of farms, museums, planets, national parks, and more!  When assigning these virtual field trips, ask your students to take notes on what they see, what they hear, and facts they’ve learned. This will allow students to learn new amazing things in a fun and engaging way.
Aliyah Basit Aliyah Basit 425 Points

Hi Patricia! Hosting virtual field trips is a brilliant idea that I think every teacher should participate in. I recently saw a video that was being circulated on social media in which an elementary school science teacher took his students on a virtual field trip to the zoo, and I thought it was the most ingenious idea. During this troubling time with the ongoing pandemic and other unsettling world events, it has inarguably been difficult for teachers to keep their students engaged during class time, especially due to the fact that students are attending class from the comfort of their own homes. A virtual field trip is a great way to keep students involved and attentive, while maintaining an academic atmosphere. It is important to ensure students are learning, but if teachers can find a way to incorporate fun activities into their lessons, they absolutely should. Great post! :) 
Amy Huezo Amy Huezo 465 Points

Hi Patricia, 

I agree that using virtual field trips can be a very interesting and engaging tool to keep students motivated. There are so many resources online that can have students involve themselves in these places virtually like they were there. Now obviously, there is an aspect of presence that is missing in this process, but nonetheless, it challenges students to have to think more carefully, look for minute details, and be observant of all things in the virtual landscape. I think that giving them graphic organizers and essential questions beforehand helps keep them on track and to use the time they have on these virtual tours to investigate and learn about things that although is far away, are just being presented to them on a computer screen. I think this is a great strategy!
Jennifer Caceres Jennifer Caceres 180 Points

Hello everyone,

I am a student observer of a third grade class and we just started our science module. Although we are not a virtual class, I think that the idea of virtual field trips is a great tool to use for the Engage section of the 5E Model. I could also see through Amy's reply how the tool can be used throughout the rest of the 5E model in my classroom by having students Explore virtual landscapes where water is present, Explain the difference between the terminology associated with water, Elaborate by having students assigned to different water types (saltwater, freshwater) that they can show examples of (ocean, glaciers, etc), and then students can be Evaluated through an open ended question where they describe what they learned from their virtual field trip. I agree that students can utilize graphic organizers, we recently have used a KWL chart so students could write down the prior knowledge they had about water, any questions they have about water, and then write down what they learned. Thank you to the previous comments for sharing.

A question I still have about Distance Learning: Ways to better teach Science virtually is are there any specific virtual resources that you can recommend to use for these virtual field trips? And are they free or low cost to use for educators?
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