Purdue ZipTrip Virtual Field Trips

With schools budgets being very low, these ZipTrips virtual field trips are nice for all schools to be able to do in their classrooms and only take up 45 minutes of their day. They give the ... See More

With schools budgets being very low, these ZipTrips virtual field trips are nice for all schools to be able to do in their classrooms and only take up 45 minutes of their day. They give the students opportunities to see the different science careers and not only see what they do, but they get to practice on themselves as well as with their classmates. These virtual field trips allow for students to grow in learning in how we use science in our daily lives. This program also allows for the students to grow over the 6th - 8th grades with a new ZipTrip each year.

Virtual Field Trip

With school budgets limited, this article describes an alternative way to have a field trip…a virtual field trip. These virtual field trips are called Zip-Trips. They are free “web- and bro... See More

With school budgets limited, this article describes an alternative way to have a field trip…a virtual field trip. These virtual field trips are called Zip-Trips. They are free “web- and broadcast-delivered electronic field trips that include online videos, lesson plans, and a live, 45-minute interactive program.” (If students and teachers are unable to participate in real-time broadcasts, archived web stream is available at any time during the school year.) These trips are designed to provide opportunities for students to interact with university researchers, to help students experience first-hand the nature of the job of scientists and the education pathways to their careers, and to enhance students’ interests and perceptions of life science research, scientists, and career opportunities. Scientists featured in the Zip-Trips, scientists were selected from a wide variety of scientific fields and vary in gender, age, and ethnicity. This article mentions that there are three programs developed, however its focus is on the 6th grade program, “We’re all Animals”, giving participants the opportunity to interact with and see the work of three life scientists: a veterinarian, an equine researcher, and an anatomist. Also available, but not discussed, is “Disease Detectives” designed for the seventh grade, and an eighth-grade program covering genetics called, “It’s a Gene Thing”. For teachers wanting to add variety to their curriculum and have the opportunity to go on a “field trip” without the expense, this article is a must read.