Journal #1 The Beginner's Guide to Interactive Virtual Field Trips

Zanetis, J. (2009-2010). The Beginner. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(6), Retrieved from http:www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?=March_April_No_6_1&Template=/Member

I found the above article to be very informative and eye opening. It talks about the two different educational virtual field trips that students can take without ever having to leave their schools: The Asynchronous VFTs are existing websites that students can access on line. These websites present information through text, audio and video resources. The second type is the Interactive or Synchronous VFTs. This type of VSTs is more expensive and students get the chance to interact directly with experts anywhere in the world. They can discuss and learn about certain subjects by watching live demonstrations through large-group videoconferencing.
The author also suggests websites that are helpful for both kinds of virtual field trips.
The article even talks about how to start the interactive virtual field trips at your school.

If my school's budget doesn't allow the introduction of Interactive VFTs, how do I come up with the money to fund it?
I can see myself working with the school's principal in order to talk to parents about the importance of Interactive VFTs to their children's education. I can set up parties to raise funds from the parents that believe in the benefits of Interactive VFTs. We can even go over how this would save the school money in the long run by not having to do actual field trips.

How do Interactive VFTs help students become better learners?
Students are fascinated by technology and visiting other parts of the world that are outside their communities. Introducing Interactive VFTs to students gets them outside their daily routine of classroom work and gives them something new to look forward to. It broadens their horizons and puts them in touch with a multitude of people that they would have never met and sends them to places that they would have never visited had they never had the option of Interactive VFTs.