THERE ARE few joys in life more satisfying than seeing someone experience something new and being fascinated by it. Teachers are very lucky to experience this joy every year they introduce something new to their students or take them on a field trip (virtual or real).
I am an SDC teacher and that means I have multiple grade levels of students in my class; along with multiple personalities of varying amazement. My students are wonderful and they have amazing resiliency, which is why I take them beyond their comfort level in my teaching. I push them beyond their perceived ability to experience things that may have not been available to them before, even if they may not completely comprehend at the same level that others may comprehend because I believe in them and their hidden potential.
My students have taken part in two virtual field trips this year with Google+ and the Connected Classrooms Workshop (http://connectedclassrooms.withgoogle.com/) to Switzerland and Washington DC. These trips were some of the most fascinating moments of my teaching career and I am so amazed by the power of Google. If you are a teacher and you are not signed up for this free site, do it now, you won't be sorry!
Another field trip I included my students in was the Sixth grade whale watching trip; we live close to the beach, it's an easy bus trip, and a good life experience. Well only my sixth grade students were allowed to join this trip as it was a sixth grade trip... so I made it virtual. I used the FaceTime app from the boat to show my students the sea lions, dolphins, sea gulls, and even the beach; some for the first time in their lives. Technology can bring so much to the classroom, we need to embrace it for the sake of our students.
I am an SDC teacher and that means I have multiple grade levels of students in my class; along with multiple personalities of varying amazement. My students are wonderful and they have amazing resiliency, which is why I take them beyond their comfort level in my teaching. I push them beyond their perceived ability to experience things that may have not been available to them before, even if they may not completely comprehend at the same level that others may comprehend because I believe in them and their hidden potential.
My students have taken part in two virtual field trips this year with Google+ and the Connected Classrooms Workshop (http://connectedclassrooms.withgoogle.com/) to Switzerland and Washington DC. These trips were some of the most fascinating moments of my teaching career and I am so amazed by the power of Google. If you are a teacher and you are not signed up for this free site, do it now, you won't be sorry!
Another field trip I included my students in was the Sixth grade whale watching trip; we live close to the beach, it's an easy bus trip, and a good life experience. Well only my sixth grade students were allowed to join this trip as it was a sixth grade trip... so I made it virtual. I used the FaceTime app from the boat to show my students the sea lions, dolphins, sea gulls, and even the beach; some for the first time in their lives. Technology can bring so much to the classroom, we need to embrace it for the sake of our students.