Southwest

Arizona State University

SOUTHWESTERN VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS

THESE SOUTHWEST VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS WILL MAKE YOUR STUDENTS FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN TRANSPORTED FROM THE CLASSROOM.

ARIZONA

Arizona State University is offering th opportunity for students to virtually explore one of the greatest wonders of the world, The Grand Canyon. Students will able to discover the 200-mile Colorado River that cuts through the canyon, watch videos from scientists in the field and ven explore remote areas that are not easily accessible in person. This is perfect for students who are currently studying geology and rocks, as they will learn about topics like rock layering, erosion and formation. This virtual field trip includes images an videos from scientists who were in the midst of exploring the canyon themselves.

NEW MEXICO

The Santa Fe Children’s Museum in New Mexico has created a couple of new virtual field trips th t every student can enjoy. Students can learn about a variety of diffe ent STEM topics through these interactive and educational programs. Students can even livestream with a museum

Santa Fe Children’s Museum

worker that includes a Q&A session. There are two programs for 3-8 graders, “Physical Science: Earth and Planetary Science” and “Life Science: Biology and Ecosystems Science.” Both virtual field trips a e slightly altered and up to 20-60 minutes depending on what grade is participating.

TEXAS

For students who love animals, the Houston Zoo in Texas has new webcams that are the perfect virtual field trip. hese live

videos allow students to examine a variety of diffe ent animals and explore the diffe ent exhibits they reside in. Some of the webcams include “The Gorilla Habitat Cam,” “Elephant Yard Cam” and even a camera small enough for students to enjoy leafcutter ants. If live webcams just aren’t enough, teachers can let the Houston Zoo come to their classroom through the “Zoo Mobile” program. This program is a group of zoo workers and educators who travel to diffe ent schools around the area to give students the opportunity to see animals in real life. While getting a closer look than through the barriers of an exhibit, students will learn about the animals and even get to touch some of them. The zoo educators will also teach kids how to help animals in the wild and live harmoniously with them. Any hopeful NASA employees or those just curious about the wonders of space will love this interactive virtual field trip f the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Boeing and Discovery Education have partnered up to provide students will a virtual tour of the station that explains the behind-the-scenes of building spacecraft and what it takes to produce massive launches. Students will learn about the history of the space station and even explore an old spacecraft: the Starliner/ CST-100. The virtual field trip is divided u into six diffe ent chapters that students can work through at their own pace.

OKLAHOMA

The Oklahoma Nature Conservatory in Oklahoma City has teamed up with Bank of America to create “OK360.” This new program allows people to explore the most

remote places of the conservatory’s land with their high-tech 360-degree cameras. Students are able to see everything for spanning views of the fields o investigating single plant species or animal habitats. “OK360” teaches students ecology, the environment and the importance of keystone species through their online learning tools. Places students can explore include the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, the Four Canyon Preserve and the Blue River. The conservatory even has information on endangered species and protected lands on their website. ■