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West
University of Nebraska State Museum
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS ON THE WEST COAST
ARE VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS THE WAY OF THE FUTURE? FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF! SOME OF THE BEST MUSEUMS IN THE WEST ARE NOW OFFERING VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS AND LEARNERS.
KANSAS
Thanks to the Kansas Pork Association, students can take a virtual trip to a pig farm in Kansas. The association allows people to go through a pig barn, talk to pig farmers in real-time and see and learn about pigs. They also provide teachers with lesson plans that encourage students to learn about agriculture and farming.
NEBRASKA
The Durham Museum in Omaha aims to educate its visitors about the history of the Omaha region. The museum has over 45 virtual field trips c vering various topics such as pioneer life, Native American life and Lewis & Clark. They also include many “Featuring” videos that discuss the city and state’s history. The University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln is known for teaching students about zoology, botany, anthropology and geology. They have recently adapted their teaching method to include diffe ent online experiences for students. They have diffe ent live virtual field trips very Tuesday as well as online
Durham Museum
activities, coloring pages and videos from their Mueller Planetarium.
CALIFORNIA
The Monterey Bay Aquarium in California strives to teach students about ocean and animal conservation. In order to reach a larger audience, the aquarium started showing live cams of their most popular attractions. This includes their jellyfish xhibits, otter exhibits, penguin exhibits and more. Additionally, they have set feeding times, so students can get an
up-close look at the animal feeding. The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles houses stunning works of art dating back to the eighth century. The architecture, modeled after a fir t-century Roman house, is a perfect setting to view the paintings, sculptures, manuscripts and other art. Students are now able to see some of the most beautiful art in Los Angeles from their own homes. The San Diego Zoo in California holds 3,500 animals that range through over 650 species. In order to help animal enthusiasts and students alike, the zoo has started providing live cam footage for some of their most beloved animals. This includes their hippos, polar bears, penguins, tigers, elephants and even their prerecorded footage of their rare pandas.
OREGON
Oregon Agriculture is committed to educating students in Oregon and beyond. They’ve had e-learning resources and video libraries on their website, but they also recently added their virtual field trip experience. With this addition, they are hoping to educate more students on the importance of agriculture and farming in Oregon.
SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota is allowing students and history enthusiasts all over the world to take a trip to their most famous national monument: Mount Rushmore. They offer an int oduction into the history of the monument, a 3D exploration, a virtual tour and more in-depth information into the creation of the monument.
NORTH DAKOTA
This Plains Art Museum in Fargo showcases about 12 art exhibits throughout the year, with special acknowledgment of women and Native American artwork. Through their online exhibits, students could immerse themselves in that realm and learn about things that could possibly never be learned elsewhere.
MONTANA
Glacier National Park includes parts of two mountain ranges, over 130 named lakes
Museum of Flight
and hundreds of species of animals. With their new interactive website, students are now able to learn about the geography, landscape and history of the land.
UTAH
The Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City was created with the idea of educating people about the natural world and the mountain history of the land. Now with their virtual field trip p ogram, they are able to spread that message even more. The museum now offers eight online lessons th t feature scientists and educators to show people the history of the museum and of Utah.
WYOMING
Yellowstone National Park was the fir t established national park in the United States. There is so much history to the land, and so
much to see. Students are now able to visit the national park from their classrooms. The website has videos, map-based tours and a full virtual tour of the upper basin of the park.
WASHINGTON
Did you ever think you could show band or orchestra students a symphony performance without leaving the classroom? Now you can! The Seattle Symphony is posting concert rebroadcasts nearly daily on their website and YouTube channel, with additional “Family Programming” broadcasts featuring specific in truments. The Museum of Flight in Seattle is the largest independent non-profit air museum in the world. With the museum holding over 175 aircrafts, they offer tunning one-of-akind virtual aircraft tours. They are offering students 360 panoramic tours of 12 aircrafts
IDAHO
Idaho State University has taken its Antarctica adventures to the next level. They are allowing virtual tours into the history of the continent and the archaeology that’s featured at Destination Antarctica. They also explore the surrounding seas and examining the fossils that still reside there. Students from around the world are now able to take a look at this nearly uninhabitable continent and consider environmental practices that can rescue this vulnerable landscape. ■
