Using Virtual Field Trips to Enhance Learning and Lower Classroom Walls

Pricing

FREE for Members

– Or –

$19.99 / On-demand Workshop for Non-Members
*The links to purchase individual workshops are available under the workshop descriptions.

Categories: Blended Learning | Instructional Strategies, Google Workspace, Social Studies | 3 hours (for total workshop) | 60 min/workshop

About the Workshop Series:

With limited time and budgets available, virtual explorations provide a great alternative to live field trips and allow teachers to “take” students to places that would otherwise be impossible. Join Lauren Boucher for a series of three collaborative, hands-on workshops that will walk you through the virtual field trip creation process and introduce you to tools and strategies that can lower the four walls of your classroom. Participants will also be provided with done-for-you templates and opportunities to make-and-take their own virtual field trips using tools such as Google Earth, Google My Maps, and Canva for Education. 

By the end of this workshop series, you will be able to: 

  • Explain how virtual field trips can lower the walls of the classroom and provide students with engaging, learning-filled experiences. 

  • Discover where to find done-for-you virtual field trips and how to create them using a ready-made planning template.

  • Explain how virtual field trips can lower the walls of the classroom and introduce students to far away destinations. 

  • Design a virtual field trip using Google Earth and Google My Maps that will immerse students in a variety of cultures and landscapes. 

  • Explain how virtual field trips can lower the walls of the classroom and create immersive learning experience for students. 

  • Design a virtual field trip using Canva for Education that allows students to explore anywhere on the planet and beyond. 

Series Workshop Descriptions

NOTE: While we recommend that you attend all sessions of the workshop series to meet the learning objectives, each workshop can be attended as a standalone. Premium Members also have access to view the recordings on demand and earn up to three continuing education credits

Session 1

An Introduction to Virtual Field Trips

Now Available On-Demand:

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Workshop Description:
We all want to provide our students with engaging, learning-filled experiences, but often time, budgets and other barriers can stand in our way. This is where technology can help enhance our lessons and lower the four walls of our classrooms! Join Lauren Boucher for this interactive workshop as she shares a variety of tools and strategies for planning innovative virtual field trips for your students. Participants will also experience a virtual field trip first-hand for themselves, discover where to find done-for-you virtual explorations, and create a trip of their own using a ready-made planning template.  

Session 2

Creating Virtual Field Trips with Google Tools

Now Available On-Demand:

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Workshop Description:
 Virtual field trips provide opportunities for teachers to lower four the walls of their classrooms and introduce students to far away destinations. Applications like Google Earth and Google My Maps are excellent resources for creating rich learning experiences that can immerse students in a variety of cultures and landscapes. Join Lauren Boucher for this interactive workshop as she shares how to create immersive virtual explorations using Google Tools for Education. Participants will also receive a ready-made planning template and the opportunity to make-and-take their own virtual field trip using Google tools. 

Session 3

Creating Virtual Field Trips with Canva

Now Available On-Demand:

Check it out!

Workshop Description:
 Students and teachers love the flexibility that virtual field trips provide, and there are a variety of tools available to help teachers plan and create engaging virtual field trips that enhance the learning experience for students. Join Lauren Boucher for this interactive workshop as she shares how Canva for Education can be used to create immersive virtual explorations that allow students to explore anywhere on the planet and beyond. Participants will also receive a ready-made planning template and the opportunity to make-and-take their own virtual field trip using Canva. 

Learning Objectives: 

  • Explain how virtual field trips can lower the walls of the classroom and create an immersive learning experience for students. 
  • Design a virtual field trip using Canva for Education that allows students to explore anywhere on the planet and beyond. 

 

Special Technology Instructions:  

Participants will need access to an internet device, a non-school, personal Google account, and a free Canva for Education account. SimpleK12’s Google Classroom will be utilized for the interactive and hands-on components of this workshop.

Assessment:  

Participants will have collaboration and sharing opportunities throughout the workshop to demonstrate their understanding of the workshop objectives and reflect on their learning. 

Who Should Attend?

Grades PreK-K, Grades 1-2, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12 

Meet the Presenter

Lauren Boucher- Expert Educator Trainer - SK12

Lauren Boucher is a Regional Digital Teaching and Learning Consultant for the state of North Carolina and a former Instructional Technology Specialist with Pitt County Schools. She has taught third grade, as well as elementary and middle school gifted education. Lauren is passionate about the transforming effect technology can have on the teaching and learning experience, and about inspiring classroom teachers to incorporate technology into their everyday routines. Most of her time is spent working with teachers to incorporate 1:1 technologies, sharing Web 2.0 tools with teachers, developing classroom and device management plans, and writing the Latin curriculum for her district's gifted program.

As a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, Lauren earned a B.S. and Master's degree in Elementary Education. She is licensed to teach K-12 academically gifted, and will add the Computers in Education special endorsement to her teaching license in 2014. She is a SMART certified lesson developer and a SMART Exemplary Educator. Lauren presents at numerous local and state conferences on using technology in the classroom.

Learning by Doing Teacher Professional Development

What are workshops? How do they work?
Collaborative opportunities to learn new skills and strategies that can be applied right away.

Learning by Doing Teacher Professional Development

Hows does SK12 support PD options for educators? We empower educators with training created by teachers for teachers. Virtual, on-demand, 30-minute sessions, and 60-minute workshops.

virtual PD for districts to offer teachers

What solutions are there for districts offering PD to educators? Districts can scale PD offerings with relevancy for each building and individual educator.

Need to become a member?

Things to Know

Live Attendance

In order to receive credit for attendance and CEUs for each individual workshop, you must be a member and be in attendance and participating throughout the whole 60-minutes. Members who are in attendance and complete all required aspects of the workshop will see their completion status reflected on their Certificate of Attendance and CEUs applied to their profile on their Teacher Learning Community profile, typically within 48 hours of completion.

On-Demand

  • Members can access any workshops they may have missed on-demand. Recordings of the workshops are typically available within 3 days following the live workshop.
  • Non-members will need to pay for each individual workshop they would like to watch. *CEUs and Certificate of Completion are not provided for non-members.

CREDITS

  • 1 CEU learning hour is provided for each workshop you attend.

Anyone! If you find a workshop that appeals to you, you are welcome to join us.

Live workshops are 60-minutes in duration. Attendees will have access to the ‘workroom' following the workshop so they can continue collaborating with peers. Additionally, the trainer is available for 24 hours following the workshop to help coach.

While it's recommended you attend every workshop of a series to make sure you are achieving all learning outcomes, each workshop can be viewed as a stand-alone.

  • Workshops will be available on-demand in the Teacher Learning Community for UpTeach members, typically within 3-5 days after the workshop has ended. NOTE: Non-members will need to pay to access the on-demand workshop.
  • UpTeach members will also have access to the associated classroom to view the participant discussion stream and access any resources supplied. NOTE: Access to the trainer is only available during the actual workshop.

We host at least one virtual workshop per week throughout the year, with the exception of holiday weeks. Times for workshops vary due to many of our trainers being educators and school consultants themselves. This means that typically workshops are held after school hours ET.

We are excited to say that workshops are now included with Premium member subscriptions and district memberships.

Don't have a membership yet? No problem. Get signed up today!

*The links to purchase individual workshops are available under the workshop descriptions.

  1. Internet access.
  2. Access to GoToWebinar. Whether you use the download app or an internet browser, trainers present direct instruction and communicate throughout the training via GoToWebinar.
  3. Access to Google Classrooms. Please make sure you are in a setting where you will have access to Google Classrooms. NOTE: Some school firewalls will not allow you to access Google Classrooms from your classroom. In these cases, you may need to be in your home to participate. Additionally, if your school email address is already associated with Google Classrooms, you will need to use a different personal email address to join so that you are not locked out of the training. Again, due to school privacy restrictions on some school email addresses.

Yes! If you have access to dual monitors, this is ideal. With this type of setup, you will be able to keep GoToWebinar open on one screen, and Google Classrooms open on another.

If you do not have access to a dual monitor setup, no worries! You will just need to make sure you can ‘toggle/switch' between the two.