As schools grapple with budget cuts and rising fuel costs, many districts are finding it necessary to reduce or eliminate field trips, leaving students and teachers with a surprisingly attractive option--virtual field trips.

Virtual field trips typically involve students using video conferencing software or using a simple web browser to visit an online destination, such as the web site of a national museum, that offers virtual tours through the facility and up-close, three-dimensional views of geological formations, art work, and so on. They are different from webquests, which tend to be inquiry-based activities in which students use the internet to answer a set of questions.

Some virtual field trips are conducted through video or web conferencing, while others are available on individual computers by clicking a link on an organization's web site.

Many district web sites already have pages dedicated to virtual field trips, including tips and hints to help teachers get started.

Speaking with school IT staff also could help teachers learn what equipment or solution, if any, they might need to bring their class on virtual field trips. Many classrooms just need a high-speed internet connection and video conferencing capability. 

Students enrolled in the Florida Virtual School (FLVS) have the opportunity to participate in numerous virtual field trips, said Cindy Knoblauch, an FLVS Teacher of the Year nominee and the newly appointed student activities coordinator. Students are able to take a virtual field trip on their own or in groups, using a computer and browser or a web conferencing tool (FLVS uses Elluminate) that allows students to be on separate computers but still be tied together.

One of the school's science courses includes a virtual trip to the Grand Canyon. FLVS also hosted a virtual week-long Shakespeare festival that included a virtual field trip to the Globe Theatre.

"The kids used Google Earth, and they really had the feeling that they were going to that place," Knoblauch said.

Virtual field trips also help students experience guest speakers who otherwise would not have been able to speak to their classes. For instance, FLVS connected with a classroom in England. The English students all had web cameras, and FLVS students were able to see and "meet" the class. One of England's members of Parliament visited and spoke with the class that day, and FLVS students had the chance to "meet her as face-to-face as you can be," Knoblauch said.

As is common with physical field trips, often one class will have the opportunity to visit a place while the majority of the school remains in the classroom. FLVS students took a physical field trip to a zoo, but filmed video and streamed it back to students who weren't able to go, so they still had the chance to see the animals up close.

Virtual field trips offer budget-friendly opportunities not only for schools, but also for students whose families might not be able to afford the sometimes costly expense associated with physical field trips.