field-trip

Google+ links teachers, virtual field trips


Google+ virtual field trips will support community of teachers and academic partners

google-field-tripIn an effort to boost teacher collaboration and cultivate digital skills in students, Google+ on Nov. 4 launched Connected Classrooms, a program that connects K-12 teachers with virtual field trip resources and best practices.

Virtual field trips have always been available on Google+, but the Google+ Education Partnership Team sees Connected Classrooms as a more formal way for teachers to locate virtual field trips and connect with other educators in a thriving community.

“This is really just the beginning of where we see Connected Classrooms going,” said Lisa Jiang, Google+ Education Partnerships Lead. “We see this as an opportunity to not just attend a virtual field trip, but for teachers to become more proactive in using digital tools to help equip their students with the skills they need for digital citizenship.”

(Next page: How to access virtual field trips)

Teachers have access to regular training sessions with Google Certified Teachers to learn how to use Google+ as effectively as possible.

Virtual field trip providers connect directly with educators through Connected Classrooms to gauge interest in various virtual field trips, coordinate schedules, and more. Virtual field trips will be streamed through Google Hangouts and then recorded and available on the organization’s YouTube channel.

Google+ team members will help educational partners identify what “works” during a virtual field trip and what content is best. Teachers will receive help as well, with the hope that the service evolves so that partners help other partners and teachers learn from one another.

The official Google+ Connected Classrooms community had 638 educator members at press time. Posts are sortable by grade level, content area, virtual field trip opportunities, and more.

The Google+ Education Partnerships Team envisions Connected Classrooms as a way to bring educators together to collaborate and share best practices about virtual field trips and integrating digital tools into teaching and learning.

Already, the virtual field trip calendar is filling up. Teachers can search by month to find upcoming virtual field trips, and more than 20 ogranizations, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and National Geographic Education have partnered with Connected Classrooms.

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Laura Ascione
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