Virtual Field Trips

I agree with Coulter when he says, “The key is for inquiry to drive the technology implementation and not vise versa.” I too think that first hand experience is an essential component of inquiry and only after these first hand experiences should technology be used to expand student knowledge. Last year, my 4^th grade class studied the Dominican Republic. They learned all about the daily life of the Dominican people through pictures and articles. At the end of this unit, we took a field trip to Washington Heights in order to explore Dominican Immigration to the United States. As I reflect on this unit of study, I realize how important student exploration was to their understanding of how Dominican Immigration impacted the Washington Heights area. I think about all the technology we could have used to help strengthen student understanding of life in the Dominican Republic. I wish I had known about virtual field trips at the time and I am excited to use them in the future.