Virtual Field Trips

Post Author: Jessica Moody, Library Media Educational Technology Specialist, Olympus Jr. High School

The National Archives Educator Resources page is a great resource for K-12 teachers.

DocsTeach is a repository of lesson plans, graphic organizers, and Primary Sources Documents focusing on American History. You can browse or search by time period, topic, activity type, or grade level. The graphic organizers are simple and fun. The Interpreting Data exercises are a great way to link History, Analysis, and even some math skills such as reading graphs and charts. All DocsTeach lessons align with Bloom’s taxonomy and the National History Standards. Follow @DocsTeach on Twitter to see highlights of new additions and interesting documents from the National Archives that relate to the National History Standards.

Be sure to subscribe to the US National Archives YouTube Channel for a variety of videos and professional development. If you look at their Playlists, their videos are organized by topics and interests. You can even find professional development for teachers. Be sure to use the search option on their channel page to search for specific videos for your next lesson. In their Uploads stream you can see a few of their upcoming live streams that will be posted soon. The Illusions of Emancipation will be posting on February 27^th, 2019. This video will deal with the slow process of ending slavery in America.

The National Archives also feature apps, ebooks, warm up activities, and political cartoons to assist you. This is a great place to find bell ringers and more in-depth lessons. The eBooks are free and are in PDF format so that they are easily accessible.

The Online Exhibits are a great way to host a virtual field trip. There are many topics including Art History, History, World Geography, Science & Technology, and even When Nixon Met Elvis.

Of course, there is much more to be found. What will you find?

Preface: TIPS Program

The Educational Technology department is currently rolling out the Technology Integration Progress program, which aims, in conjunction with technology integration coaching from school technology and library media specialists, to provide personalized professional development to teachers. This program is supported by TIP Cards that have been distributed to all teachers, as well as a menu of resource pages that complement and expand upon the brief instructions included in the TIP cards. The resource pages will be added to throughout the year, and on this blog we will feature new resources as they are added to the resource pages.

Today, in our first of these new features, we share Skype in the Classroom, a resource included in our Level 3 Global Collaboration topic.

Skype in the Classroom

Skype in the Classroom is a an online community that connects educators, experts, and students through global learning and collaboration activities using Skype communication software. Featured activities include Virtual Field Trips, Mystery Skype, Skype Lessons, Guest Speakers, and Skype Collaborations.

Here are some quick steps to get started with Skype in the Classroom:

All teachers in Granite School District have a free Skype account using their Granite School District credentials, and Skype for Business software is pre-installed and available on district computers.
Fill out the “Skype in the Classroom” section of your Microsoft Educator Community member profile. (You can use use your graniteschools.org Office 365 account to join the Microsoft Educator Community.)
Visit the Skype in the Classroom page (https://education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/overview) and explore the available opportunities, such as Virtual Field Trips or Mystery Skype.
Choose and register for a virtual field trip by by clicking the purple “Register” button on the details page for that field trip.

For additional resources on Skype in the Classroom, view these links:

Introduction to Skype in the Classroom (Virtual Learning Course)
A Teacher’s Guide to Skype in the Classroom
Authors Who Skype with Classes and Book Clubs (For Free!)

Page content created by Jenny Peirce, Granite District Educational Technology Specialist.