3D Virtual Field Trip Simulation

Maria Harrington, an Assistant Professor at Slippery Rock University, is working on the development of 3D, high fidelity virtual experiences in which people learn by entering a virtual environment. Her company, Virtual Field Trips LLC offers “simulations for exploration, discovery, and intrinsic learning designed for the young child in all of us.”  Public schools qualify for the company’s educational license.

Harrington’s first field trip features the Trillium Trail, an area in Fox Chapel, PA. Students at the O’Hara Elementary School in Fox Chapel piloted the program. With the software, they took off on the virtual trail learning as they went while enjoying a scientifically accurate 360-degree view of their surroundings. Armed by the learning they gained on their virtual trip, the students hiked the trail in real life. According to those who have experienced “Trillium Trail”, it is like “walking into a painting” and others say it is “more real than real.”

Technology in Innovation Report

The 2012 Report from The Center for Digital Education and Converge, Technology Innovation in Education, discusses how IT funds were spent in schools, K-12 key findings in areas such as digital content strategies and online courses, what digital technologies students would like to see in their classrooms, online and blended learning, cloud computing and virtualization, and data management. You can download the report to check other information available from The Center.

Virtual Leadership Conference Targeting Mobile Learning

The FetC Virtual Leadership SUMMIT, Taking the Lead in Mobile Learning, will be held Tuesday, December 11^th, from 12:45-5:30 p.m. If you want to learn more or are confused about strategies for learning and teaching in the Age of Going Mobil, this free, Web-based conference is a must. It will feature national experts, moderated discussions, interactive online environment, and networking opportunities.

Join Partners Around the GLOBE

The GLOBE (Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment) is a worldwide program for students of all ages. Teachers can sign up for a free workshop to learn about the program, learn about partnering with other schools, and use guides that are available in English, Spanish, French, and German.  Five scientific investigations (atmosphere, Earth as a system, hydrology, land cover/biology, and soil) are available that include background information, measurement protocols, and suggested student activities. There’s a student zone on the site with games and puzzles, student events, student projects, and a Be a Scientist area.

Virtual Science Treks

If you missed the GLOBE Xpedition to Africa, you can take your students on this adventure by using the Xpedition archives of resources and webinar notes. Look for resources you want by going to the link above and searching for what you need, but don’t forget to download Xpedition’s information packet featuring the Student Research Investigation to the “Roof of Africa”, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Lessons Go Virtual at LearnZillion

Individualized learning sounds like a good idea, but unless teachers have computer programs or apps that keep up with where students should be when, individualization is difficult to achieve. To help teachers allow students to work at their own pace, former teachers Eric Westendorf and Alix Guerrier co-founded LearnZillion. The partners and their team are creating free lessons that come in the form of YouTube-type videos. The lessons which are approximately five minutes long “are illustrated by hand and voiced by a real teacher.” A “Dream Team” of 100 master teachers was selected to work on the project. So far, lessons are available for Grades 3-9 in mathematics, but other lessons are on the way. The idea is similar to that of the popular Khan Academy, with the difference being that LearnZillion’s lessons are based on the Common Core Standards and may later be sold as a service to schools wishing to have lessons tailored to their students. The partners say that the lessons posted online, however, will continue to be free to those who wish to use them. Khan Academy lessons are free.

Online Learning: Resources to Get You Started

According to an Ed Week survey, 93% of those who responded to a poll about virtual learning felt that “educational providers need to integrate more accountability measures to ensure that virtual education works effectively,” and 57% answered that their districts hadn’t made comparisons between those involved in virtual learning and those learning in traditional ways. In addition to the problems of exploring whether virtual education is working are the problems of knowing what types of virtual education are best for your students’ needs and how to bring online studies into the curriculum.

Education Week Spotlight includes a free pdf download featuring the implementation of online learning. Included in the interactive contents are topics relating to blended learning, accountability; teaming for virtual learning with other districts; criticisms of virtual learning; advantages of virtual learning for autistic, gifted, and at-risk students; school-Internet relationship’s impact on virtual learning; and resources for implementation.

Splash into Schmoop SAT II Spanish

Shmoop, the company that offers a fast and fun way to flex mental muscles, now offers SAT II Spanish and SAT II Spanish with Listening Test Prep. According to Shmoop, it’s fiesta, not siesta time as the programs helps students “ninja kick” every section of the exam and become a grammar guru as well. If you haven’t experienced any of Shmoop’s unique offerings and your students are planning to take SAT II Spanish, take a look at this test prep option. Chances are—your students will learn from it and enjoy it, too. After all, what other SAT prep lets them build their own Frankenstein and capture King Kong?