'Globe' photo (c) 2009, Groume - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Virtual field trips are what the name implies — going on a field trip without actually leaving school grounds. Nothing really beats going out on a real trip for creating zillions of learning opportunities, but if money is tight and/or you don’t expect to be taking your class on an international adventure anytime soon, a virtual trip might just have to do.

These kind of trips come in four “sizes” — ones that you schedule in advance and have live interaction with someone on the other end; one that is pre-recorded and can be accessed at anytime; one that you create on your own; or one that students create after experiencing one as a model.

Most, though not all,  of the sites listed on “This Best… list” offer more than one of these options.

You might also find sites on The Best Sites For Panoramas list useful for planning some virtual trips, as well as:

A Beginning List Of The Best Resources On Virtual Reality In Education

The Best Sites Where Students Can Plan Virtual Trips

The Best Resources For Google Earth Beginners Like Me

The Best Resources For Organizing & Maximizing Field Trips – Both “Real” & “Virtual”

Here are my choices for The Best Resources For Finding And Creating Virtual Field Trips:

Here are sites that have very extensive collections of various virtual field trips:

Internet 4 Classrooms

Edutopia has a good article titled Internet Explorers: Virtual Field Trips Are More Than Just Money Savers.

The iLearn Technology blog has a post on a trip that looks particularly engaging. It’s called the Smithsonian Virtual Museum.

Google Earth is another source for these kinds of trips. Here are some specific resources for that application:

e Field Trips looks like it has a number of free virtual trips that you have sign-up to “attend.”

100 Incredible Virtual Tours

Google has created a gallery where you can visit historic areas around the world using its Street View feature.

The Google Art Project puts some of the most important art museums, and their collections, online with amazing features. I’ve embedded a very short video from the site that shows what it can do — I can’t do justice to it just with words.

Google released a “Street View” of portions of the Amazon. You can go to the site; read Google’s post about it and see their links to special highlights, and read TechCrunch’s post about it.


Here’s Another “Wow!” Site From Google — The “World Wonders Project”

Travel the World from Your Classroom: Free iPad Apps for Virtual Field Trips is from Edutopia.

6 virtual field trips to give lesson plans a boost is from Education Dive.

Check out Virtual Field Trips Spice Up Learning from Middleweb.

The Best “Sound Maps” & Webcams For Teaching Geography

Five-Minute Film Festival: Virtual Field Trips is from Edutopia.

Instant Virtual Field Trips is from Ditch That Textbook.

Six Strategies for Virtual Field Trips is from The School Library Journal.

Now This Is VERY Intriguing: Students & Teachers Can Now Create Their Own Google Virtual Reality “Tours”

Learn Around The World offers both free and paid virtual field trips.

Virtual Field Trips for ELT is from TESOL.

Learn Around The World provides opportunities for virtual field trips.

Outside Simulator provides various options of street scenes around the world where you can “parachute” into.

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS TO SUPPORT ENGLISH TEACHING ONLINE is from The British Council.

I learned about Gez.la from Google Maps Mania, who wrote:

It provides links to virtual content created by museums, galleries, aquariums and zoos around the world.

Visit 100 cultural sites in Search is from Google.

10 of the best virtual tours of the world’s natural wonders is from The Guardian.

6 Free Resources for Virtual Field Trips is from Edutopia.

Research Quest offers virtual field trips to support science learning. You can read more about it at The Hechinger Report.

Designing Digital Audio Guides for Language Learning with izi.Travel is from FLT Magazine.

A New Resource for Free Digital Field Trips is from Edutopia.

5 Tips for Creating an Effective Virtual Field Trip is from Edutopia.

7 Alternatives to Google Expeditions and Tour Creator

Using Virtual Field Trips and Game-Based Lessons to Support an Inclusive Classroom is from Edutopia

Feel free to contribute additional suggestions.

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