Dr. Kimberly Rombach's Courses
 State University of New York College at Cortland
Childhood/Early Childhood
Spring 2006
 

EDU 647: Social Education in the Digital Age
Assignment: Virtual Field Trip
Assignment description and corresponding grading rubric:
Virtual Field Trip

Virtual Field Trips are created and used by educators to arrange a series of pages from one Internet website or selected sites into a guided and narrated tour to motivate and enhance their students' learning. Virtual Field Trips (VFT) can "take" students to nearby or faraway places without actually leaving the classroom environment. Some examples of VFTs can be viewed by
clicking here.

The goal of a VFT is to increase the usefulness of Internet sources for students by carefully selecting content embedded in website(s) to enhance students' learning by using technology.

Assignment description: You are asked to develop a Virtual Field Trip on a social studies topic of your choice. Your task will be to identify a social studies theme for your focus by reviewing the 10 National Council for the Social Studies themes (http://www.ncss.org/standards) and then select a topic and grade level for your focus. You will then review and gather appropriate Internet resources based on the theme and topic you've chosen and combine them into a tour. Once you have identified all of the resources you will use, you are to then write a narrative that weaves all of the resources together. The narrative is to be written in a PowerPoint slideshow with the selected Internet sites embedded throughout your work. This assignment is 15 points of your course grade.

Steps to complete this project:

1. Identify your student audience.

2. Identify your social studies topic and related theme.

3. Write clearly identified desired student outcomes for the Virtual Field Trip (What do you want students to learn?)

4. Search the Internet for reliable websites that offer content that corresponds with the desired student outcomes that you have established.

5. Analyze the websites that you have identified, ensuring that they are (1) safe for children, (2) reliable regarding content, (3) easy to navigate, (4) correspond well to your theme, topic AND desired student outcomes.

6. Choose the websites and/or associated pages that you will use for your Virtual Field Trip. 

7. Use PowerPoint to write words of welcome to your VFT and include content you would like students to learn AND weave your website addresses throughout your PowerPoint presentation (see next page for PowerPoint slideshow content and outline).

8. Print out a hard copy of your PowerPoint presentation (6 slides per page).

9. Bring a copy of your PowerPoint show to class and present your VFT to a small group of students in class on and hand in your printed hard copy of your work (including any student activities you have created to correspond with the VFT.

Create a PowerPoint presentation using the following outline:

1. Provide an attractive and motivating initial slide welcoming viewers to your Virtual Field Trip (be sure to identify your targeted audience).

2. Provide a brief explanation of the social studies theme and topic for the VFT.

3. List the desired student outcomes you've chosen for this VFT.

4. Provide an introduction to your content.

5. Weave your selected websites into the PowerPoint presentation, clearly identifying (1) what you want students to focus on when going to the identified website, (2) why you chose this particular site to have students visit, and (3) at least one activity that students will complete while on the VFT that you will collect and use for assessment.

6. Provide, in your own words, additional information on your topic throughout the PowerPoint show. 

7. Be sure to create a slide(s) that review the content you wanted students to learn from experiencing the VFT.

8. Provide a slide that identifies a closing time for questions and answers.

9. List all of the resources you used to create your VFT in your PowerPoint show.

10. Print a copy of your PowerPoint (6 slides per page) to hand in on the day of your presentation.

Virtual Field Trip Grading Rubric

 

Target

Acceptable

Unacceptable

Content

You clearly identified and described the social studies theme, topic and desired student outcomes.
(3 points)

You clearly identified and described the social studies theme and topic. Your desired student outcomes were not well aligned to the theme and topic.
(2 points)

You identified the social studies theme and topic. Your desired student outcomes did not align to the theme and topic.
(1-0 point)

You selected Internet sites as resources for your VFT that aligned well to your theme, topic, desired student outcomes and targeted audience.
(3 points)

You selected Internet sites as resources for your VFT that aligned well to your theme, topic and desired student outcomes. The selected sites were not appropriate for the developmental levels of your targeted audience.
(2 points)

You selected Internet sites as resources for your VFT that minimally aligned to your theme, topic, and/or desired student outcomes. Your selected Internet sites were not appropriate for the developmental levels of your targeted audience.
(1-0 point)

You integrated your topic, theme, desired student outcomes and Internet sites into a PowerPoint slideshow that included all elements from the PowerPoint outline provided in this document.
(3 points)

You integrated your topic, theme, desired student outcomes and Internet sites into a PowerPoint slideshow that included most of the elements from the PowerPoint outline provided in this document.
(2 points)

You integrated your topic, theme, desired student outcomes and Internet sites into a PowerPoint slideshow that included some of the elements from the PowerPoint outline provided in this document.
(1-0 point)

Visual Presentation

(PowerPoint Slideshow)

Your visual display of information enhanced the content of the VFT. It appeared welcoming and motivational to your targeted audience and was easy to read.
(2 points)

Your visual display of information accurately portrayed the content of the VFT.
(1 point)

Your visual display of information distracted from the content and desired student outcomes of the VFT.
(0 point)

Your visual display of information clearly identified, described and encouraged the targeted audience to visit the Internet websites of the VFT.
(2 points)

Your visual display of information clearly identified and described the Internet websites of the VFT.
(1 point)

Your visual display of information identified the Internet websites of the VFT.
(0 point)

Oral Presentation

 

The oral presentation consisted of reading the slides AND significantly elaborating with interesting details AND guiding the audience through the VFT.
(2 points)

The oral presentation consisted of reading the slides AND elaborating with details AND guiding the audience through the VFT.
(1 point)

The oral presentation consisted of reading the slides AND guiding the audience through the VFT.
(0 point)