Ed-Tech Policy

Field Trip Lets Millions Be Virtual Spelunkers

By Jessica L. Tonn — April 25, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

More than 10 million students were expected to go on a field trip this week to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park in Carlsbad, N.M.—without leaving their classrooms.

The April 25 field trip, coordinated by Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., was to consist of two live virtual tours of the cave featuring scientists, park guides, and first lady Laura Bush. Students in grades 3-8 were invited to call in or e-mail questions to be answered on the air, or to participate in an online discussion during the 90-minute broadcasts.

The organizers billed the event as the largest simultaneous visit ever to a national park. It was also described as the largest “electronic field trip”ever broadcast by BSU, which has organized more than 50 such trips since 1996.

Organizers offered a range of ways to access the broadcast: satellite television, a local cable-access network, or streaming video online. Thirty-five public-broadcasting stations across the country also agreed to show the program.

The trip’s coordinators recommended that classes watch the show on television rather than over the Internet, because video streaming can slow down other computers in a school’s network. Also, watching the broadcast on TV would free up computers for students wanting to participate in the online forum during the show.

Mark Kornmann, the coordinator of electronic field trips for BSU, said that as of last week, participants had registered from eight countries. Many classes registered online before the show to access supplemental online material, but preregistration was not required, he said.

Registered teachers have had access to Web-based curricula about the life and geology of the caverns for the past month.

Also during that time, students have been able to play a video game on the university’s Web site in which they could explore a virtual version of the national park.

“Exploring Carlsbad Caverns” was slated as the final electronic field trip run by BSU this school year. Five trips are scheduled for next school year, including trips to the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. More information about the field trips is online at www.bsu.edu/eft.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Equity & Diversity Webinar
Classroom Strategies for Building Equity and Student Confidence
Shape equity, confidence, and success for your middle school students. Join the discussion and Q&A for proven strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Ed-Tech Policy TikTok Is Raising National Security, Privacy Concerns. Should Educators Steer Clear?
The social media video app is raising national security concerns that could ultimately get the platform banned in the U.S.
7 min read
The icon for TikTok pictured in New York on Feb. 25, 2020.
The icon for TikTok pictured in New York on Feb. 25, 2020.
AP
Ed-Tech Policy Opinion Should Teachers Be Allowed to Use Online Tools to Monitor Student Screens?
For some teachers, that's a no-no. Others see the merit in watching their students work in real time.
12 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy 'Cybersecurity Is Huge.' Educators Make the Case for More Federal Funding
Major education organizations have told the FCC that they want to use E-rate dollars for advanced internet security firewalls.
3 min read
Image of a security symbol on a laptop.
filo/DigitalVision Vectors
Ed-Tech Policy There Are Hundreds of New Bills Targeting Cyberattacks in Schools. Will They Work?
The cybersecurity laws enacted in 2022 include mandatory incident reporting, contingency planning requirements, and workforce expansion.
2 min read
Image of lock on binary code background.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty