Finding the Right Balance
Life is all about finding the right mix of experiences, and as as educators, we constantly try to provide a variety of rich and meaningful learning opportunities to our students. We do this by creating learning environments which not only explore the world around us, but also offer opportunities to interact with our world. Ideally, we want our students to be able to apply concepts and learning to real-world situations, and to contribute towards making the world a better place. Therefore, could 3D technologies help educators achieve this goal?
Over the past few weeks, I’ve benefitted from the research of my fabulous cohort by reading and exploring their work on virtual field trips, and virtual and remote labs. Felipe Sequeira and Edward Frison have explored different resources, and both of their quests piqued my interest. Consequently, I had to dig a bit further into these 3D technologies, and below are a few notes on 1) Virtual and Remote Laboratories and 2) Virtual Field Trips.
A cool 3D tool you may wish to check out: Google Cardboard
1) Virtual and Remote Laboratories
As outlined in the NMC Horizon Report: 2013 K-12 Edition (pgs. 32-35), “Virtual laboratories are web applications that emulate the operation of real laboratories and enable students to practice in a “safe” environment before using real, physical components.” “Remote laboratories, on the other hand, provide a virtual interface to a real, physical laboratory.” Therefore, virtual labs allow users to perform experiments with simulated equipment in an interactive online environment, while remote labs allow users to conduct experiments using real lab equipment remotely via the Internet (users may not have the funds to access lab equipment on site). Both are said to offer authentic lab experiences.
The Horizon report presents some compelling arguments for the increasing trend towards the use of virtual and remote laboratories. These include:
- Safety
- Cost-effectiveness
- Authentic learning
- Flexibility to re-do an experiment as many times as one wants (in and out of school)
- Flexibility with respect to pace
Finally, a comment in the NMC Horizon Report: 2013 K-12 Edition causes me to consider the scientific process. It is stated that, “Because these labs are designed to allow easy repetition of experiments, there is less pressure on students to execute perfectly the first time” (pg. 33). I for one have never expected a science lab to work out perfectly the first time, as science is inherently imperfect. Getting perfect results from experiments, in my thinking, is less important than being able to critically consider possible sources of error, and ways in which lab design could be improved to impact results, etc., etc. From my point of view, it is less important to be perfect, and more important to be able to think, question, and question again. In real labs, one cannot always control the pace or certain variables, and students need to learn that this lack of control is what sometimes makes the learning authentic. Although the Horizon article notes that students feel “relief that they could perform lab activities at their own pace”, I sometimes wonder if we are trying to create perfect learning scenarios in an imperfect would. Would we be better to learn to embrace imperfection and to challenge ourselves to overcome or accept our weaknesses?
As an endnote, I highly recommend checking out the links at the end of the NMC Horizon Report: 2013 K-12 Edition (pgs. 32-35). There are links to many great resources and labs.
References
NMC Horizon Report: 2013 K-12 Edition (pg. 32-35). Virtual and Remote Laboratories. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxvbHRkNTA5fGd4Ojc3YzFlYWNlMjZlYmQ2YQ
Frison, E. (2016, January 28). Virtual & Remote Labs [Blog post]. Retrieved January 31, 2016, from http://edwardflearnsonline.weebly.com/blogging-509/-virtual-remote-labs
Links as per Edward Frison’s blog post:
NMC Horizon Report: 2013 K-12 Edition (pg. 32-35). Virtual and Remote Laboratories. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxvbHRkNTA5fGd4Ojc3YzFlYWNlMjZlYmQ2YQ
Frison, E. (2016, January 28). Virtual & Remote Labs [Blog post]. Retrieved January 31, 2016, from http://edwardflearnsonline.weebly.com/blogging-509/-virtual-remote-labs
Links as per Edward Frison’s blog post:
- Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP): http://ssep.ncesse.org/2015/10/new-flight-opportunity-for-school-districts-announcing-student-spaceflight-experiments-program-ssep-mission-10-to-the-international-space-station-starting-february-2016/
- Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre : http://www.bamfieldmsc.com/education/educators/virtual-visits
- Mathematical constructs: http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html
- Chemistry: http://chemcollective.org/vlabs
- Physics: http://www.vplab.co.uk/
2) Virtual Field Trips
What are the benefits?
These days, many schools are using video-conferencing technologies such as Skype to go on virtual field trips to museums, zoos, and locations all over the world. Students are practicing safety procedures, and working on analytical and critical thinking skills in innovative ways that bring the world to their classroom. Virtual field trips can also be customized to meet curricular goals. For example, students can be assigned specific roles on virtual field trips in order to practice pre-determined skills (i.e, data collection).
Global connections are another benefit of virtual field trips, as students from different cultures can connect and discuss common issues, and thereby work towards solutions to global problems. Students learn to think beyond themselves and their own country; students start to think on a global scale, communicating with students in other countries to better understand issues and problems (whether it be carbon emissions, politics, etc.). These virtual connections are said to have a long lasting impact on students, as students tend to continue to talk about the connections and the issues long after the lesson is over.
What is missing?
I once asked a student to tell me what he missed most about a country he had left years ago when his family moved to Canada. Quite definitively he replied, “the smells and the sounds of the market, and the feeling of being there that artifacts can’t replace”. He went on to describe the smells in depth. This conversation and my own personal travel experiences have taught me that much of our travel experience comes from our combined senses – we smell new aromas (some pungent, some not), our hearing is often bombarded with new sounds, we can feel oppressively hot or sticky, we often taste new foods, and indeed, we see a vast array of new images.
These experiences may not be offered in entirety by a virtual field trip, but we can use virtual field trips to offer all students, regardless of their ability or socio-economic background, an introduction to cultures, issues, and global experiences. Virtual field trips are said to offer a level playing field, and as long as we combine these virtual experiences with non-virtual field trips or real-world experiences - where students can feel the elements of nature, and taste and smell the multicultural elements of other cultures - I feel we can offer a well-balanced look at the world, which can perhaps provide a springboard for later student exploration.
What are the benefits?
These days, many schools are using video-conferencing technologies such as Skype to go on virtual field trips to museums, zoos, and locations all over the world. Students are practicing safety procedures, and working on analytical and critical thinking skills in innovative ways that bring the world to their classroom. Virtual field trips can also be customized to meet curricular goals. For example, students can be assigned specific roles on virtual field trips in order to practice pre-determined skills (i.e, data collection).
Global connections are another benefit of virtual field trips, as students from different cultures can connect and discuss common issues, and thereby work towards solutions to global problems. Students learn to think beyond themselves and their own country; students start to think on a global scale, communicating with students in other countries to better understand issues and problems (whether it be carbon emissions, politics, etc.). These virtual connections are said to have a long lasting impact on students, as students tend to continue to talk about the connections and the issues long after the lesson is over.
What is missing?
I once asked a student to tell me what he missed most about a country he had left years ago when his family moved to Canada. Quite definitively he replied, “the smells and the sounds of the market, and the feeling of being there that artifacts can’t replace”. He went on to describe the smells in depth. This conversation and my own personal travel experiences have taught me that much of our travel experience comes from our combined senses – we smell new aromas (some pungent, some not), our hearing is often bombarded with new sounds, we can feel oppressively hot or sticky, we often taste new foods, and indeed, we see a vast array of new images.
These experiences may not be offered in entirety by a virtual field trip, but we can use virtual field trips to offer all students, regardless of their ability or socio-economic background, an introduction to cultures, issues, and global experiences. Virtual field trips are said to offer a level playing field, and as long as we combine these virtual experiences with non-virtual field trips or real-world experiences - where students can feel the elements of nature, and taste and smell the multicultural elements of other cultures - I feel we can offer a well-balanced look at the world, which can perhaps provide a springboard for later student exploration.
References
Scholastic. (n.d.). Virtual Field Trips [Blog post]. Scholastic: Teachers. Retrieved from: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/virtual-field-trips
Virtual field trips links noted by Felipe Sequeira, via OLTD 509 content material:
Other links worth noting:
Scholastic. (n.d.). Virtual Field Trips [Blog post]. Scholastic: Teachers. Retrieved from: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/virtual-field-trips
Virtual field trips links noted by Felipe Sequeira, via OLTD 509 content material:
- www.Airpano.com/List-Aerial-Panoramas.php
- http://www.educatevia360.com/sample/ncdemotour/
- https://www.google.com/edu/expeditions/
Other links worth noting:
- Forest field trip for elementary kids: http://www.upmforestlife.com/