Free Electronic Field Trip

Visit Colonial Williamsburg website where teachers and students can find out more information about colonial times. There are videos, podcasts, blogs, etc. Find out if Thomas Jefferson's ideas about education are still valid today by viewing his blog. Read recipes from the colonial era at "History is Served". There is also a Kids Zone with games and activities. There are many more activities for teachers and students to find at Colonial Williamsburg.

Last year, Colonial Williamsburg offered a free electronic field trip to teachers. They are offering another free electronic field trip for September 1 - 30, 2012 (next school year), just in time for election year. It is called "The Will of the People". Teachers can register for this field trip now and plan for next fall. The field trip has information about the negative campaigns from Thomas Jefferson's time. I think that this field trip would fit in well with our upcoming election. When was the last time (if ever) that we have not heard our candidates spreading negative campaign messages? By registering, teachers will be able to view streaming videos, lesson plans, online activities, and a teacher guide.

This electronic field trip fit very nicely into our TPACK (Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge) model that we are using. A previous blog post on TPACK can be found here. In the Social Studies Activity Types, there is a section on "Experience a Field Trip". This also ties into the Information and Technology Essential Standards (ITES) of Access and Gather Information. As I scrolled down our Social Studies Activity Types, I also found several other activities that "The Will of the People" will fit into. For example "Sequence Information" which meets the Organize Information standard for ITES; or,"Discuss" which meets Organize Information and communicate Information. There are a lot more activity types that this electronic field trip will go with also. ITES for K-5 can be found here; 6-8 here; and 9-12 here.

Why not check out the Colonial Williamsburg website and register for "The Will of the People" free electronic field trip. I think it will be very interesting.

Image: 'Jefferson? Williamsburg' http://www.flickr.com/photos/67958110@N00/4665575366