Literature Research and Data Collection: Virtual Field trips and Online Teaching


Blog assignment #2

Literature Research and Data Collection

Related image
Fig. 1
SaIau, Adetola. Boys with Google Cardboard. September 7th, 2017. Virtual Reality a Bonus to Education?  Premium Times. Web. 19 Sept 2017.

 I began this portion of the assignment very uncertain if my keyword searches would be helpful. As my research topic is based on rather new technology, I wasn’t sure if there would be many scholarly resources at my disposal. Luckily, my doubts were unfounded and I had great success at tracking down pertinent information about online teaching and virtual field trips. Here are the results of the resources I found the most useful.

I began this portion of the assignment very uncertain if my keyword searches would be helpful. As my research topic is based on rather new technology, I wasn’t sure if there would be many scholarly resources at my disposal. Luckily, my doubts were unfounded and I had great success at tracking down pertinent information about online teaching and virtual field trips. Here are the results of the resources I found the most useful.

 Scholarly articles and Books:

Resource #1:

Lessons from the Virtual Classroom: The Realities of Online Teaching
By: Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt
Link: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ubc/reader.action?docID=861656 

For an online teacher, this book is extremely useful. The authors cover a wide range of topics about online learning, including how to better facilitate an online classroom, how to encourage and engage students and to keep them on track of their assignments. They discuss the importance of incorporating multi-media into the courses, such as videos, podcasts, RSS, chat-rooms and the use of blogs and even the game Second-Life. Although the book is not technology focused, they do have many good ideas about how to utilise these programs to better reach and engage students. This is helpful to me, as some of these programs were either new to me, or merely something I had not yet considered. The authors caution against using technology for the sake of it. Instead, they explain how to implement it wisely, considering need, cost, accessibility and whether or not the use of said technology will really aid in furthering the course.
I found that the book was well organized, and the chapter titles were clear indicators of the information they included. I feel that this source will be very useful to me over the course of the year and will help me to better preform in my new position as an online teacher.
Overall, this book will be very useful for me as a new online teacher. Inside, there is plenty of excellent advice which stems far beyond my initial questions and will help me to be a better facilitator of online learning.

Resource #2
Technology in the Classroom: Designing a Virtual Fieldtrip
By: Jan Guidry Lacina
Link: www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00094056.2004.10522239?src=recsys

This article was very helpful in the planning of a virtual fieldtrip and how to best approach it. They discuss the benefits of taking children on these fieldtrips often and the benefits for rural and impoverished children who would not normally have access to the places available virtually (museums in Europe, or even Outer Space). In addition, the author actually gives concrete advice on how to best plan and execute such a field-trip. I think that as educators, we often come across resources that preach a lot of great ideas, but don’t give you the necessary steps or examples to do it ourselves. I felt that this article gave good advice on how to familiarize yourself with these types of field trips and how to best organize yourself beforehand, which is actually helpful. Although it is a short article, I feel like it gives a good base on what to reflect on before preparing a VR field trip and how to make sure that you will be prepared when it’s finally time to launch it. When it’s finally time for me to launch a virtual field trip of my own, I will use this article to help me.

Resource #3

Smartphone Based Virtual Reality Systems in Classroom Teaching — A Study on the Effects of Learning Outcome
By: Ananda Bibek Ray and Deb Suman
Link: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/document/7814797/

This article is useful and informative for anyone trying to learn what Google Cardboard is, how to set it up and which apps to use to best appreciate it. The article is very simple to read and I feel that I could even use it to help my students set themselves up with the program. The author discusses the benefits of Google Cardboard, and performs a study where one group of students were taught by means of Google Cardboard and the other was taught by means of traditional teaching (white board, slides, and lecture).  The results were then compared, which showed that the students learning from virtual reality were out-preforming the other students, and genuinely enjoyed their education. This portion of the article I found less important, as I do not intend to teach long lessons to the students with Google Cardboard. However, I do feel that anyone intending to do this would be pleased with the results of this study. I myself was interested that the students enjoyed learning in this fashion and it made me excited to try out virtual reality lessons in my online classroom.
Overall, this article is useful for those trying to get started with Google Cardboard. However, it is short and I don’t believe I can gain anything else from reading it. Yet, it was a good starting point for me and I learned how to implement the program.

 Image result for virtual field trip
Fig 2. Belen, Penado. Virtual Field trip. Alternative Learning Environments/ Virtual Field Trips and Virtual Tours. Web. Accessed 23 Sept. 2017.

 Resource #4

Essentials of Online Teaching: A Standards- Based Guide
Link: http://www.tandfebooks.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/view/10.4324/9781315686905
By: Margaret Foley-McCabe

This was my favourite resource, as it is absolute wealth of information. The authors outline everything I could want to learn about my current profession.  There is concrete advice about how to create online programs, communicate with students, help with motivation and helpful suggestions on how to keep students interested and logged in to the course.  Chapter 3, entitle “Teaching with digital tools and resources”  is particularly useful to me. Again, this book suggests the use of many multi-media outlets (articles, videos, blogs..etc) and has useful information about how to best communicate with students. It is my opinion that this book would be useful to any online teacher who wants advice on any aspect of the job. I will be using this book throughout the course, but also for my own personal growth as a teacher. As I am new to online teaching, this resource will be extremely helpful towards the many questions I wanted to know in my first blog post.

After finding a lot of success with scholarly articles and eBooks, I decided to look towards other research tools. I found many blogs and websites which contained practical and helpful information about the Apps and new technology that I was researching.

Resource #5

Google's New App Brings Hundreds of Museums to Your Phone
By: Elizabeth Stinson
Link: https://www.wired.com/2016/07/googles-new-app-brings-hundreds-museums-phone/

This article discusses the virtual museum tours now available online through Google.  Over the last few years, Google has been building this Arts and Culture App, and it now includes over 1,000 institutions from around the globe that can be accessed online. Directed tours through the museums are offered, with plenty of information about the works of art on display. I found this article important for my research, because I intend to plan a fieldtrip using the App.  The article discusses what is available through the App and also how to make the most of the experience. Although there is not much more information to be gleaned from reading this article, I am glad to have found it so that I can learn about the opportunities available and get started on planning my own virtual field trips!

Extras!
Now, just for fun I wanted to also include some links I found on Youtube.com that are simple virtual fieldtrips that the students could watch, one is a visit to the magnificent Louvre museum in Paris and the other is a tour of Paris. This tour takes you all over the city and includes a trip on the Seine and several visits inside museums. I believe the students would really enjoy these videos and it gives you a sense of what it feels like to be in Paris! Although it will never be the same as actually being there in person, at least students can connect to the culture, which is an important part of the curriculum.

Link to the Louvre: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmT-djHyo3E

Link to the tour of Paris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4W4X_UBRkg

I also included a video link which is a demo on how Google Cardboard works and which apps are available to beginners and how to set it up! This video would be useful to students getting started and just to understand how the program works.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0_QfGeBEgM

In conclusion, I feel that I am off to a great start with my research and I have learned a lot along the way. I now feel much more knowledgeable about Google Cardboard and Virtual Reality. I also know exactly where I need to go for help about a variety of topics about online teaching.



                                                                Works Cited

allairej1957. “Paris , France - A WALKING TRAVEL TOUR - HD 1080P.” YouTube, YouTube, 24 May 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4W4X_UBRkg. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

Foley-McCabe, Margaret. Essentials of Online Teaching: A Standards-Based Guide. Routledge, 2017. Web. 24 Sep. 2017.

Lucina, Jan Guidry. “Technology in the Classroom: Designing a Virtual Fieldtrip.” Journal of Childhood Education, vol. 80, no. 4, 25 July 2012, pp. 220–222., www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00094056.2004.10522239?src=recsys. Accessed 20 Sept. 2017.

Mxsmanic. “Twenty Minutes at the Louvre Museum.” YouTube, YouTube, 23 Aug. 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmT-djHyo3E. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

Pratt, Keith and Palloff, Rena. Lessons from the Virtual Classroom. Second Edition.  John Wiley & Sons.  May 24th, 2013. Proquest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ubc/reader.action?docID=861656

Ray, Ananda Bibek, and Suman Deb. “Smartphone Based Virtual Reality Systems in Classroom Teaching — A Study on the Effects of Learning Outcome.” 2016 IEEE Eighth International Conference on Technology for Education (T4E), 2016. UBC Library, doi:10.1109/t4e.2016.022. Accessed 20 Sept. 2017.

Stinson, Elizabeth. “Google's New App Brings Hundreds of Museums to Your Phone.” Wired, Conde Nast, 3 June 2017, www.wired.com/2016/07/googles-new-app-brings-hundreds-museums-phone/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

ThioJoeTech. “Google Cardboard! (Overview and Demo).” YouTube, YouTube, 29 Jan. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0_QfGeBEgM. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.


Comments

  1. Aaron MuellerSeptember 25, 2017 at 7:18 AM

    Well done blog post that captures the experiences so far of you organizing yourself, taking stock of whats out there and adjusting your search expectations and strategies. Overall, a solid list of potential resources, from both traditional and new media, that will support and inform your rationale.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Read and Discover

Image
Fig 1.  Keep Calm and Love Reading. Pinterest. Web. Accessed 2 Oct 2017. Reading has always been my absolute favourite pass-time. I could read all day and feel completely fulfilled. Therefore, it came as a shock to me when I realized that some others disliked reading and would avoid it at all cost! How I promote literacy in the classroom: With this realization, I knew that there had to be ways to make reading more interesting and engaging for students who were reluctant to open a book. In my classroom, I had what I called “book talks” after silent reading. This was unstructured time for students to discuss what they had read about that afternoon and what had struck them, what they found interesting, and to dive into some concepts that they had come across in their readings. I found that allowing students to make their own choices for pleasure reading really enhanced their enjoyment, which is why I also was very flexible with my choices for literature c...
Read more

Chatting, Networking and Researching

Image
Fig. 1 Connect with Colleagues . Best Colleges Online. Web. Accessed 10 Oct 2017. Maintaining my explorations and development during and after this class will involve networking with colleagues in-person and online. Luckily, we live in an age where dissemination of information and ideas is widespread, and we can keep informed on the latest trends, book series and pedagogical research with a click of a mouse. I have compiled a list of ways (and some helpful links) that teacher-librarians can use to stay informed and meet colleagues. In-person collaboration There are many opportunities across the lower mainland and the Fraser Valley for teacher collaboration in person. In Chilliwack, we have bi-monthly collaboration meetings for many different groups, and everyone is welcome to sign up for their preferred subject. I will certainly attend the meetings for Chilliwack Teacher Librarians, who work on developing literacy and improving their libraries. Working with colleagues...
Read more

Collaboration is key

Image
Fig. 2 Teacher Librarians. No More Dusty Shelves. Web. Accessed 16 October 2017. The role of the teacher-librarian is rapidly evolving,  and “teacher-librarians have come a long way from the time when they were considered caretakers of the book collection.  Now they are information providers, consultants, curriculum activists, instructional designers, instructional leaders, production specialists and most important, teachers.” (Bev Shreirer 2000) With all of these new responsibilities, teacher librarians need to be prepared to not only run the library, but inform others about information technology, advocate for new resources, collaborate with others, develop lesson plans to integrate new curriculum (and technology) and  disseminate important information. Teachers, as we know very well, are extremely busy. I feel that the best way to encourage educators to try new technology and resources is to make it really easy (and painless) for them to inform themselves...
Read more