About+Our+Topic


 * Our virtual conference was held via the Oncourse discussion forum. Lajmar, Linda and Holly were present for the interaction which took place on Saturday, October 17th. Through our conversation, we came to realize that we all had an interest in Elementary Education. Linda is an elementary school teacher, and I am a former preschool teacher and current YP assistant librarian. So we agreed to do something related to elementary school students. Linda suggested that we research local field trips, and then we realized that we were geographically separated by several miles, and that the concept of "local" would quickly become relative. So, we decided that each of us would select three places in our region to focus on. We would each research three field trips that would be appropriate for K-5 students, and then we would share our findings through a wiki site.

Our wiki makes a unique contribution to the web because there aren't many comprehensive resources for statewide field trips. We have each researched different parts of the state, and created an overall listing of fun stuff for kids.

This study trip wiki provides teachers and librarians a glimpse at potential local resources for classroom study. It provides a forum type setting for professionals and parents of organizations for children with a platform to share ideas and reduce the preparation involved for planning field trips.

Not only can teachers access information and photos for each location, but they can share ideas for introducing the facility into their curriculum. By sharing permissions slips, agendas, and check lists each person can benefit from the initial leg work and experiences of others.

I’m sure we have all taken a trip or visited a local park or museum and thought the experience could have been more rewarding or run smoother if we had only known certain details ahead of time. This wiki will help adults brainstorm, plan and prepare for exciting and educational activities for students/children.

By requesting an invitation to join the wiki, anyone can contribute and comment on field trip locations or add study trip ideas. This is a great free resource for any community to help each other take full advantage of inexpensive and often free learning opportunities. **

