Being There compared to Virtual School, Traditional School

Recently, I was awarded what will likely be one of the greatest opportunities of my life. And this all came about because I was tired of students just reading about things and discussing them, but not actually seeing these things with their own eyes, maybe even touching them. To me, the greatest comprehension, engagement and critical reading happens when one is reading about things they have experienced personally. So, when thinking about my own teaching, and having students read about literature rooted in European history. I said to myself, "why don't we get some students together someday and go there." Having received some info from EF Tours, an educational travel company (see www.eftours.com), I requested a detailed tour packet by filling out a form online, mostly on a whim. However, in doing so, I was automatically entered to win a contest for a teacher to take several students on a EF tour of their choice. Well, long story short. I won.

Now I am swamped with working out the logistics, which included recruiting a small committee of teachers to help me select the students. This will be done through an essay/video contest that ends Wednesday. Students will be selected based on the most convincing, truthful submissions. I know I will have many entrants, but I will only be able to choose five. It's a great but tough job to have. We will be going on a 9-day tour to France, Germany and the Alps and I can't wait!

But you're probably wondering what that has to do with virtual school Senior English and literacy instruction and skill development. Well, I've realized that virtual school English is great for all of the opportunities it can provide and the breadth of information and background knowledge readily available for students to use via the Web. However, just as it is for reading books and looking at pictures in the traditional classroom, for the most meaningful, vibrant and lasting instruction, nothing beats being there. For example, because Paris is one of the places we're going (though I've been myself, it's all about the students, you know), we could read Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame or Les Miserables and then go to the places he uses as his settings. The students could imagine Quasimoto up amongst the gargoyles and buttresses while standing right before the mighty Gothic cathedral. What could beat this kind of learning? Nothing beats being there.

While I look through the lessons of the virtual school Senior English course I am observing, I see that there are resources students can use to learn more about their reading selections, and some allow students to visit the story settings or related artifacts virtually, but certainly doing so in person is not possible. According to an article by Tuthill and Klemm (2002), actual field trips "help bridge formal and informal learning, and prepare students for lifelong learning." Further, they state that: "Research has long demonstrated that using a variety of instructional strategies optimizes the effectiveness of teaching and learning." The pair also cite research that field trips have a positive effect on student learning and when they are "designed to connect classroom topics to real world contexts" they "provide direct learning experiences, adding realism and relevancy to studies." Field trips also appear to various learning profiles, they state.

But in recent years, schools' focus on classroom instruction time to prepare for standardized testing and budget constraints have largely made field trips a thing of the past. Additionally, when considering a trip overseas, the cost becomes exorbitant for participants. That's why I've been so fortunate. The trip will be largely free and all-inclusive, other than student spending money and tip monies for our guides and drivers. Otherwise, there is no way I'd be able to do it. No, instead I would be forced to do what Tuthill and Klemm discuss as an emerging trend, taking "virtual" field trips via the Internet, perhaps even taking the students to a school computer lab and letting them engage in interactive lessons on the computer that "take" them to the place they are studying and let them review the material at their own pace, and let individual students explore items of more interest to them in-depth. While I will agree that this is a great use of information and computer technology (ICT) and it likely is more effective in giving the student a range of resources that help to enhance learning and the feeling of actually being there, it still isn't the same as actually BEING there.

So, does this mean I think that virtual schools English instruction isn't worthwhile? Certainly not, and I'm not so fickle or naive to not understand that it is unreasonable to expect to take students to the places they read about in class. However, I am just pointing out that despite all of our advances in print media over the centuries, and now digital media, it is difficult to match the learning than can be afforded by engaging with something in person. But, as the lucky students and I travel to see some of Europe's finest wonders next year, I doubt I'll send a post card. Why do that when you can blog or send e-mails? An old, paper post card of some static, non-interactive picture? What's the point?
So, I guess if you follow my sarcasm, here might be a potential hierarchy for ideal learning settings:

I. Being there in person
II. Using digital tools, including the Internet
III. Traditional classroom and materials, including books and maps

But this is just me, what do you think?

Reference:

Klemm, B. & Tuthill, G. (2002). Virtual field trips: Alternatives to actual field trips. International Journal of Instructional Media. Dec. 22, 2002. Accessed April 20, 2008 from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7969233_ITM