Journal Five

Making Field Trips PODCASTIC!
Aliece M. Weller, John C. Bickar,
and Paul McGuinness


How might an interactive field trip help my students to better understand the lesson?
The article shows how students can explore in their own way and discover parts of the museum with their own guidance. I spoke to a student the other day and she told me she hated history. She said she did not find it interesting and therefore is unable to retain any information. Of course I could not believe her words. Who does not love history? After reading this article it makes a little more sense. If we took a field trip to the museum of tolerance and the students had interactive devices that they could navigate on their own, they will take more away from the experience. They get to go where they want to go. They can find an aspect of history that they do enjoy and that may expand or open their minds to history in general.

How might the idea of unlocking information help the students to learn important facts?
First of all, high school students love messing with technology. The idea of playing around on a Pocket PC through a museum would be much more beneficial than one of Mr. Chambers lectures. If they have to answer questions right to move on, this may help them to keep their motivation. I remember playing those kinds of games when I was in school and I always wanted to get to that next page. Nowadays when students seem to have the attention span of a toddler, it is refreshing when there are programs that interact with students and get them to the next page, rather than losing interest. In addition, this may lead to collaboration and interaction between the students. If this happens then the students are helping each other learn and that is fantastic.

With such a diverse student population, how can this interactive technology stimulate more learning?
First off, the article mentions that students go at whatever pace they choose. They facilitate their own learning and each other possibly. But by doing this it actually individualizes the learning. It is like a lesson plan tailored specifically to one student. The authors mention "customizing the learning for students, and how better to facilitate their growth than a customized education. If the educational shoe fit perfectly, we would have many more educated people walking around society.