Global connections made through virtual field trips
Since we are talking about global connections in education, perhaps it is fitting that I am writing this at 4:30 a.m. in Cambridge, England.
I am here for a very short visit to help an aged aunt deal with her affairs as she becomes a permanent resident of a care home.
I don’t know whether it’s my age, or the knowledge that I’ll be returning home to Canada in a few days, but I’m not coping very well with jet lag this time round.
Cambridge and Oxford, the U.K.’s oldest universities, have been centres of learning for more than 800 years. Since 1829, their friendly rivalry is played out every spring with the Boat Race, held in London on the River Thames. When Canadian Confederation occurred, these races had already been going on for 38 years.
Although our history, as it relates to universities and schools, especially in Western Canada, is in its infancy compared to Europe, we can be very proud of the education we provide for our young people. Indeed, it is recognized that Canada has one of the best K-12 education systems in the world and in British Columbia our students measure up to, or exceed, the rest of Canada.
We know that there are areas where we need to do better, and we should always strive to do so, but we should also celebrate the achievements of our students, staff members and our public education system.
There are many things happening in our schools, beyond the basics, which our students will always need — activities that help those students be better prepared for the world after school.
While we encourage them to be critical thinkers and to collaborate with each other, we can also offer them unusual opportunities to reach out to the wider world.
With Harmony Day’s cultural displays, our Central Okanagan students lead the way to an inclusive community at home.
We are all proud when we see our students represent us well abroad and then welcome students from another country as in the Kasugai exchange program.
One way our students can learn about places they may never have been is with a virtual field trip. While sitting in their classroom, they can communicate with a diver at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, or visit a museum in the southern United States.
For those of you who have not experienced a virtual field trip, it is an incredible experience. If there are any readers out there who would like to go on one, please contact me and I will try and arrange for you to do so. Perhaps we can visit a spaceship and communicate with an astronaut, or watch an autopsy being performed. I know you will be impressed and I can promise you that you will not suffer from jet lag nor have to go through passport control.