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Most Internet Field Trips highlight several web sites which have been selected and evaluated by their authors. The selected sites all serve to help in  the study of a specific curriculum theme or topic, in many  areas of study.  Internet Field Trips, including Scholastic Network Internet Field Trips are designed "primarily as a lesson planning tool for the teacher, but...also consider using them as guided research for students beginning to use the Internet independently."

Internet Field Trips connect to many states' standards. Students expand their knowledge and understanding of a current topic of focus and their understanding of technology as a resource.

• Students research after either teachers or students generate ideas and questions, or pose problems. (See Problem Solving).
• Students gather, evaluate, and integrate data to report their discoveries and show their knowledge in varying ways.

Internet Field Trips can be used as teacher resources. For many teachers, the most effective use of the Internet Field Trips will be as a planning tool.  Teachers can review the suggested Websites and check for availability (some sites became "dead" or change content) and appropriateness of content for their students.  Then they can create their own lessons or print out the resources given to add to lessons already written or previously used by them.

Internet Field Trips can be used as class activities.  If teachers have access to an overhead projection system or can connect to a television, the field trips can be read by students as a group.  Or, teachers can print out pages.  In either case, teachers need to point out how to click on links, backspace to the link's homepage or explore other areas on the site, in addition to highlighted features (searches, etc.) and help then evaluate the reliability of information found on the site,

Internet Field Trips can be used as independent lessons for students who have some knowledge of online research (individually or in small groups).  Wise teachers create a small question sheet for each site visited, or give direction for a research report on information gained.  Research reports can be on paper, written with pictures downloaded and printed from the Internet, or as Hyperstudio or Power Point pages, or as HTML pages.  Teachers will need to allow time for students to present reports to the class.
 

In all uses, the teacher will want to spend time reviewing the field trip and planning curriculum correlations before presenting the Field Trip or the specific Web resources to students. Due o the nature of the Internet, following a series of links from a recommended site may lead students to potentially inappropriate sites. Teacher supervision and school appropriate use policies are always recommended when students are using the Internet independently.

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SEE ALSO  INNOVATIVE LESSON SITES , PROJECTS ON LINE, WEBQUEST ARCHIVES