Luttrell Elementary Kindergarten & First Grade Go Virtual

The understanding of how technology works and how it can be used to transform teaching and learning is an essential characteristic for the 21^st-century classroom. As educators come to rely on computers and the internet to engage student interest, track their progress, and personalize their instruction the role of technology becomes more and more prominent in today’s curriculum. Luttrell Elementary Teachers Stacy Smith and Beth Bailey have discovered “distance learning” to bring a welcoming change of pace to their daily instruction. Imagine being able to take a group of students on a field trip to anywhere in the world. Now Union County Schools have the capability to do just that!  Union County Schools recently acquired interactive videoconferencing equipment that bears potential to make the regular classroom curriculum more engaging and comprehensive.  The equipment allows teachers to bring rich resources and experts from every field of knowledge from all over the world to a screen right inside their classroom-all without travel, scheduling, expense, or security issues.  Mr. Smith and Mrs. Beth both feel that distance learning will transform the thinking of many classroom teachers throughout the district. They explain that this excellent resource combines the best of traditional teaching with a fun innovative way to efficiently connect students to the “real world” outside the classroom walls. It enables one teacher to engage dozens of students in many schools at once.

On Thursday January, 31st Mr. Smith’s Kindergarten classroom hosted Luttrell Elementary’s first virtual field trip with the use of the Tandberg distance learning videoconferencing equipment. Approximately 40 students from Mr. Smith’s Kindergarten and Mrs. Beth’s First grade engaged in an imaginative journey through time with The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA.  The virtual trip allowed students to discover how daring explorers found new worlds with vast changes in shipbuilding, navigation, and cartography from the 15^th through the 18^th centuries. The students explored an era when cartographers were still mapping the world and mariners were discovering new landmasses, thus fueling the desire for knowledge and riches. The museum teachers led discussions about the economic and cultural life of the Old World, presented spices for hands-on examination, and discussed the importance of these spices to those cultures. The students also heard the stories of several different explorers, and their courageous expeditions. The informative session allowed the students to learn many details about the lives of the explorers and sailors who went on these voyages of exploration, including the tools they used to navigate the seas. The entire program consisted of interactive conversation with a Museum Educator, who asked many questions and offered the students the opportunity to do the same. 

Mr. Smith and Mrs. Beth hope this virtual trip has set the stage for many more to come. Both educators agree that technology is imperative and look forward to exploring the widespread use of technology throughout their educational career!