Can a Virtual Tour of a Museum Supplant the Actual Museum Field Trip?

11/8/2013

This week I’m talking about the Hot Topic Debate, “Can a virtual tour of a museum supplant the actual museum field trip?”. The book offers pros for virtual tours including, the ability for students to view non-local artwork, providing multicultural “field trips” where students can find art from around the world with ease, etc. I believe these views from the book to be valid. I also think that there are many other benefits to the virtual tours of museums nowadays.

Suppose a teacher is doing a lesson on a sculpture that is in the Lourve Museum in France. That teacher has the opportunity to take the class there (virtually) and view that sculpture as if they are physically there. Virtual tours also provide teachers and schools that cannot afford many field trips the opportunity to experience museums as if they were actually there. It is a close alternative to the real thing. That being said, I believe nothing can replace the actual experience of visiting a museum.

In conclusion, money, time and location can often limit the field trips that schools can offer. Ultimately, I don’t think virtual tours can replace the physical experience of going to a museum however, they offer so many positive opportunities that make them extremely beneficial.

6 Comments

Christine Griffis

11/9/2013 05:03:29 am

I think that virtual field trips are really cool and are a great visual to show in class while teaching. However, with that being said I agree that nothing can replace a field trip to a art or natural history museum. It is such a different experience being able to see museum exhibits in person.

I also think that it is important for schools to try and provide these types of field trips for students because that may be the only opportunity to visit a museum.

Laura Brown link

11/9/2013 06:04:45 am

Good points for why virtual museums can really add amazing depth to the classroom experience, particularly for you as an art teacher! I would like to add a comment about why real field trips to museums are beneficial. For one, there is a certain emotional factor in seeing the aesthetic qualities in person- the size of the piece affects you more as you stand beside it, you gain further insight into the texture, medium, etc. But, even besides looking at the artwork, there is a social benefit to knowing how to behave in a museum. Students should be exposed, if possible, to the often calm, intellectual, respectful FEEL of a museum.

Amanda Falls

11/9/2013 09:11:39 pm

I thought this was an interesting topic and yes, time, money, and location affects whether a field trip is possible. A museum can broaden a students outlook and expose them to an idea that was not there before. In my preschool class, we do a section on dinosaurs and how could would it be to be able to go to the Florida Museum of Natural History to look at their displays, bridging that concept that dinosaurs were here and we can look at fossils but they are no longer here. And just being at the museum can open up so many more lessons and concepts that can be very difficult to grasp for kids on my level. Like the native people of Florida, when all they know is the people they come in contact with every day. But having that option for a virtual tour at least gives a gateway. It may not be the real thing, but gives them more than having nothing at all.

Amand Harvey

11/10/2013 01:00:18 pm

I totally agree! Nothing can replace the actual experience of visiting a museum. However, there are definite benefits and pros to virtual field trips-- from prepping classes before a trip to the actual museum and allowing classes from underprivileged areas to have access to material they otherwise would not see.

Misti Justice link

11/10/2013 01:29:36 pm

As technology evolves, virtual museums and tours will get getter. I watched a really great TEDTalk about how good design utilizes all 5 senses and I think the lessons from that talk can be applied to critique virtual tours. The qualities that are missing from virtual tours are tactile and olfactory sensations. I love virtual tours, but I miss the smells! There's also something to feeling your feet make landfall on commercial carpet or worn marble, depending on where you're at. Someday, maybe. I asked my students last semester if they would like to use virtual technology that allowed them to feel the sensation of getting a hug rather than just Skyping. Someday they will be designing the technologies that allow people to do just that.

Cindy Tillis

12/2/2013 04:12:47 am

I remember watching a show on TV. There was a girl who was very artistic who had a terminal disease and who had always wanted to see the Louvre. She was given a virtual tour and I cried for days thinking about how she enjoyed it. Now, I do get into shows and movies but I think of her excitement when I think about this question.

Nothing online is as good as the original but you can't visit every museum and see every piece of art so I think that yes, virtual tours are as good as actually visiting a museum.

Can a Virtual Tour of a Museum Supplant the Actual Museum Field Trip?

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Shaina McGehe

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