100 ways to use a VLE – #40 Field Trip Notes

For many courses, the field trip is a core element. Whether it be Public Service students going to the Lake District, or Archaeology undergraduates going on a dig, or Business learners going to a retail centre.

In the past learners would have made notes in notebooks. These would unlikely to be shared easily. Today the very devices that learners carry normally can be used to capture photographs, video, audio and notes. One aspect of field trips is collating this media so that all the learners on the field trip can see what others captured.

The VLE is an idea place for learners to post their thoughts, images, audio, video and other resources and notes from the trip.

But what if learners want to use pencil and notebooks?

Well I could talk about Tablet PCs, pen computers, however a simple option is for learners to use their notebooks and then to use a digital camera (or mobile phone) to capture those notes and diagrams, the images can then be easily uploaded to the VLE. These handwritten notes can then be shared much more easily with the rest of the group.

We often think of replacing existing processes and methods when talking about using technology, however often technology works best when it is used to enhance and enrich and learners have a choice about the most appropriate technology (traditional or modern) to use. By using technology to enrich an existing process, uploading handwritten notes to the VLE for example, we enable learners to have choices of how they undertake a learning activity, whilst enabling wider access where needed.

Leave a Reply