iPad and Field Trips

iPad use on a school trip to the British Museum.

Last term my year five class went on a trip to the British Museum to expand their knowledge about the Ancient Greeks.  I know from going on this trip before that the talk that is provided by the British Museum staff is very interesting and engaging, but if you do not give the children a focus when going the around the galleries they pass by and take little notice of exhibits.

The children used the iPad’s to focus their attention on different objects that they found in the galleries.  The class using keynote produced a presentation as they went around the museum.  In each of the rooms we went in I gave them a focus, they then took a picture of an artefact placed that onto a slide and used the information from the cabinet to add bullet pointed information.  By doing this the children had a readymade presentation by the time they had left the British Museum.  But we did take some time to tidy them up back in class; this just gave their work a final polish.

In my opinion the use of iPad’s on a school trip is workable.  They are light enough to carry five in your bag ready to be issued when you arrive.  The children enjoyed their use and they could all work with them in a group.  They provided a structured and focused way to keep the children interested and for the children to have some new knowledge about real Ancient Greek artefacts rather than just memories of lunch, the shop and the train.

Check back to look at the work they produced.

Mr Frith