During the current coronavirus pandemic, I’m sure classroom teachers are seeking meaningful learning experiences they can share online with their students. This is especially true as educators prepare for another school year, and the prospect of teaching predominantly, if not completely, online.
I believe, whether students are home-bound or not, virtual tours provide excellent learning experiences. Here are a few of my very favorite online educational virtual tours. Use the comments section to recommend other virtual tours to your colleagues. Enjoy!
Ellis Island. Lead your students to this wonderful virtual tour of Ellis Island, and the story of immigration to the United States through this important and historic entry point. Created by Scholastic. Includes a Teacher Activity Guide.
United States Capitol. Share this exciting virtual tour of our nation’s Capitol building. Includes important paintings, sculptures, monuments, and architectural design elements throughout the Capitol complex. Created by the official Architect of the Capitol.
White House. Guide your students to this virtual tour of the interiors of the White House that would normally be open to the public for in-person tours, including the North Entrance, the Blue Room, the Green Room, the Red Room, and the State Dining Room. Enjoy 360 degree views and zoom in on objects of special interest. Created by Google.
NASA. This website offers a plethora of exciting virtual tours, including one of the International Space Station, Hubble Telescope Mission Operations Center, and an exploration of the stars. Prepared by NASA.
Athens Acropolis. This virtual tour includes such sites as the Parthenon, the Theatre of Dionysus, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Athena Nike. Accompanied by in-depth videos that provide a fascinating and educational insight into ancient Greece. Created by the government of Greece.
Louvre Museum. Suggest your students explore a virtual tour of the Louvre Museum in Paris. They can view Egyptian antiquities, the Remains of the Louvre’s Moat, and the decorative arts of the Galerie d’Apollon. They can discover details about each room through detailed descriptions. Prepared by the museum.
San Diego Zoo Live Cams. This one is not a virtual tour, per se, but your students will love viewing live cams of various animals at the San Diego Zoo, including pandas, penguins, hippos, monkeys, tigers, elephants, polar bears, koalas, and condors. Created by the Zoo.
