TRANS AMERICA PROJECT

SUMMER, 1997

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ABSTRACT:

TheTRansAmerica Virtual Excursion Learning (TRAVEL ) Project is a multidisciplinary exploration of America in real time communicated to virtual explorers everywhere through the application of modern day telecommunications technology .

Teachers, students, and parents will join real time Amercian explorers as they Travel from Virginia following Native American's First Migrations West, follow The Emigrant Trail from Texas to California, talk to Native Americans, perform scientific tests and analysis of America's Water Supply , interview Americans at Work, observe and study the Geography and Ecology of America, and particpate in the Culture and learn the History of the American South West.

Through the technologies of the Internet, virtual travelers will participate in many telecommunication activities, including: viewing computerized digital pictures, accessing raw scientific data from actual scientific experiments, hearing first hand from other Americans descriptions of the cultures and environments of the American South West.

I. DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT

Past Excursions:

Dean and Alice Allnutt are professional educators with fifty years of combined professional educational experience. They have traveled extensively throughout the United States creating learning projects that they have shared with many individuals (students and teachers) in Northern Virginia. Past educational trips they have taken include: two summers traveling along the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri to the Willamette Valley, Oregon.; and one summer rediscovering George Washington, starting from his birthplace in Virginia and young experiences as a surveyor and soldier in the French and Indian War, we visited American Revolution battlefields from Virginia to Massachusetts., documenting his role as the Father of America from the Constitutional Conventions to his presidency. Since both Dean and Alice Allnutt teach American History, they have developed extensive units in History and Geography well-organized into slide presentations which they have used annually with sixth and seventh graders in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.

Summer, 1997:

The 1997 Travel Project will reach even more students, teachers and parents, engaging people across the entire country and the global electronic community in the TransAmerica Virtual Excursion Learning Project, now called TRAVEL. This summer the Allnutt family plans to trek through the Southwest part of the United States: following the Emigrant Trails west, studying Native Americans and other cultures of the Southwest , observing and recording the geology and ecology of the Southwest, and communicating our experiences electronically to this global community.

Since both teachers in the TRAVEL Project are trained users of new technologies related to the Internet, they have decided to record their travels using a VIRTUAL EXCURSION format. The plan is to notify potential student audiences:

*Fairfax and Loudoun County summer school students and teachers;

*George Mason University summer teacher technology training programs and student camps;

*VAPen, an Internet server for all VA teachers;

* Global School House Project, which will have an international audience;

*Internet browsers, surfers, and others who take an interest in our journey.

This TRAVEL Project will involve creating an Internet site on the Floris Elementary Homepage in Fairfax County, VA. This homepage will be the link between our real time explorers and our Virtual Excursioners . The site will be maintained regularly during the summer travels providing real time data and information for our electronic audience.

II. DESCRIPTION OF RESOURCES NEEDED:

Technology

MAC Laptop computer with minimum 16 RAM, software to include: Netscape, Claris Homepage, ClarisWorks, Adobe Photo shop,

Casio Camera software, Kidpix, Fetch, Graphic Converter

Internet service provider, quick cam software, teleconferencing software

Compatible Modem

Internet service provider (preferably an 800 number)

Available modem lines for download/upload (at campgrounds)

Site on a server for the Internet page for the TransAmerica Virtual Excursion

Digital Camera

Probeware, Interface Box, and E-mate for water quality measuring

Global Positioning Devices to send accurate latitude/longitude info

Satellite dish for telecommunicating if modems unavailable

Quick cam camera

Campground/RV

Motor home

Gas for motor home

Campground fees

Internet Resources

Internet Sites to use as reference for planning the trip

Internet Sites to reference on the TransAmerica Homepage

for the students who travel with us electronically

Sponsors

Donated prizes by sponsors for students and teachers who

access the Internet site TransAmerica and participate

in the weekly contests and overall projects

III. TRANSAMERICA VIRTUAL EXCURSION PROJECT ACTIVITIES

The TransAmerica Virtual Excursion project activities will all be available to students and teachers on the Internet site, which will reside on the Floris Homepage server which is located on a Floris parent's computer in Herndon, VA. Once the site is created, the Allnutt family will be taking pictures and writing information which will be added to the site as frequently as there are modems available (nightly if possible). Then students will be able to actually on on this excursion electronically this summer as well as use these resources on the TransAmerica Internet site next year for student and teacher projects (the live interactive aspect of the project will not be available in the fall, but email could continue).

Activity One: " Daily Log"

The Allnutt explorers will be recording daily information about the trip which can be used to track the excursion, but also can be used for social studies, science, and math activities. Log data may include: Global Position, City, State,Temperature/Weather, Food discovered, Travel mileage, Current event/issue/problem in newspaper from the local town, Geographical features, Activities of the Explorers.

Activity Two: "Explorer Reports"

Each member of the Allnutt family will act as an explorer in a specific area, taking those digital photos, writing the commentary, doing the research and responding to email questions about their area.

The Geologist will be compiling photos and information about geographical features of the places visited on the excursion, including studying the history of the land forms in the US (prehistoric seas, volcanoes, erosion, earthquakes/plate activities, and geothermal activities, as well as mountains, rivers, lakes, deserts, etc.

The Native American Historian will be compiling photos and information about the Native Americans, both historically and modern day, including: visits to reservations and visits to ancient sites and ruins.

The Mathematician will be compiling photos and information to be used to create Math Stories, problems to be solved that need critical thinking and math problem solving abilities which might have multiple solutions.

The Ecologist will be compiling photos and information about the ecological issues in the excursion states, focusing on habitats and the Health of America's Water. She will be using Probeware to measure the lakes and rivers of America and creating exciting scientific data which can be used for student science research and graphing.

The Biologist will be compiling photos and information on the animals and plants encountered on the TransAmerica Excursion.

Activity Three: " Americans at Work"

Throughout the excursion, the TransAmerica explorers will be interviewing and photographing Americans at Work. This section of the TransAmerica site will give our virtual excursionists practical career knowlege about jobs of today's Americans.

Activity Four: " E Mail Correspondence"

Electronic participants will be invited to send email to the explorers. Questions and suggestions will be given to the explorers on an investigation. Participants might be offered a choice of where the excursion should go next. This is a chance for the excursionists to feel a part of TransAmerica. These questions and answers will be shared in the FORUM section of the site.

Activity Five : " Treasure Hunts and Projects"

A set of treasure hunts for electronic participants using the TransAmerica site will be created for the under twelve years old audience and the over 12 years old. The first participant in each age category who answers all the questions will be given a prize donated by a sponsor of the project. The treasure hunt questions will be developed from not only the information put on the TransAmerica site, but also from the Internet resources quoted on the site, so that electronic participants will have to use those Internet resources to find information also.

In addition, two contests will occur (prizes donated by sponsors). There will be a summer, 1997 and fall, 1997 contest for student(s) who develop a project using the TransAmerica Virtual Excursion site. There will also be a summer, 1997 and fall, 1997 contest for teacher(s) who develop a project using the TransAmerica Virtual Excursion site. Winners of these four prizes will be chosen by a panel of experts.

Activity Six : " Camping Tips"

Since this is a camping excursion, photos and information on camping will be added to the TransAmerica site. These may include great campsites, travel tips, recipes, hookup issues with the Internet, and troubleshooting an RV.

Activity Seven : " Questions and Answers Forum"

We anticipate that the email will generate questions and answers which can be made available to a wider audience. These will be kept in the FORUM.

Activity Eight: "Desktop Video Teleconferencing"

Using a relector site such as the Global Schoolhouse site, we plan to set up two or three desktop video teleconferencing sessions with summer school or excursion participants. Possible conference speakers include: native american reservation people, National Park rangers, and Fourth of July (on the 3rd) celebrations.

IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY

THE TRANSAMERICA VIRTUAL EXCURSION HOMEPAGE will be developed by the HOME team of parents and teachers in Northern Virginia. It will consist of html files and jpeg pictures linked together. It will be available to electronic participants by accessing the Floris Homepage, the Fairfax County Homepage, Global Schoolhouse, and Virginia Pen.

During the trip, the Allnutts will be transmitting new html and jpeg files using a modem and service provider or using a satellite transmitting system. The HOME team in Northern Virginia will continue to help connect these new html files and jpeg pictures daily and weekly during the summer months. Members of the HOME team include: parents, computer resource teachers, classroom teachers, librarians and students in Northern Virginia.

The desktop video teleconferencing sessions will be available to virtual excursionists who have a quick cam or videocamera available to them at their site.
 
 

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