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November 23, 2009

Virtual world at the fingertips

St. Peter teacher builds a field trip experience

By Tanner Kent

Darin Doherty is building a field trip.

Armed with a laptop, digital camera and a little grant money, the St. Peter School District teacher is on a mission to create a virtual experience where students can access the St. Peter Treaty Site History Center and its wealth of local treasure — without ever leaving their classroom.

“Everything is going to be at their fingertips,” he said.

Doherty is a sixth-grade teacher by trade. But this year, he is on special assignment to help teachers integrate classroom technology. About half his time, he said, has been devoted to creating a virtual field trip with the Treaty Site museum.

He’s already finished a pared-down demo version and hopes to make the virtual trip available to all school districts by next year.

But there’s a lot more work to do, he said.

He still needs images of the Treaty Site itself, as well as its artifacts, so he can finish the 360-degree virtual tour of the museum. Once finished, users will be able to stroll the museum floor, clicking on flashing icons for closer views of exhibits and documents.

He’s also constructing similar 360-degree tours for relevant outdoor sites in St. Peter, such as the exact point where settlers and Dakota natives alike crossed the Minnesota River.

But that’s not all.

Doherty is putting together several traveling trunks that will be filled with historical items and lent out to districts taking the virtual field trip.

He’s also constructing several assessment measures for teachers to use before and after the trip, including files with relevant links, ideas for more in-depth activities and a whiteboard presentation where students can use handheld “clickers” to respond to quiz questions (allowing teachers to gauge understanding and knowledge instantly).

“There will be pre- and post-activities,” Doherty said. “Everything is built in. We want this to be a one-stop shop.”

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