Click here to go back to search results. December 4, 2005 Section: News Tech trips    Julie Kay/Staff Writer A student asks Barnes a question. He was able to see her even though he's at the Ano Nuevo State Reserve. (Joel Rosenbaum/The Reporter) Miguel Garcia, 12, a seventh-grader at Green Valley Middle School, listens to a discussion about elephant seals Friday a park ranger via a live video feed from Ano Nuevo State Park. (Joel Rosenbaum/The Reporter) Green Valley Middle School teacher Judy Passama's students enjoyed their Friday field trip to the oceanic Ano Nuevo State Park in San Mateo County so much that they instantly began dreaming about where to go next. "Somewhere tropical," proposed seventh-grader Kate Campbell. "The Bahamas, or Hawaii." "Outer space," suggested Campbell's classmate Kristen Borja. Fairfield-Suisun Educational Technology Strategy Coach Jon Little says anything's possible. Personally, he thinks the Louvre would be great. For Fairfield-Suisun, Friday marked the beginning of a new era, the day when field trips to the furthest reaches of the planet went from fairy tale to feasible. That's because over the past three years the district has won more than a million dollars in grants to enhance its technology. Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grants are highly competitive awards given by the federal government. Fairfield-Suisun has used money it has won so far for teacher training and new equipment, said Little. Most recently, the district purchased the video conferencing equipment, which allows students to take "virtual field trips" anywhere in the world. On Friday, for the first time ever, district students traveled miles - without moving an inch. Passama's students stared out onto a seascape where elephant seals basked in the sun, flicking sand onto their shiny hides. In front of the animals stood park interpreter Jeff Barnes. Barnes and the seals appeared on what's called a "smart-screen" at the front of Passama's classroom. But the screen might as well have been an open window for the ease with which Barnes and the students communicated with one another. "Everyone turn around and take a look at the yellow paper on the wall," Barnes instructed. Passama's students turned obediently to look at the length of paper taped to the classroom's back wall, which showed how large elephant seals are. Barnes could see the paper just as well as the students could see him, thanks to having his own smart-screen at the park where he was giving the presentation. Over the course of 50 minutes, Barnes led the students through curriculum focused on the evolutionary history of elephant seals. He quizzed them about alpha males and adaptation, complimenting right answers and answering students' questions. Having the capability to take virtual field trips puts Passama's students among a select group of California students at the very forefront of school technology, said Bonnie Marks, executive director of the California Technology Assistance Project's Bay Area region. According to Marks, fewer than 10 percent of school districts have video conferencing technology in classrooms. CTAP works with districts across the state to provide technology training and assistance, and has made possible Fairfield-Suisun's initial foray into the virtual world. The Ano Nuevo field trip is a product of a partnership between CTAP and the California State Parks, funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, said Marks. Fairfield-Suisun Educational Technology Coordinator Rick Stevens said the new technology makes a whole new world possible. "In a world of cash-strapped schools and funding, it's a cheap way to get there," he said of traveling virtually. "Sometimes it's the only way." The district's virtual field trips are currently in a pilot phase and will next be taken by classes at Grange Middle School, said Little. Eventually, the district plans to use the technology for students at all grade levels, and in all subject areas. Borja and Campbell gave their trip to Ano Nuevo high marks, saying they would prefer a virtual field trip to a regular class any day. Passama expressed equal enthusiasm. "It's awesome," she said. "It's really fun." Julie Kay can be reached at schools@thereporter.com. Photo: Students listen to California State Park Ranger Jeff Barnes via a live video feed Friday in Judy Passama's science class at Green Valley Middle School in Cordelia. (Joel Rosenbaum/The Reporter) (c) 2005 The Reporter. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.