Flat Aubrey and her friend, Flat Stanley, were bored one day and they tried to think of something to do. The weather was perfect that day, but neither of them felt like going out. They thought and suggested different places, but they finally decided to go on a virtual field trip to the Vulcan Park and Museum, in Homewood, AL. Stanley used his MacBook Pro laptop to access the virtual field trip, which was a video online. Aubrey was very anxious to explore the Vulcan Park and Museum.

The virtual field trip shown brief views of the museum, gift shop, and monument. The museum held many great factors of Birmingham’s history. One section represented Birmingham in the early years, which is how Birmingham was built by iron. Soon Birmingham became known as the “Magic City”. Flat Aubrey had liked that name and but wondered about the reason behind it. In the Birmingham Vulcan section, Flat Aubrey and Stanley learned the reasons behind the statue and where it was built. The Depression and WWII area revealed the effect of the depression on Birmingham. It had completely wiped out the city, but the military demands for iron during WWII revived the city again. Towards A New City explained Birmingham being the major point of the Civil Rights Movement, iron industry decline, and UAB’s growth. The iron industry had suffered from the Civil Rights Movement’s violence, and in effect UAB began its uprising. Birmingham Today tells how it is a diverse city, and a main attraction of visitors. Flat Aubrey and Flat Stanley learned numerous details about Birmingham and its history, which they had never acknowledged. Neither one of them realized Birmingham had overcome so much destruction. Flat Aubrey thought it could be the reason they called it the “Magic City”.

 This virtual field trip would be an advantage for education, because the students would use technology to take the trip and not physically travel there. That is an inexpensive and technological approach to field trips. On this virtual field trip, the students would obtain a new understanding of the impact of historical events on the city of Birmingham. Not only are they historical events, but international events that majorly affected Birmingham. The students would learn about historical international events, cause and effect, industrial growth, and the effect on Birmingham. Most importantly, the depth and degree of destruction Birmingham overcome and its uprising. I would use this virtual field trip in my classroom, by using it as a follow up to a unit on the history of Birmingham. The students would get a close up experience and learn how Birmingham derived from the iron industry, its downfall from the Civil Rights Movement, the Depression’s impact on the city, and the revival of Birmingham. Students learn best by hands on experience, and I believe this virtual field trip could be very beneficial to a student’s meaningful learning.

(Flat Aubrey and Flat Stanley on their virtual field trip, and looking at the Iron Wall.)

                           

                           

(Pictures from an actual visit to Vulcan)