To welcome K-12 students and teachers back to school, Discovery Education—the worldwide EdTech leader whose state-of-the-art K-12 digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place—and leading corporate and community partners proudly introduce four new engaging, no-cost virtual field trips (VFTs). Debuting this September, these unique VFTs connect classroom learning to the people, places, and ideas shaping the world we live in.
Discovery Education offers educators, students, and families hundreds of no-cost, on-demand VFTs that empower educators to provide all students with access to remarkable learning experiences without ever leaving their desks. Adding to the robust collection, the following virtual experiences—developed in conjunction with Discovery Education’s social impact partners—will be available this September:
20th Anniversary of 9/11: Paying Tribute Through Good Deeds Virtual Field Trip with 9/11 Day
Premiere: September 7th at 1 PM ET
Empower students to do good deeds by observing the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance (“9/11 Day”). Designed for students born after September 11, 2001, this experience highlights the remarkable ways people throughout the United States came together, focusing on our common humanity in the aftermath of the attacks. Participants in this VFT directly affected by 9/11 discuss the event and its impact, the national and global unity that ensued, and the lessons learned which remain relevant today. This virtual field trip is appropriate for students in grades 6-12.
9/11 Day and Discovery Education joined together to create this virtual experience to provide educators, students, and families positive ways to pay tribute to the victims of 9/11, as well as those who served in response to the attacks.
Discover Your Happy: Happiness in Action Virtual Field Trip with LG
Premiere: September 16th at 1 PM ET
Addressing the important topic of mental health for youth across America, activate peer-learning by introducing students to other students bringing the Six Sustainable Happiness Skills to life by spreading happiness in local communities. Traveling the United States from the vantage point of a selfie video, students discover how science-based strategies can enhance mental wellness and how happiness changes the brain. This virtual field trip is appropriate for students in grades 7-12.
Discover Your Happy, a collaborative effort between Discovery Education and LG Electronics USA – and extension of LG’s award-winning social impact initiative, “Life’s Good: Experience Happiness” – provides educators, parents, and students with hands-on resources to help America’s youth tackle social-emotional issues through the practice of six foundational “happiness skills”: mindfulness, human connection, positive outlook, purpose, generosity, and gratitude.
Know More, Do More Virtual Field Trip with The Home Depot
Premiere: September 23rd at 1 PM ET
Empower students with greater appreciation for sustainability and conservation by discovering how materials impact our everyday lives. From meeting a forestry expert to a supply chain expert, students explore the actions they can take to build greater self-reliance and a healthier planet. This virtual field trip is appropriate for students in grades 6-12
The Home Depot and Discovery Education joined forces to help STEAM-power classrooms and homes across the country as students prepare for the careers of tomorrow through Science Fair Central. With 10 million students from grades K-12 participating in science fairs and STEAM events every year, Science Fair Central aims to give students the tools to take their projects to the next level.
Exploring Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence with Mastercard
Premiere: September 28th
Explore cyber security in a new multi-part digital learning video series and activities designed to inspire girls to pursue STEM. Students travel to a high-tech cyber forensics lab and fusion center, where a diverse team of MasterCard cybersecurity experts constantly investigates, safeguards, and innovates against threats like cyberattack and fraud. This virtual experience is appropriate for students in grades 5-9.
With the goal of providing five million girls with an engaging STEM education by 2025, Mastercard has partnered with Discovery Education to launch the latest phase of the award-winning, global Girls4Tech™ initiative. Girls4Tech is Mastercard’s signature science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program geared towards giving girls in middle and high school access to STEM resources and career exploration tools with an emphasis on payment technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and cyber security.
Testing the Limits Virtual Field Trip with Boeing
Premiere: September 30th at 1 PM ET
Witness what goes on behind-the-scenes at Boeing to ensure safety and quality in all their programs while meeting engineers and seeing the labs where they test the limits of new aerospace ideas and materials. This virtual field trip is appropriate for students in grades 6-12.
Created in partnership with Boeing and Discovery Education, FUTURE U. provides educators with the no-cost tools they need to inspire their students to use creativity, collaboration, persistence, and problem-solving to change the world.
Each virtual experience features accompanying educator resources and student activities making it easy for teachers to incorporate rich media into the learning experiences they design and deliver every day. Learn more and register for the new virtual field trips and find all the resources here.
“As I work with teachers to build out lesson plans, I always look for new and innovative ways to capture and maintain our students’ attention,” said Rita A. Mortenson, an Instructional Coach at Verona Area High School in the Verona Area School District. “The VFTs from Discovery Education and their partners give me a powerful tool that I can count on to engage my students as it shows them the world beyond the classroom.”
Discovery Education’s Virtual Field Trips can be found within the company’s recently enhanced K-12 learning platform on the Virtual Field Trips channel or in the Corporate Education Partnerships channel. Every month, Discovery Education adds hundreds of new resources—from ready-to-use activities to immersive videos and Virtual Field Trips to podcasts and curated channels. Each resource is culturally authentic, reflects the diversity of today’s world, and includes embedded supports, like closed captioning, text-to-speech, and language translations.
“In today’s world, it is increasingly important to connect students to experiences that will help prepare them for life. As a new school year begins, we’re excited to collaborate with our industry-leading partners to provide students, educators, and families incredible digital experiences that help them explore the world and dive into innovative ideas, all from the safety of home or the classroom,” said Beth Meyer, Vice President of Social Impact at Discovery Education.
For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the worldwide EdTech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, and innovative classroom tools, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 140 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading EdTech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.
