Oil Spill Prevention and Clean-up: Virtual Field Trip Activity

This activity, provided by the Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC), consists of a virtual field trip that walks students through an "interdisciplinary exploration of the technological, biological, and policy aspects of oil spill prevention and clean-up" in Alaska. The field trip consists of way points on Google Earth that detail oil spill prevention and response along with other related topics, such as oil refineries and tanker trucks. The field trip also contains instructions for a an in-class group activity that has students read and discuss articles on oil spills. The 2-page teacher's guide that includes activity instructions and learning objectives, which are as follows:

• Students should become familiar with the science and policy of oil spill prevention and response.
• Students will have the opportunity to improve on basic skills (math, writing, reading).
• Students will learn how to use Google Earth.
• Students will have the opportunity to develop their own VFT using Google Earth or other technology suitable for integrating text, graphics and video.

Also included is a .kmz file, which contains the virtual tour. The .kmz file can be imported into Google Earth by clicking "File" on the top left, followed by "Import KML / KMZ file."