Instructify

One of the great things about the internet era is the ability to flatten the planet a little bit, and make the world a more accessible place. Back in my day, you learned about distant things by reading dusty encyclopedias, or maybe your teacher had a cousin that lived in a far-off place, and they would send you a postcard. Meet Me at the Corner is the modern-day take on the postcard-from-afar memories of my own elementary education.

Meet Me at the Corner is a site that aims to bring virtual field trips (and a few other things) to the classroom. The episodes are independently created, and most are hosted by children. They are linked with learning activities, and other resources that extend beyond the site. Too often, a company or organization will produce a virtual field trip that is nothing more than a marketing tool to encourage you to visit the physical location, and while in-person experiences are great, a lot of people out there can’t make the physical trip due to geographic or economic limitations. Meet Me at the Corner’s field trips are of high quality, but don’t have that over-produced feel. A great example is this episode with childrens’ auther Robert Sabuda — he is interviewed (by a kid!) on how he came to write and design pop-up books, and then he shows her how to make a pop-up greeting card. That’s pretty cool.

Kids can even submit their own videos to the site (what a great class project!) by creating an account. There are also pages for contests for kids, as well as tips for activities, although the Tips page seems very focused on New York City right now, and doesn’t have many listed. Once you create an account (it’s free, but it assumes you’re a kid and will request a parent’s email address to obtain permission) you can start submitting your own creations. -GRETCHEN SCHAEFER

Meet Me at the Corner

Related stuff:

Art appreciation, online: The National Gallery of Art

Travel the World with Project Explorer