{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Imagine This - Ideas & Stories for Creative, Meaningful Teaching","title":"When Field Trips Become Field Work—Animal Documentaries at the Vancouver Aquarium","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3494,"description":"What changes when students stop going on field trips as visitors and start showing up with a job to do?In this episode of Imagine This, Dylan sits down with fellow Classmate teammate and Educational Technology Coach, Jen, to explore a project that transformed a traditional visit to the Vancouver Aquarium into a full-scale documentary filmmaking experience.Instead of simply observing exhibits, Grade 6 students arrived as filmmakers, researchers, and storytellers. Armed with iPads, shot lists, and documentary techniques inspired by professional filmmakers, students captured footage, interviewed experts, studied animal behaviour, and created advocacy documentaries from the perspective of the animals themselves.Jen shares how the project evolved across multiple years and classrooms, what they learned from their first attempt, and why pre-production, scaffolding, and authentic purpose completely changed the way students approached both the aquarium and their learning.This conversation dives into documentary storytelling, field trip design, media literacy, inquiry learning, and the power of giving students meaningful roles in real-world learning experiences.If you’ve ever wondered how to make field trips feel more purposeful, immersive, and memorable, this episode is full of practical ideas and inspiration. About JenJen is an educational technology coach with Classmate who collaborates with teachers to design engaging, creative, and inquiry-driven learning experiences. With a background in science education and experiential learning, she is passionate about helping students move beyond passive consumption and into authentic, hands-on learning roles. Through projects that blend storytelling, technology, media creation, and curriculum integration, Jen helps classrooms rethink what learning can look like both inside and outside of school. In this episode, you’ll hear:[00:00:29] Turning field trips into field work[00:07:23] How the Vancouver Aquarium project...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/TPvf0RaL7cU2BkGfXxV7sfEevEpXsS5-4276iv0U_BU/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9iYjll/YzBhZjczMjcyMjFh/ZGI5NjI4YzIxOTNj/Y2I3NS5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}