#22 Tucson's Trailblazer: Transformative Live Virtual Journeys with Tracey Rowley

Show Notes

In this episode, Tracy Rowley, the Senior Director of Instructional Technology and Online Education for the Tucson Unified School District, delves into the transformative role of virtual field trips in education. Tracy highlights the distinctive experiences these trips offer, such as a golden moment she describes with a virtual trip to the Smithsonian, which particularly resonated with English Language Learners through live interactions with experts. She emphasizes the difference between virtual field trips and mere website visits, underscoring the value of active engagement with field experts. Tracy also addresses the challenges in implementing these innovative teaching methods, discussing the protocols for distance learning developed in Tucson and how she supports teachers through resources, professional development, and technology. The podcast not only showcases her role in the classroom and her advocacy for practical technology use, but also her efforts in building community connections and balancing asynchronous and synchronous learning experiences.

The episode further explores how virtual field trips can break down geographical, economic, social, and cultural barriers, providing equitable access to educational opportunities. Tracy shares her insights on the importance of teachers trying new technologies, like esports, and the role of instructional technology in enhancing learning. She speaks about her involvement in helping national parks design their virtual field trips and the technical aspects of integrating these experiences into the classroom. The discussion also covers how she differentiates between fleeting tech trends and lasting tools, and the strategies she employs to encourage teachers to innovate and connect with each other. 

Key Takeaways:

• Virtual field trips offer dynamic and interactive learning experiences, transcending traditional teaching methods.
• They facilitate engagement with experts and promote critical thinking skills in students.
• Such trips help overcome geographical, cultural, and economic barriers, making education more accessible and equitable.
• Implementing virtual field trips poses challenges, but with adequate support and resources, these can be overcome.
• Tracy Rowley's role in advocating for and supporting innovative teaching practices is pivotal in the successful integration of technology in education.

Show links:
Learning LIVE: Designing Meaning Virtual Experiences to Enhance Curriculum - https://wakelet.com/wake/Wqe0Tt5Lcl9xDuTroj9CV

Host Links:
Browse amazing virtual learning opportunities at CILC.org

Seth's  Banyan Global Learning prepares students for real life with live virtual learning experiences in Character Education: banyangloballearning.com

Creators and Guests

Host

Allyson Mitchell

SF

Host

Seth Fleischauer

TM

Host

Tami Moehring

What is Why Distance Learning??

Why Distance Learning? is a podcast about the decisions, design choices, and assumptions that determine whether live virtual learning becomes shallow and transactional—or meaningful, relational, and effective at scale.

The show is designed for education leaders, instructional designers, and system-level practitioners responsible for adopting, scaling, and sustaining virtual, hybrid, and online learning models. Each episode examines the structural conditions under which distance learning actually works—and the predictable reasons it fails when it doesn’t.

Through conversations with researchers, experienced practitioners, and field-shaping leaders, Why Distance Learning? translates research, field evidence, and lived experience into decision-relevant insight. Episodes surface real tradeoffs, near-failures, and hard-won lessons, equipping listeners with clear framing and language they can use to explain, defend, or redesign distance learning models in real organizational contexts.

Hosted by Seth Fleischauer of Banyan Global Learning, and Allyson Mitchell and Tami Moehring of the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration, the podcast challenges outdated narratives about distance learning and explores what becomes possible when live virtual education is designed intentionally, human-centered, and grounded in evidence.