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Electronic Field Trips

Bring the past alive in your classroom.

2009 - 2010 Season

  • A More Perfect Union


    The 2009-2010 Electronic Field Trip Season

    Teach American history from east to west in the new Electronic Field Trip season. This year's live, interactive lessons bring Native Americans, the authors of the Constitution, settlers, explorers, enslaved Africans, young Americans, and conservators to your classroom.

    View the 2009-2010 EFTs
    Download the 2009-2010 Schedule
    Just Released: Download the 2010-2011 Schedule

  • Emissaries of Peace

    Emissaries of Peace

    October 15, 2009

    During the turbulent era of the French and Indian War, the Cherokee people struggled to preserve their independence. Follow Cherokee leader Ostenaco and Virginian Henry Timberlake on their 1762 journey from Chota (the capital of the Cherokee nation)

    Registered Schools Enter Here


  • A More Perfect Union

    A More Perfect Union

    Broadcast premiere November 19, 2009

    Witness the conflict and compromise that accompanied the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Join young eighteenth-century observers, unseen by convention delegates, as they travel from state to state tallying the vote. Learn about the ratification process and Americans’ growing interest in their fledgling nation’s new government.

    Registered Schools Enter Here

  • Jamestown Unearthed

    Jamestown Unearthed

    December 10, 2009

    Take a look at how history is written and reevaluated as new methods of study are introduced. Using the example of Jamestown in 1607, explore the myths and misconceptions of that era: revisit the documents, artifacts, and other evidence through archaeology. Learn how every generation sees the evidence in new ways, and how this affects our understanding of the past.

    Registered Schools Enter Here

  • Westward!

    Westward!

    Broadcast premiere January 14, 2010

    Explore the story of the early days of American westward expansion. Daniel Boone recounts the exciting experiences and unexpected consequences associated with moving west. Learn about the risks and grueling personal hardships of creating new settlements.

    Registered Schools Enter Here

  • The Slave Trade

    The Slave Trade

    February 11, 2010

    Beginning with the American Revolution, this program explores the U.S. law of 1807 that abolished the trans-Atlantic slave trade.Meet the people who were involved in or influenced by this pivotal legislation: the slaves, plantation owners, slave-ship captains, common seamen, government officials, Navy officers, and anti-slavery activists.

    Registered Schools Enter Here

  • The Rights of Youth

    The Rights of Youth

    Broadcast premiere March 11, 2010

    Imprisonment, whipping, forced transportation, and even death were some of the punishments that courts sentenced children to in the eighteenth century. Witness how justice was administered at a time when criminal laws and sentencing guidelines made few or no exceptions for children.

    Registered Schools Enter Here

  • Treasure Keepers

    Treasure Keepers

    April 22, 2010

    You have seen their work in every museum, but what do conservators really do? Learn how conservators prevent or slow the damage caused by “agents of destruction.” Explore how and why preserving history is important for future generations.

    Registered Schools Enter Here

What are Electronic Field Trips?

  • Live National Television Broadcasts that bring American history alive in your classroom
  • Innovative distance learning/Emmy-Award winning program for grades 4-8
  • Relevant stories of people, places, and events from the past that motivate today’s learners
  • Broadcasts air at 10 AM and 1 PM Eastern Time (closed caption/audio descriptions)
  • Broadcast on participating PBS stations and cable channels. View broadcaster list.

  • Streaming broadcasts live on your classroom computer
  • Live toll-free call-in and e-mail questions to Colonial Williamsburg historians
  • Online voting, video previews, and year-long student message board
  • Explore EFTs



Why should I subscribe?

  • Immerse students in authentic historical content
  • Build civics, history, and literacy skills
  • Infuse technology and interactive learning into a differentiated learning classroom
  • Fill information gaps and enhance background knowledge
  • Help students develop communication skills
  • Enhance students’ ability to gather and synthesize information from a variety of sources
  • On demand 24/7 Year-round Video Clips/Teacher Resources/Student Activities
  • Register Now for the 2009-2010 Season

What does the price ($500 for the series or $120 for individual programs) include?

  • Interactive, multidisciplinary student lessons
  • Web-based, standards-aligned teacher resources
  • Primary sources
  • Taping rights
  • Technical assistance and an online teacher “How to use” section

  • Online resources—use when they fit your curriculum

View the 2009-2010 Electronic Field Trip Season Sampler

Download the 2009-2010 Electronic Field Trip Season Schedule


Just Released: Download the 2010-2011 Schedule

Multimedia and related links

  • videos
  • podcasts
  • downloads
  • Video

  • What's an EFT?

    What's an EFT?

    Director of Educational Program Development Bill White and his team create a television broadcast to nurture citizens for a new era. April 6, 2009

    Launch

  • more...
  • Podcasts

  • View descriptions
  • The John Smith Well

    Discovery continues at Virginia's James Fort, site of America's first permanent English settlement. Archaeologist Bill Kelso gets to the bottom of a 1609 well. December 7, 2009

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript

  • The Cherokee Nation

    The modern Cherokee Nation is enjoying a renaissance in language and culture. Living History Demonstrator Paula Nelson shares the resurgence. November 16, 2009

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript

  • What's an EFT?

    Director of Educational Program Development Bill White and his team create a television broadcast to nurture citizens for a new era. April 6, 2009

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript
    Video podcast: Watch | Transcript

  • Freedom Bound

    The instinct for liberty is a universal human trait, explains EFT author Christy Coleman. February 16, 2009

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • Making History Live

    Relating the daily lives of America's ancestors is the product of research and performance. Performer Kat Getward shares the part that music plays in the EFT "Making History Live." December 8, 2008

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • The Will of the People

    Contentious elections are the founders' legacy, explains Bill White, the Theresa A. and Lawrence C. Salameno Director of Educational Program Development. October 13, 2008

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • Treasure Keepers

    Good as new isn't always as good as old. Curator John Watson talks about conservation at Colonial Williamsburg. March 3, 2008

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • No Master Over Me

    A man purchases his enslaved family to set them free. James Ingram shares the tale. February 4, 2008

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • Founders or Traitors

    Not all colonists were ready to follow their leaders into revolution. Interpreters Steve Holloway and John Hamant debate in character as John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. December 3, 2007

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • Playing the Part

    Taking the shape of a founding father calls for equal parts of preparation and imagination. Interpreters John Hamant and Steve Holloway detail the process. November 26, 2007

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • Emissaries of Peace

    Adept negotiators in pursuit of peace, the Cherokee tribe endures through centuries of change. Colonial Williamsburg director and producer Linda Randulfe talks about the November 8 Electronic Field Trip, "Emissaries of Peace." November 5, 2007

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • Jamestown Unearthed, Part Two

    With 60 percent of James Fort unexplored, the island outpost guards a wealth of stories. Bill Kelso continues the hunt for discovery. October 8, 2007

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • Jamestown Unearthed, Part One

    The most impartial chronicle of Jamestown Settlement is in its trash. Curator Bly Straube explains. October 1, 2007

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • Jamestown Unearthed

    Portraying lesser-known historical figures gives Willie Balderson an opportunity to relate the experiences of the everyday man. April 23, 2007

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • The Slave Trade

    The slave trade touched the lives of people around the globe, explains Colonial Williamsburg's Educational Program Development director Bill White. February 9, 2007

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • "Yorktown" Electronic Field Trip"

    On the October 19th debut of Colonial Williamsburg's Electronic Field Trip "Yorktown," participating students across the nation will learn history almost by accident. October 16, 2006

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript
    Image enhanced: View (m4a) | Transcript

  • Instilling a love of American history

    Colonial Williamsburg's Bill White shares his passion for teaching American history and citizenship to students across America and beyond. January 9, 2006

    Audio podcast: Listen (mp3) | Transcript

  • more...
  • Quicktime 7 (free) is required to view the enhanced and video podcasts.