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September 13, 2026

Live Animals In The Virtual Classroom

Virtual classroom session with a teacher and students for remote learning.
Chelsea Penney
Proximity Learning virtual classroom with educator and owl, showcasing online education technology.

To celebrate Earth Day, Proximity Learning partnered with Austin Parks and Recreation to teach a special lesson to Ms. Hamlin’s virtual 5th-grade science class from Academy of Dallas. Elizabeth Funk brought her special animals to show the class as she discussed the food web.

Ms. Elizabeth showed the class a decomposer, the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, a primary consumer, the Gulf Coast Toad, a secondary consumer, the Hog-Nosed Snake, and a tertiary consumer, the Great Horned Owl. Virtual students were highly engaged in her presentation and asked Ms. Elizabeth plenty of fun questions including, “Can that cockroach bite?” and “How can you tell it’s a boy?” (They don’t bite, and male Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches have horns on their heads.)

Take a peek into these special guest appearances. Watch Ms. Elizabeth discuss the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach.

After showing students the live animals, Ms. Elizabeth discussed how humans can affect the whole ecosystem and its food chain. She explained how water pollution can disrupt the natural habitat and change the sequence of events.

Watch Ms. Elizabeth discuss human impacts on the food web.

Watch more: Austin Parks and Rec youtube or Proximity Learning youtube

Virtual classroom session with a teacher and students for remote learning.
About The Author
Chelsea Penney

Chelsea Penney earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Writing from University of Colorado Denver and her Masters of Science in Marketing from Texas A&M University Commerce. She loves living in Austin, TX and working on the frontline as Content Marketing Manager for Proximity Learning.

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Proximity Learning virtual classroom with students and instructor engaging online.
Proximity Learning virtual classroom with students and teacher online.
Proximity Learning virtual classroom with students and instructor.
Proximity Learning virtual classroom with students and instructor engaging online.
Proximity Learning virtual classroom with students and instructor.
Online virtual classroom session with instructor and students for remote learning.
Engaged students in a virtual classroom with a teacher on screen at Proximity Learning.
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