Educational tourism as pedagogical innovation in conditions of virtual environment

This article is substantiating the relevance of the development of educational tourism caused by the trends of globalization and internationalization of education. The analysis of scientific works on the research of educational tourism is presented. It is noted that despite the relatively long history of the existence of some forms of educational tourism, taking into account the views of scientists that innovation in education is not always a completely new phenomenon, educational tourism can be considered a pedagogical innovation. According to the authors, the existing conviction of scientists about the close relationship of pedagogical innovations with information technologies enhances the innovativeness of virtual educational tourism. The periodization of educational tourism from antiquity to the present day is presented. The significant impact of travels for knowledge and academic exchanges on the modern infrastructure of the tourism industry is noted. Indicating the role of educational tourism for the development of international cooperation in education, the authors analyze the dynamics of external and internal academic mobility in the period from 2015 to 2019 years at the Kostanay State Pedagogical University, which now is Kostanay Regional University named after A. Baitursynov. The innovative nature of modern educational tourism, which is enhanced by the use of information and communication technologies and digital resources, along with traditional forms of tourist and educational activities, is emphasized. A virtual excursion is considered as one of the innovative forms of education. The experience of the participation of students of pedagogical specialties in the development and implementation of digital resources in secondary schools in a virtual environment, contributing to the formation of the readiness of future teachers for productive activities in the context of distance education, is presented.