Journal #6: Google Earth- NETS I, III

To begin this journal, I joined the Web 2.0 community. I then explored the many tools on this website, and chose "Google Earth". I had to follow two discussions or more related to this topic, to better understand it. After, I defined "Google Earth", and how I would use this in my classroom. "Google Earth" is such an amazing and fun program to use! It allows you to explore so much of the beautiful world we live in!



Petra, T. (2007, October 14). Cross-circular Uses of Google Earth. Retrieved 24 April 2010 from: http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/649749: Topic:58381

The classroom 2.0 tool that I chose to do is: Google Earth. Google Earth can be defined as: an information program that allows you to use a virtual globe, map, and geographic information to let you view Earth by satellite images. Google Earth is a wonderful program, which teachers are also beginning to incorporate it into their classrooms. One teacher named: Thomas Petra, has even incorporated this program into his middle school math classes. According to Petra, the students love this program, and have really gotten engaged by it. His math classes have used it to plot historic typhoons, which have struck the island from where they live. The students use typhoon data for the plotting, and added a path and image, and annotated everything. The students in his class a couple of times had asked, “What does this have to do with math?” The fact that students are having fun, and at the same time learning math, and do not even know it, this is sometimes a great way to get students engaged. Petra has even applied Google Earth to his eighth grade class, as a problem solving activity, in which they played the role of a Coast Guard. Their assignment was to conduct a search and rescue operation. He gave them wind, currents, and other parameters, and they had to devise a search plan and map it out on Google Earth.
In conclusion, Google Earth is an amazing, and fascinating tool that is available to us now, even as an app for those who have iPhones. For those who plan on being educators in the future, Google Earth is a great way to use technology, and teach your students at the same time. Tools such as: Google Earth, make learning fun, enjoyable, and results in more engagement.