A) Google Earth's tutorial on Atomic Learning was very educational. Google Earth can take you to infinity and beyond (more literally to the depths of the ocean and to Mars!) As a science or social studies teacher, the ability to show actual 3D pictures or video of Mars or under water ocean floors would make for an unbelievable teaching lesson. What a way to get your students motivated about learning! Google has truly outdone themselves!
B) One of the lesson sheets that I looked at was the Elementary Lower Grades (1-5.) The first lesson was to set Google Earth to show the border layers to recognize the countries and states borders. I think this would be extremely useful in teaching Geography or United States History in class. It would definitely give a little variety to a classroom. Another lesson I liked from this site was the idea of placemarks of the birthplaces of American Presidents. It would incorporate the importance of their lives and teach geographical locations.
The other section of lesson sheets I looked at the Middle School section. The first one that popped up for me was the lesson over the civil war battles. The students were to place mark the key events of the Civil War. The students were also asked to measure the distance between battles to help them understand how difficult communication and delivery of supplies would be. I think this type of lesson would not only teach the standard in an American History class, but also be intriguing to the students. What a great way to make Social Studies or History touch home for students and also be so interactive.
C) The sightseer blog I choice was April 2011. The first section that caught my eye was the article on "Explore the Redwoods in 3D." It was a virtual tour of the redwood forest in California and Oregon. It was a very informative presentation. Google Earth helped to collaborate with the "Save the Redwoods League" to make the 3D tour of these forests. I found this very interesting because until recently I had never seen a giant redwood. These trees are so spectacular. I knew they were tall but didn't realize truly how magnificent they are until a recent visit to Oregon for vacation. The next article I looked at was on Google Earth Builder. Google Earth Builder was released in April to use geospatial data to make maps. I didn't fully understand every part of the video on Google Earth Builder, but I was interested in the idea of it nonetheless. The next part of April's blog that I read was the "Add Local Knowledge to the Map" which is funny because yesterday I mentioned this tool as one that I found to be extremely helpful and interesting. This tool allows a person to search for a type of place or a specific place and receive specific details about it. My example yesterday was of a pizza place in Knoxville. It gave not only the address of Pizza Palace, but also reviews of the restaurant. This is a very helpful tool! I like that Google Sightseer keeps us up to date on the new and improved things of Google, especially since Google keeps getting more and more talented!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Google Maps
I use Google Maps a lot when I'm trying to figure out where I'm going. Unfortunately, I use only the basic tools. Until tonight, I had not explored the advanced tools now offered.
Google maps has taken finding directions to a whole new level. I didn't realize how detailed they had become. When I was little, we vacationed to lots of places around the United States. Anytime we wanted to eat somewhere local in the city we were visiting, we would have to ask the hotel staff or someone my Mom befriended. Nowadays, I would just look online at Google maps to find the restaurant that I wanted. An example of how detailed Google Maps are, I typed in "Pizza in Knoxville, TN." I was given listings A-J and then many more pages as well. It listed some of the great local pizza places in town. Along with the location and titles of the restaurants, I was also given the reviews of the restaurants. I really like this ability to search out fantastic restaurants. I will use this tool here in Knoxville and when traveling. They have also increased their mapping abilities. I could make a custom map with icons that stood for different places, such as universities, hospitals, restaurants, and much more. I like having the ability to specifically map out my directions by choosing the roads I want to travel. This tool would make giving someone directions extremely nice and easy.
LESSON PLANS:
The first lesson plan I looked at was in the middle school section. "World War II Battle Areas" was extremely informative. I loved having the actual locations to look at while reading and studying the details of each attack or battleground. I think as a teacher, one could really capture the students attention by incorporating this into the lesson plan. I think if I did this one I would tag each site with a letter or number instead of a thumbstack, just because I had to click on each tack to figure out what was located at that location. What a great teaching tool!
The second lesson I looked at was "Mostly Weather." I really liked that these students found the cities that were the most of different weather events, such as "the windiest city" and "the city with the most snowfall." What great knowledge the students would gain while doing such a fun activity.
Google maps has taken finding directions to a whole new level. I didn't realize how detailed they had become. When I was little, we vacationed to lots of places around the United States. Anytime we wanted to eat somewhere local in the city we were visiting, we would have to ask the hotel staff or someone my Mom befriended. Nowadays, I would just look online at Google maps to find the restaurant that I wanted. An example of how detailed Google Maps are, I typed in "Pizza in Knoxville, TN." I was given listings A-J and then many more pages as well. It listed some of the great local pizza places in town. Along with the location and titles of the restaurants, I was also given the reviews of the restaurants. I really like this ability to search out fantastic restaurants. I will use this tool here in Knoxville and when traveling. They have also increased their mapping abilities. I could make a custom map with icons that stood for different places, such as universities, hospitals, restaurants, and much more. I like having the ability to specifically map out my directions by choosing the roads I want to travel. This tool would make giving someone directions extremely nice and easy.
LESSON PLANS:
The first lesson plan I looked at was in the middle school section. "World War II Battle Areas" was extremely informative. I loved having the actual locations to look at while reading and studying the details of each attack or battleground. I think as a teacher, one could really capture the students attention by incorporating this into the lesson plan. I think if I did this one I would tag each site with a letter or number instead of a thumbstack, just because I had to click on each tack to figure out what was located at that location. What a great teaching tool!
The second lesson I looked at was "Mostly Weather." I really liked that these students found the cities that were the most of different weather events, such as "the windiest city" and "the city with the most snowfall." What great knowledge the students would gain while doing such a fun activity.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
SITES
Well this is the second time I have posted this blog. The first time all of my information was deleted and I was directed to a page that said ERROR! UGH!!!
Tonight's blog assignment was about Google Sites. I think the idea of Sites is good. I unfortunately found it confusing. I first started out with the family template and attempted to change the template to make it more personal. I started with the front site page. I upload a borrowed picture of a family because mine were not available. I also added a UT logo and a text box. It took me quite a while to figure out all of this, but I believe I even was able to upload a calendar. Here is my link:
SITES LINK
Tonight's blog assignment was about Google Sites. I think the idea of Sites is good. I unfortunately found it confusing. I first started out with the family template and attempted to change the template to make it more personal. I started with the front site page. I upload a borrowed picture of a family because mine were not available. I also added a UT logo and a text box. It took me quite a while to figure out all of this, but I believe I even was able to upload a calendar. Here is my link:
SITES LINK
Home Sweet Home
We had to pick a picture to upload tonight and show a before and after picture. I decided on taking a picture from my hometown, Oxford, Mississippi. William Faulkner was a famous author who resided in Oxford with his family for many years. His home in downtown Oxford is a famous landmark that locals visit regularly for portraits and tours. Here are my pictures of his famous home, Rowan Oak.
I combined my before and after pictures into one.
As far as Picassa is concerned, I was extremely confused while trying to use it. When I wanted to load a picture, I couldn't find where to load it at and then all of a sudden the picture I had edited in Picnik appeared. Once I did have a picture to work with, I played with the editing tools. I really love the option to picture pile. I was able to create a picture on top of my big picture. The smaller picture looked like an old Polaroid picture from the camera that my grandfather used to use. It was very neat to be able to be so extremely creative with the picture. I can only imagine what I would be able to do with more pictures available. I also loved the ability to change the effects of the picture. I tried for a while to find a program that would allow me to blur out the background of a picture and focus on the subject. I was unsuccessful in finding a program, but tonight I found it! Picassa's effects has the option of a "soft focus" which allowed me to do just that. Hallelujah! After working through my frustration, I think if I really dug into Picassa I would truly enjoy all of the capabilities of it. I feel like right now I have just scratched the surface.
I combined my before and after pictures into one.
As far as Picassa is concerned, I was extremely confused while trying to use it. When I wanted to load a picture, I couldn't find where to load it at and then all of a sudden the picture I had edited in Picnik appeared. Once I did have a picture to work with, I played with the editing tools. I really love the option to picture pile. I was able to create a picture on top of my big picture. The smaller picture looked like an old Polaroid picture from the camera that my grandfather used to use. It was very neat to be able to be so extremely creative with the picture. I can only imagine what I would be able to do with more pictures available. I also loved the ability to change the effects of the picture. I tried for a while to find a program that would allow me to blur out the background of a picture and focus on the subject. I was unsuccessful in finding a program, but tonight I found it! Picassa's effects has the option of a "soft focus" which allowed me to do just that. Hallelujah! After working through my frustration, I think if I really dug into Picassa I would truly enjoy all of the capabilities of it. I feel like right now I have just scratched the surface.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Someone Should Have Told Me I Was Searching All Wrong
Google squared takes searching to an entirely new level. I am not looking for a new car, but thought I would search for a new "used car" anyways. First I typed in just "used car." Google squared asked me to give examples to expand my search. So I typed in "used cars for sale in Knoxville." I received a list of 20 vendors of used cars in the Knoxville area. I then searched for only Toyotas that were used in Knoxville. I was given a very specific list of 4 used cars in Knoxville. I love how specific I could make my search. I really could have saved myself time and effort when I was shopping for my car two years ago. Google squared gets two thumbs up from me!
I believe I have been living in the dark ages! I didn't know I could do a specific Google Advanced Image Search. "Glorious!" was the first word out of my mouth after I pushed search. I have spent hours looking for pictures over the last few years. Tonight, I typed in "curtains for nursery," just because I will be needing some in the next 5 months. My search pulled up instantly amazing pictures that were all great and different ideas for curtains. I will use this all the time!
As a teacher with both of the searches above, being able to search so specifically would save me lots and lots of time, which as a teacher is a hot commodity. It also seemed to produce sites with the topic that I wanted, not a lot of junk that didn't pertain to what I was looking for.
Well, once again I continue to be amazed! Although I thought I knew how to search, apparently, I knew just enough to get by. I did an "Advanced Search" for "read aloud books." I was able to set the language (English) and require that the reading level was listed. After pushing search, I received a great list of websites all of which listed off books that were great read aloud books or programs (free or purchased) that would read aloud for me. It also listed how many of the sites had basic, intermediate, or advanced books available. What a great tool to have as a parent or a teacher! I want to try it more at home with my daughter.
I believe I have been living in the dark ages! I didn't know I could do a specific Google Advanced Image Search. "Glorious!" was the first word out of my mouth after I pushed search. I have spent hours looking for pictures over the last few years. Tonight, I typed in "curtains for nursery," just because I will be needing some in the next 5 months. My search pulled up instantly amazing pictures that were all great and different ideas for curtains. I will use this all the time!
As a teacher with both of the searches above, being able to search so specifically would save me lots and lots of time, which as a teacher is a hot commodity. It also seemed to produce sites with the topic that I wanted, not a lot of junk that didn't pertain to what I was looking for.
Well, once again I continue to be amazed! Although I thought I knew how to search, apparently, I knew just enough to get by. I did an "Advanced Search" for "read aloud books." I was able to set the language (English) and require that the reading level was listed. After pushing search, I received a great list of websites all of which listed off books that were great read aloud books or programs (free or purchased) that would read aloud for me. It also listed how many of the sites had basic, intermediate, or advanced books available. What a great tool to have as a parent or a teacher! I want to try it more at home with my daughter.
Exploring the World of iPad Apps
Tonight, I explored many apps that were available on my iPad. Here are the three that I liked the most.
1) Easy Globe Lite: I found it to be extremely educational. This app had 4 different topic areas all related to Geography. The topic I played was "The World: Continents and Oceans." It is a game that asked me to select (by touch screen) different oceans or continents. It kept score and then gave me my score in comparison with other scores on the program. As a teacher, if teaching the oceans or continents was part of my curriculum, I would love this app. It makes it so much fun to learn a subject that so many kids find boring. It is much better than handing out copies of the world and telling kids to label it.
2) Pile Up States: This app was a Social Studies app. In it, I was asked to identify different states by either their capitol or by their physical shape. I loved this app too! As a teacher, this takes the boring memorization of states location and capitols to a fun and exciting level. I believe any student would love the chance to play this "game" on the iPad.
3) Read Me: This app was under the Language Arts/ English icon. Read Me is a program that reads an interactive book aloud to students while highlighting the words it is currently reading. I believe students or kids of all ages would really appreciate this app. I know that in the school I'm currently at now, any chance any student has to have someone (whether its the teacher or the computer) read to them, they jump at the chance. This app made the story "Tuffy's First Adventure" fun and interesting. I had the chance to not only read along with the exciting narrator, but also click on the pictures for additional stories or details about the characters.
The apps that I explored were fantastic. I'm sure I just scratched the surface when it comes to all the amazing apps currently on my iPad. I think that used appropriately, apps like these can only improve our current education system.
1) Easy Globe Lite: I found it to be extremely educational. This app had 4 different topic areas all related to Geography. The topic I played was "The World: Continents and Oceans." It is a game that asked me to select (by touch screen) different oceans or continents. It kept score and then gave me my score in comparison with other scores on the program. As a teacher, if teaching the oceans or continents was part of my curriculum, I would love this app. It makes it so much fun to learn a subject that so many kids find boring. It is much better than handing out copies of the world and telling kids to label it.
2) Pile Up States: This app was a Social Studies app. In it, I was asked to identify different states by either their capitol or by their physical shape. I loved this app too! As a teacher, this takes the boring memorization of states location and capitols to a fun and exciting level. I believe any student would love the chance to play this "game" on the iPad.
3) Read Me: This app was under the Language Arts/ English icon. Read Me is a program that reads an interactive book aloud to students while highlighting the words it is currently reading. I believe students or kids of all ages would really appreciate this app. I know that in the school I'm currently at now, any chance any student has to have someone (whether its the teacher or the computer) read to them, they jump at the chance. This app made the story "Tuffy's First Adventure" fun and interesting. I had the chance to not only read along with the exciting narrator, but also click on the pictures for additional stories or details about the characters.
The apps that I explored were fantastic. I'm sure I just scratched the surface when it comes to all the amazing apps currently on my iPad. I think that used appropriately, apps like these can only improve our current education system.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Google Drawing
I enjoyed Google drawing. It seemed similar to drawing in word or paint programs. I think if I had time to really play around in it, I would feel more comfortable with the program. In a classroom, it could help students by giving them a way to express what they have learned. The lesson plan that was provided is a good example of being able to explain what the students had learned. They could draw a setting with the drawing program instead of writing a paragraph describing the setting. I believe the teacher would probably get a better response out of some students who maybe really dislike having to write paragraphs. It definitely gives another modification for diversified learners. Below is a link to my drawing in Google drawing. Its extremely basic. No laughing! :)
Drawing
Drawing
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