Discover Ancient Rome in Google Earth

Google Earth in the Classroom

Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that is currently available for use on personal computers.  Since its release in the summer of 2005, Google Earth has provided a means of combining satellite imagery with geological and geographic information.

You must have Google Earth installed on your computer to use it. You can

download it for free at earth.google.com. Follow the instruction on their site to

install the program to your computer.

The following sites offer great tutorials and ideas for how to use Google Earth in the classroom:

http://www.google.com/earth/learn/

http://www.associatesdegree.com/2010/03/14/google-earth-for-educators-50-exciting-ideas-for-the-classroom/

http://cnx.org/content/m32195/latest/

Teaching Screenagers

Waiting for me on the counter last Thursday evening was the latest issue of Educational Leadership.  It was a good read.  With each turn of the page, I revisited many of 21st Century discussions I have been frequently involved with over the past few years.
As I reflect on my career as an educator, change has been a constant.  It is the nature of the world we live in.  We are learning more everyday about how the brain works, how children learn and what best practices help us teach the students that come to us.  We also know that students come to us immersed in technologies that no other generation has experienced.
"Screenagers"(know as the iGeneration) have a tech world open 24/7.  Our kids don't question the existence of technology and media.  They expect it!  Their audience is no longer limited to the four walls of a classroom or dining room.  These students are aware of the global audience.  They Google, Blog, Facebook and Twitter all over the world using their iPod, iPad, Wii, or iPhone.  They access iTunes, internet, and applications to interact, entertain, communicate, problem solve, collaborate and create.
Education may be embarking on yet another incredible adventure and evolution.  Yes, change is a constant.  As we move into the future, we have to consider the world our students are engaged in outside of school in order to engage them in learning.  It isn't all about the tools we use.  It is about good teaching, responsive teaching, and engagement.  It's about embracing the learners we have been given the privilege to teach, knowing how they think and learn, and embracing the challenge to make teaching and learning better.

"Teacher's shouldn't be afraid of technology.  Understand that it's how we live our lives.  So don't just push it out.  Learn to cope with us and how we work." (pg. 46)

http://bcove.me/c5x7i4au

Google in the Classroom - From Docs to Sites

Google Apps brings together essential services to help your students, school, group or family communicate and collaborate more effectively.  These services are powerful, easy to set up, require little-to-no maintenance, and are available for free - yes free.  The beauty of using Google Apps is that you and your students can access work from any computer at any time.  No need for access to a hard drive or server..... welcome to the "cloud".

Everything is unified by the Start Page, a central place for you and other users to access essential content, documents, presentations, gmail, sites, and search the web.

Below are great tutorials about Google apps:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRqUE6IHTEA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_hJ3R8jEZM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzgaUOW6GIs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD-4FRTzxkI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_fvGvLS6Sw

Introducing a new Google Docs

Google in the Classroom - Google Images

Getting Started with Google Image Sorts:
Visit images.google.com, type what you want to see in the search box, and click Search Images.

You may also see Google Images results in the following ways:

• If you do a search on Google.com, you can click to see Google Images results for the same search by clicking Images at the top of the results page.
• When you search on Google Web Search, our algorithms add images to the results if they might be useful and informative additions.

Try it with a search like [ sunset ].

To narrow down your search for images that you or your students can use in projects or reports, click on the link below:

http://screenjel.ly/Dtj-h2M3m90

A Good Read

 Do you believe that an essential role of schooling is to prepare students to be successful in today's world?  Then Heidi Hayes Jacobs has written a must-read book that makes a powerful case for why and how schools must overhaul, update, and breathe new life into the K–12 curriculum. This world-renowned curriculum designer explains:

• Why K–12 curriculum has to change to reflect new technologies and a globalized world.
• What to keep, what to cut, and what to create to reflect 21st century learning skills.
• Where portfolios and new kinds of assessments fit into accountability mandates.
• How to improve your use of time and space and groupings of students and staff.
• What steps to take to help students gain a global perspective and develop the habits of mind they need to succeed in school, work, and life.
• How to re-engineer schools and teaching to engage and improve students' media literacy.

Take the opportunity to pick up a book that will provide breakthrough ideas for educating a generation that you've been charged to nurture.

http://video.ascd.org/services/player/bcpid55275595001?bctid=61455698001