Google Earth is Not Just a Toy it is Edutainment

It is always fun to play around with programs that may have some value.  This not so with Goole earth.  Google earth is a multi dementional and interactive, education machine.  This as the tutorial stated is and window to see Arial satellite of the sun, moon, Earth, and Mars, as well as, up close imagery.  You are able to see various images, and elevations of a particular land mass.  You can even navigate under bodies of water and see the sea life as well as its terrain.  You are able to view historical recreation of a particular land mass and see how it had changed over the course of time.    With respect to mars and the moon you can look at images from lander and rovers.  You are able to watch the various paths they proceeded on and those images they took.  Another neat feature is the ability to creat and then play back a tour using  specific points on the earth.  Say you wanted to map out a trip for a friend, you can do that.  You can also give them historical facts on where they are going  You are also able to see the lighting patterning from the sun  for a specfic location and at a specific time of day and date. 

So what does that have to do with teaching.  Like I said Google earth is fun and interactive, but it can also be educational.  You are able to look up certain historical charters and not just see there geographical location.  You can also see what that particular person is famous for.  For elementary students it was suggested that you use American tradition to mark out not just there location.  Google earth will also tell you specific information about that tradition.  I looked at a Google earth wiki established by Cindy Lane that was called Google Earth Goods.  See gave various resources on how to use Google earth in the classroom.  These suggestions were similar to the ones I stated above.  But this wiki is a great resource tool to help teacher justify with great success how Google Earth is both fun and educational.  That these programs can help meet the standards of various content areas.   I wonder when Google universe is coming out.

Google Is Mapping Out The World

I love Google maps.  I am not sure of the accuracy of there direction because I have not use them all that much.  But what I am impressed with is the capability of this program.  Yes, you are able to get direction and find various businesses.  But that is only the tip of the iceberg.  When you first pull up Google maps there is a search bar that pops up.  When you type in an address before you hit the second or third letter it is giving you pretty accurate possibly of addresses.  Then you click on the one you want and you see its location.  Then you have the option to choose to see the actual street where that particular location resides.  Once you get the street view you are able to pan around and see  the surrounding area.  My wife and I are looking for houses to rent and before we actually went to those locations, I checked them out on Google maps.  I checked the distance from that house to Dollywood and from there to various colleges.  If you need direction from point A to point B you are able to modify them by determining things like whether or not you wanted to go on toll roads or not.  You can even look at the terrain of a particular place to see if you can miss the rollacoster roads for those who get car sick like some in my family do.  If a particular business is your final destination you can look up info about it like customer reviews.  You could even write one yourself.  Last with respect to personal applications you are even able to create your own personal directions for someone else to use when visiting a specific location.

Know for the teacher side of life.  A teacher could use this program to create activity or even a whole lesson around Google maps.  The expert on this program showed how she used Google maps to do a discovery activity on a particular volcano.  She even did a activity on a virtual tour, which I thought both of those would engage the student as well as teach them various aspects of Google maps.  The lesson plan I looked at was on the earth, sun, and moon.  This lesson plan had starter questions about the Earth, sun, and moon.  They also had various aspects that was desired to be covered.  What I thought was vary useful and helpful was the thumbtacks and images on the map itself.  The student could click on one or the other and get important info of general inquiry.  They could get specific information about that place.  One of the images talked about moon illusions.  Another one talked about the moon race.  This site is definitely broad and specific in its capability.  Way to help us map things out Google.

I Have My Sites on Google

Here is the simple nuts and bolts of Google Sites.  Google sites will allow you to create a website and or a wiki.  When starting out on Google sites  you have a blank home page.  From that point you can select what type of page you desire.  you can have a  webpage that you can organize your info and choose various widget to put in place.  You also have the option of making an announcement page, which is similar to a blog.  This will allow you to put informative information, as well as, various opinions and journals about life in general. Next you can use the file option to categorize  uploads and downloads that you want people to look at.  Last you have the option and the ability to create a list of reading assignment or instructions.  This website or wiki can be access publicly or there is  the ability to put parameters around who can view it.  Wal-mart watch out Google is the new monopoly in town.

When I went to put together my own I found a nice feature.  You can choose blank template or have a created template.  I must say that there is a lot for me to learn about.  I am overwhelmed with this gain.  I am not stress, but I will need time to play with this site before I will be able to make this interesting.  Here is what I have so far.  The reason I choose this title because there is a consensus that teachers are not needed in the classroom for students to learn.  I am not buying that notion.  I have a lot more to gain form this gain.

What's Teaching Got To Do With IT?

A Picnic For Picasa

Well I took a picture to the Picnik and was surprised.  This program is free and is simple and easy to use.  Though it has enough advance option that it makes using it worth your wild.  Picnik allows the family photographer or lets say the non professional a program that will give the basic Photoshop plus a few neat enhancements.  You are able to in this program to do the basic editing as well as some fun enhancements.  Under the create option you able to add frame, text, psychedelic color schemes, and a lot more.  Some of these options cost, but the free ones are fun.  This program would be useful for those art type classes or if students are making flyers using photos they could manipulate them in a serious way or a fun way.  This program is a neat, basic and free.  I will let my wife know about it.  But she probably already knows about it.

Know lets see what Picasa can do and I hope this none creative human can understand what this Atomic learning segment is saying.  The interface of Picasa is a lot more involved.  The pictures you have can be organize into albums.  Which can be categorized into files and folders.  You can tag your photos, which essentially allows you to categorize them into categories like star or blog photos.  You can search your photos for specific photos.  When selecting your photos they pop up in your selection tray, which is on the bottom left of your screen.  Once you put the photos in the tray you can then decide to upload them into an email or select various other action for those photos.

Picasa is like Picnik in that the basic function of editing  images is available.  Unlike Picnik Picasa organization of the photos is what impresses me.  The movies option allows you to take photos, video, and music to form a movie.  You have the option of selecting individual photos, as well as, use an album that you put together as your photos for your movie.  You can take out certain photos and add photos.  So your not stuck with what is in the album.  Syncing the music and the photos together is farly east and you have timing options that will allow you to specify the rhythm of the music and photos.  You can also determine what happens in between the slides.  You are also able to add text only slide and phtot and text slide.  So this would be useful in a presentation for a student.

Picasa and Picnik are well round programs that allow the begginner photographer or the advance to manipulate and organize their photos in practical and complex ways depending on the occasion.  I will like to look into this programs when I have more time.  But until them That's all Folks.

Customize Your Search and Wonder What Is On The Wheel

Google Custom Search is not just good for the classroom, but for any home with kids.  You first need to have a Google account.  Once that is established you can set it up.  You first name the custom search.  Then you can describe its function or what the purpose of this search is.  Next you select the language.  You are given the option to set the parameters by only allowing one to search the websites you want.  Your search can be any website with the emphasis on what you have selected.  There is an advance option that will allow you to choose whether or not they can search the entire domain or just certain pages you selected.  Then on the left there is a control panel that will give you the ability to embed your search book on a wiki page or blog.  This is under the look and feel link.  You need to make sure that you embed both the search box as well as the parameters or your search.  When you are through with this you can test to make sure that everything is set up the way you want it.  If you do not choose to put it on a wiki or a blog.  You also have an option of putting on a Google page but you need to make sure you send the link out so people can find it.  This is a great tool for kids and teenagers to make sure they are staying on the appropriate websites.  Especially for those younger more unfamiliar students you can introduce searching on the wed and not over load them.  This is a wonderful tool.

A wonderful wheel it is and I will use it more myself.  Wonder wheel will give even the most advance searcher the ability to make there search more of a  specific topic to search.  Every time you click on a result from the wheel it will narrow down your search even more, talk about octums razor.  This will save time and frustration when searching a topic that may be vague at first because you are not sure specifically what too type. As you select from the wheel on the left hand side your are given the top websites to choose from.  This is my new best search friend.  Underneath the wonder wheel you are given an option  to have google look at related searches.  Once again if you cannot find what you need you can look at what other options are avaliable based upon the particular topic you choose.  This helps to stay within the specfic word comdination you used while expanding the search.  Last is the timeline option.  This will give you a spectic timeline of your topic.  This option will also allow you to look at information associated with a specfic time period.  Students will not just get a timeline but they will get the abiltiy to see a thorough history during that time period.  All three of these options will allow students to have thorough and substantive search on the web.  High five Google on these features.

Last point you find these option after you preform a normal search on the left side under all results.  Have fun searching.

APP Attack

The first app I looked at was the NASA App.  This was not just well designed on a structural level but it also was informative for an astronomy class section of science.  When you first open up the App you see an image of our solar system.  What this page allows you to do is select any of the planets in the Milky Way as well as the sun and moon.  When you select one of those you get a data sheet on specific information about the sun, like what it is define as and the distance the sun is from earth.  At the bottom of the home page you have other options like NASA TV that have various information shows.  There is also videos of various shuttle launches and things of that sort.  Last there is a feature page that has main documant on the solar system as well as births of the world.  This Apps while allow  a teacher to unleash an imaginative mind in this particular App.  Because this App is informational as well as interactive a student can gain much knowledge and enjoy it at the same time.

The next Apps is called Math Drills Lite.  This App allows you to practice and drill math problems in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  You open it up and select which one you want to practice or have a timed drill.  Then it gives you ten problems.  This App is good becasue it covers all four basic math problems and it allows you to practice or have a timed drill.  This version is not the full version but will allow students to sharpen their basic math skills.  If a student is done with a test, has completed their assignment early, or having problems with basic math.  They could send time sharpening their skills. 

The third App was the BBC news app.  It is simple to use you can hit the news folder and select one of the news site they have.  It will then give you a selection of Top stories, US and Canada and more.  You also can turn on its is live radio that will give you the top stories via radio.  This will allow you to get current events as well as more recent top stories.  I like this option because students can look up current events for civic classes or for various research they might want to do on current events.    So I think this App will give access at their desk so they can write while they are doing this research.

The Not So Meaty Google Drawing.

Here is the little bit I found on Google drawing.  Like the rest of the Google APPS, Google drawing is free and you are able to find it on whatever computer you are on, as long as there is internet access.  Google drawing counter part is the complex Adobe illustration.  Google drawings makes easy the abiliy to make charts for events like wedding, when you are trying to keep organized the seating arrangement.  For simple charts like a flow chart.  Google drawing allows you to whip up one in a short notice.  Like the rest of Google docs you can copy the imge or chart onto a different doc.  If you are felling confident you can publish the drawing.

As far as using Google drawing in the class room.  Students can use it to make drawings so they can illustrate a short story or a long one.  You can use it in art class as a supplement activity.    You can even put graphs on various math problems or to go along with a survey.  You can even make cartoon strips.  I feel like I am rambling know.  I think this is about the right amount for the information I had to work with.  I am just kidding.  I hope that is alright that is to kidd.

The Skinny on Ipad and IBook

Here is something to chew on about IPad and IBook.  If you have already chewed and swallowed this information than I am sorry, but here we go again.  The Ipad2 has two cameras one in the front mainly for face time, but can also be used for still shots.  It is a .3 megapixel camera  The rear of the IPad has a .7 megapixel camera and can also be used for facetime.  It is typically used as the main still camera and is used to shoot videos which is a neat app that can be used.  The rear camera has a 5x digital zoom.

The screen on the IPad is a touch screen .  The neat reality with touch screens is that you do not need peripherals attached to your IPad, allowing it to be more mobile which it is intended to be.  There also is less buttons on the IPad scence the screen is your button.  The screen is a 9.7 almost the size of most net books and not as bulky.  The screens orientation adjust both vertically and horizontally depending on the position of the IPad.  There is however a switch button that will hold a particular orientation if you so desire.  With an IPad there are certain gestures and tap feature that are neat.  One is it is set up like a mouse were you can one tap to connect.  You can also two tap to zoom.  You also have the option of taping , holding, and dragging for highlights.  But my favorite so far is the ability to expand and shrink the size of the text

The rest that I noted from my IBook on the IPad is there is a microphone built into the IPad, which is standard on this size mobile device.  There is key board that pops up which you can use, without buying a keyboard.  But it still does not work as well as a regular peripheral keyboard.  But it is only a couple of years old give them time Apple will make it work.

Then we have, what the books state make the IPad fun, the APPS.  From a functional standpoint the apps make the IPad or the IPad makes the APPS, whichever way you look at it, the main aspect that makes the IPAD stand out from the rest.  The APPS are either located on your dock or you can have a folder on your dock that has all the ones you may not use all the time.   The other usable feature that I came upon was the ability to hit the home button open up another APP , while your previous APP
 is stationary were you left it.  So when you open up that same APP again you do not lose your place.

Since we are already talking about APPS lets talk about IBook.  I must say that I enjoyed IBook a lot more then I thought.  I think its readability is better then a book.  But more then that I see it as an all in one book reading, highlighting, note taking, and interactive machine.  Let me explain some more about what I mean.  Right now when I read a book lets say for this class.  I read with the book to my left and take notes at the same time.  Now because I still am in the elementary age of typing I still look down at the keys.  So using IBooks I am able to look at the book while looking at the keys, while taking notes.  The highlights are a lot more fluid then when I try to use a highlighter and this one does not bleed through the page.  Then with notes it leaves a posted note next to were you took the note.  Therefore you not haveing to right down page references in you notes.  On the posted note there is the date you wrote it.  Than if you go to the table of content you have all your notes in the various colors you chose from, as well as, your bookmarks (this was found by Jerry).

Since I am running out of time let me go through the rest I found, which by no means is all there is, rather quickly.  At the bottom you have a option to scroll to a particular chapter or page.  You also have a search option were you can type in a word and the IBook program will populate all those section with that word in it.  There is an option to change the font.  If you leave a page there is a resume button that will take back to your original spot.  You can highlight a word and go to the dictionary.  There is a lot more.  I am sold on the IBook.  Well on to drawing

Form or Format

For those of us who do not have the time nor the know how to put together a form Goggle is here to help.  Goggle docs has an option for creating various forms.  From self grading quizzes to surveys.  Google form gives you a template that allows you to form these forms in a way that will give you the right quiz or test.  This is a self grading program except if you impute an essay question.   But with multiple choice, true and false, matching it will grade.  I think to save paper, involve technology, and learn a new free way of doing a form.  I will learn more about it and hope to use it soon.

I really like practical and usable technology.  I think Google is on to something swell.  Forms are used everyday and everyday we spend more and more money on sourcing these types of jobs out.  I think Google will help us manage that side of our budget pretty well.

A Little Meat :
  As I looked a little closer at forms I see that there is more then I thought.  When posting a questionnaire, one option that you are able to do is allow the people to view  a summary of the responses.  There is an option to have graphs, as well as  various text responses.  You can have multiple page forms and you are able to embed the form in a website.  There is also another complexity to forms you are able to based upon an answer to a question, redirect them.

You are also able to set up spreed sheet and adapt the spread sheet without starting allover again.  The spread sheet which I did not look as closely tonight.  Gives you the abilty to have that in place to collect answers and data.  To be able to have this feature is both necessary and neat.  That is all the meat I have.

Thanks for another opportunity. 

Feed Me Something Delicious

Yahoo is making its showing at something delicious.  A bookmark I can find were ever I am.  This is not just a bookmark that I can view, but a social bookmark that I can share with others.  I can share with benefits.  Delicious also allows you to tag your bookmark with other relevant information.  You also are able to see the user feed back on the particular bookmark.  I am able, like with other applications I have viewed in this class, to share with one another my most valuable bookmarks.  You  are also able to be specific in your search of others bookmarks.

To talk a little more about navigating through Delicious.  There are a few tab arrangements that help with narrowing down the search.  Your first tab is the fresh bookmark tab.  This tab shows you what is the most recent searches on a particular topic.  The next tab is the Hot list.  You can probably tell by its name that these are the most bookmarked bookmarks.  Try to swallow that last part of the previous sentence.   Then you have the explore tag tab.  This tab will take you to the most popular tags.  This like another reference type material, allows you to save time and in some ways money because some of the leg work has been done for you.  All in all this Delicious application taste pretty good.   Lets go to the feed.

RSS feed is a way to be fed with the most current information.  What a notion to understand.  Google reader is a great way to be fed your desired information.  Subscribe to the feed and watch it work.  Google reader gives all your subscribers to the left and bold means new information you can view.  The number tells you how many you haven't viewed.  It is nice to save time when time is valuable to allow a free service be your legs.  I will, when I have time incorporate this new find.

Now for the library thing it looks like a great program for those who read books.  I do read, they just tend to be technical books and my Bible.  But, as far as other books I do not read.   For those who do it allows you to have a reading list and you are able to share books you read.  You are able to comment and read other comments.  Read on, you avid readers and I hope one day I can dive deeper into that subject.

Getting Lost in Numbers

As my blogging theme continues I will stick to the lets get back to the basics motto.  I will look at some basic aspects of goggle spreadsheet.  First like presentation and docs you can import other software into goggle spreadsheet like excel and numbers.  You can also share and collaborate with other as needed.  So for the business professional.  They are able to put their spreadsheet out there and have others not just view and edit accordingly.    This same business person can have the peace of mind if he or she forgets or loses their flash drive.  You are also able to title your spreadsheet, which is probably a common option.  You can also start a new one while working on another at the same time.  What feature I liked the most was the ability to use a template.  I am not spreadsheet savvy, so it is nice to know that I can most likely choose a template that would fit my needs without searching all over the place.  As I become more proficient I can begin to create my own.  This is all at zero charge, which in my economical state is a big plus.  I wish I knew about Google before I bough Microsoft office at the beginning of the year.  Since I know and knowing is half the battle.  Maybe I can help some else see the free at the end of the rainbow and save them a few bucks.

It's Goggle Time

For a non techy and I know Dr. Krug I will not make it in the teaching world unless I convert to a techy.  But on a serious note Google is at least becoming your Walmart of free and highly functional applications and software.  I know in the finance world they say to be diversified.  I must say for one who is not deep in the technological world I kind of like having my eggs in one technological basket if possible.  It saves time and I do not have several passwords.  That being said let me get to the topics at hand Gmail, Goggle calendar, and IGoogle.


Gmail is in my opinion a normal email machine not a real big deal.  So in saying that there are a few things that I have learned that may be useful for common knowledge.  I am not sure if other email systems have these features, but they are new to me.  There are times when I email something and I want for people to read the email without envisioning me as the one who wrote that email.  This is not for creepy reasons, just so that they can focus on content not there feelings towards me.  So, to have the ability to to change my outgoing mail name is a good option to have.  The function for inserting web clips was interesting I had wandered how that was done and now I know.  The other logical tool is the ability to change an email from one language to another.  I see this option as vital when communicating to fairly non-native speakers.  It gives them and me, depending on who sends and who receives, the chance to read the email in a more comprehensible language.

Then we have Google Calendars.  I must say when a buddy of mine introduce that to me I really thought it was pretty involved, but with a user friendly twist to it.  I like the fact that I could overlap my wife's and mine calendar to see scheduling conflicts or to simply know were see was at a said time.  I really like the to-do-list feature. I do not need to waste paper.  Even though we use scrap paper to make a to do list.  You can also put topics in the heading portion.  You also do not have to stick with half hour time slot.  You put the time in and it will populate accordingly.  You can sync this calender to your mobile device and you can get it anywhere because it is floating in Google cyberspace waiting for you to call its name.

Last is IGoogle.  IGoogle page is particularly interesting.  It is conglomeration of your information and interest of yours with in reason.  The instructor of this tutorial used the phrase information coming to you. another neat option is decorating your Ipage. I often thought that google pages were always bland.  But I was informed that you can decorate your IGoogle.  I know decorate is not the correct term to use, but it is what I thought of.  There is a lot more but time is running away and I must move to GAIN.

sIgning Off
Tim

Presenting Goggle Presentation

I want to first state this simple reality that I have used power point, but on a vary limited basis.  I m able to do the basics.  Beyond that my wife took care of the rest.  I will however interject a few points on creating a presentation.  But I will mainly stay in the confines of its overall capability.

First I want to say that the collaborating function of Goggle docs is neat in a scary way.  I like the idea of having a doc or in this case a presentation available at your disposal without emailing back and forth, as well as having multiple saved entries.  It saves time and space on your computer.  IT also in my case is good to know that if I forget my potable memory device at home I have a backup waiting for me in the clouds.  Specifically with the presentations, it is neat to present at multiple places and all I need is internet access, which may be tough in parts of Indiana and any other rural places.

One of the problems I have found with windows is the need to have the power point software to use this program on a specific computer.  With Goggle presentation you can not only use it anywhere that has internet access.  You can also use your Microsoft powerpoint through Goggle presentation.  That would have saved me a bunch of times.

As far as the editing and creating using presentation verses power point.  I see no real differences from my view point.  From what the tutorial states.  There is no difference on what it can do.  I do however see the that presentation seems to be more user friendly and is able to insert more types of images than power point.  Please do not hold me to that statement, but that is my observation.

Web Browsers-Who is the Top Dog?

I took a few moments this evening and looked over a couple of browser and I am writing a few remarks.   The first was Safari by Apple.  To me the basic setup was comparable to the the more mainstream browsers.  Its speed was fine to my eyes and it auto populated from history of the web browser.  Safari had the Goggle search bar located to the right side of the address bar.  In my opinion nothing real different.

The Second was Goole Chrome.  The speed I found on Goggle Chrome was faster than some of the others.  This browsers home page is one that will save and show recent apps and history of your most popular searches, which is typically nice to have.  The one thing I like the most about it is the drop down feature that gives you an option as you type in the address.  This is obviously derived from the Goggle search bar.  But the difference is Goggle Chrome will not just inserts the topic you are interested in, but the address as well.  The only draw back I have found with this search engine is it will freeze on a more regular bases.