Journal 7: Google Earth

I chose the tool Google Earth because while I have seen it and played with it a bit in the past, I wanted to learn more about it. To my surprise there is A LOT more to this software than what I have previously seen. Some things I did not know include: You can download this software and use it offline, you can measure the distance between places and create paths from one place to another. www.realworldmath.com allows you to take a look at how some teachers are incorporating google earth into their MATH lessons. Math? My first impression would be that this is a software that teaches geography only. But I am wrong. The teacher who created this software to present math topics, such as rates or scientific notation in unique ways. She also uses the software to have students work together in project based learning activities. There is a ruler tool in Google Earth that allows students to accoplish problem solving activities. Something I found to be really cool is that even though many schools do not have the luxury of having computers on campus, this is okay. Lesson plans can be created to teach students how to use the software and they can do the assignments at home. This software could be used in so many different ways and I can't wait to learn even more about it!