Lib.7-5.Assign.3.Atomic+Learning.+Google+Earth

by [|Georgia DeMesa] - Friday, 24 September 2010, 09:47 AM || deMesa, Georgia Atomic Learning is an excellent tutorial system to educate and provide on-going repetitive support for any learner of the various software processes available, to construct meaning. Having had the good fortune of going through the Google Earth tutorial A through C, I find myself appreciative that one as slow as I am at implementing my new processes that this course is introducing me to, I can use all my modalities for acquiring new knowledge: re-listen, review and implement new processes, with a minimal amount of imposing on instructors, and more self directed opportunities to practice in acquiring new technology skills/knowledge so I can evolve and hopefully to become more proficient in a fluid proficiency-needed curricular area, media research and internet projects with data supported outcomes. Google Earth is an interactive, virtual globe that uses satellite imagery, aerial photographs and the participant’s generated content to show all parts of earth down to the detail viewing of the street house or valley level. To view such finite detail requires the participant to have a high speed computer. There are four levels of viewing Google Earth: free, Plus version, Enterprise version and Pro version dependent on cost a user wants to pay for access. To access Google Earth, the participant/user will be streaming photographs so 500 megahertz needs to be part of the computer’s capacity. NOTE: The Pro edition is available for educators usage. The price is $400 (four hundred dollars a year), but it may possibly be available for FREE with the following procedure. An email to GEEC@google.com  needs to include a request to and the purpose for the request. The license permission email needs to be sent. With consent, it takes a week to install, upon approval and then one can install the software. (Check with your IT dept. for district regulations regarding this being installed on your server before starting the process to make sure everything can be added to your server.) The major components involve the layout of Google Earth; how to locate and save directions between two to many points; explanations of Google (geographical) layers of information, core (Google views as important), static (preselected locations of information); sublayers (selective information); dynamic, which describes preselected landmarks with details provided regarding given structure. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Beyond these above descriptions, Google has **a content level of earth community information**. These are user special interests links which are often designed resulting in incorporation of not only geographical information, but has hyperlinks, thus are engaging productions. I will just mention afew of the variety of content developed Google units mentioned. One of the most recently recognized project entitled**, Google Lit Trips**, which provides a geographical depiction of preselected literature pieces, such as Grapes of Wrath’s journey across the United States. There is another entitled” Olympics 1896 – 2004”. It shares not only the site’s location, but provides details regarding the area. **Google** Earth provides **astronomy** readings for those interested not only in global geography, but information about the planets and star constellations above a given geographical area. Let’s say one is learning about the earth surface of a given area, such as Rome. The viewer can also view the astral area of this local viewing the star constellations above this locality along with the planetary locations. Another Google content focus which **aeronautical oriented users** would love would be to experience the Flight simulator link. This provides the user with a first hand viewpoint of being in a aircraft experience. <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The Google Earth lessons were so engaging I wanted to view all the lessons, but I only touched upon three of the five areas. Thus I know this area will be viewed more in depth with an eye of how to encourage different disciplines to take advantage of the many faucets Google Earth has to offer. I found the description of the how each major section of the Google Earth screen works very helpful. For myself I allowed myself to explore this “How to Use” component at length. To then learn about the layers of content whether the information is Google core geographical information or the subjects of personal interest, “static layers” was helpful. Finally to learn about the content developed links, provided an opportunity to learn a variety of ways to incorporate Google Earth tools in an interdisciplinary manner, which I know secondary teachers would find helpful ||
 * || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Lib.705.Assign.3.AtomicLearning.GoogleEarth
 * || <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Library 705.Assignment 3.Atomic Learning.Google Earth