Science Challenge Reflection

I watched Sam, Robin, and Nancy's projects and they were all wonderful.

There really are so many different things you can do with science because it is so hands on. The nice thing is that a lot of these projects were based on programs that are completely FREE. There is no fancy equipment required, just computers. These projects also showed me that they are pretty easy and they match up with a lot of the state core, so that makes it simple. Science tools and hands on activities makes lessons much more exciting and I think the students would really appreciate these experiences. I would love to use a digital microscope in my classroom, that would be awesome. They are so much easier than the old school microscopes.

Science Challenge

For my science challenge I am going to focus on the 5th grade, Science Core Standard 2 Objective 2 which says: Explain how volcanoes, earthquakes, and uplift affect Earth’s surface. Give examples of different landforms that are formed by volcanoes, earthquakes, and uplift (e.g., mountains, valleys, new lakes, canyons)

I want the kids to visit these different landforms. There are many tools in Google Earth that would allow students to do that. For instance, they could use the time ruler to see the affects before and after major earthquakes or volcano eruptions.

What is the content you will be focusing on in your science activity:

I will be focusing on the Earth's surface and the different characteristics that shape it, such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and uplifts

What is the pedagogy you will be using and why is it a good fit with the content?

The pedagogy I will be doing is observing, acquiring data, making predictions, and analyzing.

What is the technology you'll be using and why is it a good fit with the content and pedagogy?

The technology I will be using is Google Earth. This is definitely the best tool out there for exploring the surface of the Earth. The kids can see and explore the different characteristics of the Earth.

Google Earth Project Reflection

I looked at Robin, Julie, and Sarah's tours. They were all so good!

I think the Google Earth project is a good idea if it is done well and if it really would be better than any other project. Obviously, some subjects would not work well with this kind of learning experience. For things like Geography, this could be really awesome. Upsides would be that the kids get to see the real location, experience what it looks like, and play around with it. They can travel to anywhere in the world. I think it could gets kids really excited about the subject.

A downside is that this is time consuming! But then again, you could use the tour again and again, and it could get faster to make with practice. Another downside is that the school must have the technology to support this kind of project, and not all schools have that technology.

Boundaries Tour

I'm not sure if the post below worked because all I can see is "Google Earth Plugin is not currently installed" and it won't let me install the Plugin. But I follow the instructions, I promise!

Here is the link to my tour: PBWorks-Boundaries. If you click that link, the kmz file will start downloading.

Also, if you go to my PB Works page, there is a side link called Google Earth and my tour is saved there as a kmz file.

My Tools

For some reason the table was not cooperating. Here are my tools:
1 Turn on borders and terrain. Use the ruler tool.
2 Turn on borders and terrain. Use the time slider tool.
3 Terrain, border layers. Ruler tool
4 Turn on border and terrain

Google Earth Virtual Tour

I decided to do my virtual tour on borders between states and countries.

Standard:

3rd Grade

Standard 1: Students will understand how geography influences community location and development.
Objective 1: Determine the relationships between human settlement and geography.
c. Compare the shapes and purposes of natural and human-made boundaries of cities, counties and states.

Location	Activity Description	Google Earth Content
1. Bering Strait North America and Asia border	Don't Alaska and Asia look close together? It seems like you can swim from one continent to the other! Use the ruler tool to measure the distance from the edge of Alaska to the edge of Asia. How many miles apart are they? Did that surprise you? Why or why not?	Turn on borders and terrain. Use the ruler tool.
2. Mississippi River- Mississippi and Arkansas Border	Notice the border line (the gray line) and the actual river. They differ! Follow the eastern edge of the Arkansas border line and notice how it changes from the river path. This is because the Mississippi River is constantly moving. Change the date on Google Earth using the "historical imagery" tool. Can you see how the river shifts over the years? Why do you think this is? Source: "Arkansas State Boundaries" on http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2546	Turn on borders and terrain. Use the time slider tool.
3. Swiss Alps Italy and Switzerland border	Take a visit to the Swiss Alps! Why do you think this mountain range is the border? Drag along the mountain range and notice how long it is! You can use the ruler tool to measure the length of the mountain range.	Terrain, border layers. Ruler tool
4. Four Corners, USA Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico	At this border, we can be in 4 places at once! The white platform you see is where the big X is. Find the place where the 4 states meet. Does that match up with where the white platform is? Why do you think this is? Zoom in on the 4 corners Center. How big is it? What do you notice about it? Does it seem like fun? View the different pictures of the monument.	Turn on border and terrain.

I thought learning about borders, natural and man-made, would be a lot more fun and informational when using Google Earth. First off, I think borders can be kind of an abstract idea, because in real life they are all around us, but not always clearly marked or noticeable. Google Earth gives a birds eye view, and students can see the borders and how they really do separate different places. Many of these borders are also famous landmarks, so you get a two for one deal on this tour. Students can see the place for how it really looks and it's like they are taking a field trip.