An old friend of the family, Google Earth has saved my butt many a time by giving me a bird's eye view of, well, the Earth via satellite. For the visual learners among us, this is key to getting anywhere. How do I get to Los Lupes (my favorite Mexican restaurant) from Mesquite? Where exactly is Cromwell St.? Haven't a clue how to tell you, BUT I can get there. Now, thanks to this awesome ap, I don't have to know street names to go ANYWHERE (ok. Maybe a couple street names); all I have to do is look it up on Google Earth (which is even handier if you have an iPhone or internet capable gadget), pick out the streets I do know, anchor my barrings with a couple land marks and go. This is especially great when I don't have access to our TomTom (another great invention for the directionally challenged like myself). It's also kind of cool just to look up places you know: your house, your parents house, the childhood homestead, the vacant lot that is now a megaplex, etc. Many times Paul and I have used this to acclimate ourselves to a new and undiscovered (by us) part of the Earth. If I were a world geography teacher, I'd be so stoked by this ap. Add to that the ability to project "live" maps via the ceiling mounted projector and there are endlessly fun ways to integrate it into the classroom. Way cool!
Considering I spend most of my day next to a computer, Google Update doesn't really appeal to me (if I want to know something, I just look it up the old fashioned way), but I can see this being quite addictive for the sports fan forced away from the TV/radio during an important game. As a matter of fact, I sat behind a couple guys yesterday at a yoga competition (don't ask) that did just that (received updates not yoga). They were there to support their wives but were missing out on some game (no clue what . . . I'm nosy, but not THAT nosy). Not wanting to miss out on a single basket/touchdown/goal/homerun/whatever, the used their internet capable cell phones to receive email updates. Again, I'm not nosy enough (nor, at the time, did I care enough) to find out if they were using Google Update, but the idea is the same. They had their cake (keeping their wives happy) and ate it too (didn't miss a single play all afternoon long). I guess it's kind of like Twitter (or what I think Twitter is supposed to be if I cared enough or had enough time to find out). Immediate gratification. Not my thing, but I can see where it would work for some.
I will admit (and my friends will confirm) that I'm an organizational freak. I can't concentrate if my desk is too cluttered (or my brain for that matter). I've been keeping a notebook of "To Dos" since elementary school for that very reason, and, under normal circumstances, the idea of Google Calendar would thrill me to no end. But, in this day of over-abundant techie gadgets, I just don't know how practical this ap would actually be. Every gadget I regularly carry on my person has some sort of calendar application. My crappy, non-internet capable cell phone, my Kindle II, and even my digital camera all off some sort of calendar and/or memo function I can use to keep track of various activities. And, because I don't have an iPhone, I don't have instant internet access to Google Calendar wherever I go. So, while the idea is great (and was probably awesome a few years ago), it's just not convenient for me now, and probably even more impractical for our tech savy students. HOWEVER, like teaching students how to use note cards for researching, everyone must start somewhere and for the right person, this may be the perfect solution for organizing their homework/meetings/obligations/birthdays/etc.
Considering I spend most of my day next to a computer, Google Update doesn't really appeal to me (if I want to know something, I just look it up the old fashioned way), but I can see this being quite addictive for the sports fan forced away from the TV/radio during an important game. As a matter of fact, I sat behind a couple guys yesterday at a yoga competition (don't ask) that did just that (received updates not yoga). They were there to support their wives but were missing out on some game (no clue what . . . I'm nosy, but not THAT nosy). Not wanting to miss out on a single basket/touchdown/goal/homerun/whatever, the used their internet capable cell phones to receive email updates. Again, I'm not nosy enough (nor, at the time, did I care enough) to find out if they were using Google Update, but the idea is the same. They had their cake (keeping their wives happy) and ate it too (didn't miss a single play all afternoon long). I guess it's kind of like Twitter (or what I think Twitter is supposed to be if I cared enough or had enough time to find out). Immediate gratification. Not my thing, but I can see where it would work for some.
I will admit (and my friends will confirm) that I'm an organizational freak. I can't concentrate if my desk is too cluttered (or my brain for that matter). I've been keeping a notebook of "To Dos" since elementary school for that very reason, and, under normal circumstances, the idea of Google Calendar would thrill me to no end. But, in this day of over-abundant techie gadgets, I just don't know how practical this ap would actually be. Every gadget I regularly carry on my person has some sort of calendar application. My crappy, non-internet capable cell phone, my Kindle II, and even my digital camera all off some sort of calendar and/or memo function I can use to keep track of various activities. And, because I don't have an iPhone, I don't have instant internet access to Google Calendar wherever I go. So, while the idea is great (and was probably awesome a few years ago), it's just not convenient for me now, and probably even more impractical for our tech savy students. HOWEVER, like teaching students how to use note cards for researching, everyone must start somewhere and for the right person, this may be the perfect solution for organizing their homework/meetings/obligations/birthdays/etc.
My husband became obsessed with Google Earth when he found out we were going to Paris. He had everything all mapped out and knew how many blocks we would have to walk to each metro station. I think it is addicting.
ReplyDeleteOh . . . my . . . god! My boyfriend is the same way. Granted, it has helped us find a few destinations we wouldn't have found with just the instructions, but he is totally addicted. It must be a guy thing!
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