As we discussed in class, using tools like google earth is a great way to give some physicality to lessons as well as providing new perspectives. This picture is a great example. Just 30 miles from where I was deployed and had some of the worst moments of my life, others are living their lives. Taking pictures of sunsets and hanging out with their friends. While most of my memories of the land have faded, taking a quick tour of the area and seeing things the flat plains and beautiful mountains without the fear that I had while living there was almost therapeutic. Most of our students won't have the chance to travel the world, but using technology can lessen the gap that we may feel from others that are different than us.
Thank you for sharing your experience and perspective about using this technology to connect to others that are far apart from us. I appreciate your comments on the therapeutic nature of looking over the spaces that used to bring you fear. This is a great example of the many uses that new technology can have and an example of how individuals can learn to use resources in creative ways for their own purposes.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Jeremy...thanks for sharing and just how great it can be to go back and visit a place without actually being there. Wonder what this would mean to a new student who joins our classrooms and they were able to give us a tour of where they came from? That therapy comes in many forms.
ReplyDeleteJosh, your insight is so valuable. As someone who has also traveled the world, while I might add not as intense, I do agree with you that using google earth is a great way to introduce our students to the world. It is hard to get the feeling of looking up at the Berlin Wall, but with google earth it is very possible to come close.
ReplyDeleteJosh! Thank you for your post! I agree with you and the comments. I think incorporating Google Earth into lessons is such a cool way for students to experience the world from the classroom. Why would educators show pictures out of a book when we could virtually bring students to a location anywhere in the world with Google Earth! Thank you for sharing about your experience too, I find this incredibly valuable and insightful. I think by transporting students to a different place in the world we can create emotion and experience for students!
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