The web 2.0 tool I want to brag on today is Google Earth. The url is http://earth.google.com. It takes a while to download, however it is worth the wait. This tool has possibilities for many educational activities. Science, geography, art and history to name a few.
Earth science was the first subject I thought of. Exploring the topography of different oceans is very exciting. This would get your students excited because you would have explained that all of this is from satellites and that it is in real time. This has real world application. Recently there was a tsunami that destroyed part of a country. The science teacher could take the class to that part of the ocean where there was the earthquake and show how it builds into a tsunami.
The second subject I thought of was geography. I've always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon. I looked at it on Google Earth and it looked so real. This is a geography teacher's dream. (photo www.fotolia.com)
Just think of it, to be able to actually show that Italy is shaped like
a boot or that Hawaii is so far isolated in the Pacific Ocean would be much more interesting than looking at it on a wall map.
Art has some great sites in Google earth. There are 3-D buildings. Cathedrals, art museums and castles and palaces would be great places to see in art history. There are also great historical places to visit, also. A great history lesson could be on the places where the olympics were held. there is a 3-D Beijing Olympic Stadium.
Google Earth is by far my best web 2.0 site. I cannot think that there could possibly be another tool that I could find so many uses for.
photo http://www.fotolia.com
