Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Google Sky, Moon, and Mars

Exploring Google products for lifelong learners is like being the kid in the candy store...so many choices but not as bad on the teeth or the sugar levels.

Google Sky, Moon, and Mars are just a few more cool tools in the long list of Google products and labs. So whether it is family night for space exploration, a scout meeting for backyard astronomy, or classes that are using the Internet instead of an outdated textbook, or a local group just exploring and sharing knowledge...go ahead point, click, and explore. You might have fun while learning something new.

Google Sky - http://www.google.com/sky/
From the infrared view of the sky from the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) to the microwave sky from NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP and the historical view of the sky as drawn by Giovanni Maria Cassini (printed in 1792) showing the constellations in their classical form from the collections of David Rumsey.

Google Moon - http://www.google.com/moon/
Four different types of data in Google Moon:
Visible - A mosaic of images taken by the Clementine missions. This is a black-and-white version of what you would see if you were in orbit around the moon. This composite imagery was prepared by the USGS.

Elevation - A lunar terrain map generated by the USGS in conjunction with the Unified Lunar Control Network 2005, and shaded using an airbrushed shaded relief map.

Apollo - A collection of placemarks that tell the story of the Apollo missions that landed on the moon. This includes stories, quotes, images, panoramas, audio clips, and links to videos of the astronauts' adventures on the lunar surface.

Charts - A collection of geological and topographic charts of various regions of the moon.

Google Mars - http://www.google.com/mars/

Three different types of data in Google Mars:

Elevation - A shaded relief map, generated with data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.

Visible - A mosaic of images taken by the Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. MOC is like the digital camera you have at home. Basically, this is what your eyes would see if you were in orbit around Mars.

Infrared - A mosaic of infrared images taken by the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. Warmer areas appear brighter, and colder areas are darker. Clouds and dust in the atmosphere are transparent in the infrared, making this the sharpest global map of Mars that has ever been made.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Another favorite blog...

Another favorite blog I keep up to date with is the Cool Cat Teacher Blog. While I do not know Vicki Davis personally, I mentioned her blog during a job interview with the GA Department of Education. We were discussing the variety of technology and I mentioned that I wish every school could have a Cool Cat Teacher blogger, my preference would be to have one in every grade in every school. She is a committed blogger and self described "teacher, entrepreneur, edublogger, conference presenter, freelance writer, an avid reader, and a technology "geek".

From Vicki's post (http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/) on 6/23/08 of sites that caught her eye: The 23 things is a fascinating way to teach teachers about these tools. Great resource for professional developers to look at. Check out http://k12learning20.wikispaces.com/23Things

From the K12 Learning 2.0: Tools for 21st Century Teaching & Learning "23 Things" wiki, "This self-guided online learning adventure is designed to provide classroom teachers and other school personnel with an introductory "What's out there?" exploration of some common tools and concepts related to Web 2.0"

I conducted some computer workshops at the local library using some of the "23 Things" in this self-guided online learning adventure. Check out 23 Things: http://k12learning20.wikispaces.com/

If you have never visited Vicki Davis' Cool Cat Teacher blog, check out her blog and the links to the many supplemental projects she has created or participates in: http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/

A little more research into the beginnings of "the 23 Things" took me to The Learning 2.0 (http://plcmcl2-about.blogspot.com/) program which was designed by Helene Blowers, PLCMC (Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County)Technology Director, with the support and assistance of several staff and is loosely based upon Stephen Abram's article, 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006) and the website 43Things.

The design of this online program was completely built on Web 2.0 technologies that are freely available on the Internet. These sites include: Blogger, Flickr, Odeo, YouTube, PBWiki & Bloglines.


From Learning 2.0 comes Learning 2.1 with more "Things" as the adventure continues in a Master List of items number 24 - 60 with Wikis, Facebook, Ning, Plaxo, Google Groups and many others: http://explorediscoverplay.blogspot.com/2007/02/adventure-continues.html

Great sites whether you are new to online tools or an old school computer geek that needs to verify a skill set. Have fun and enjoy the online learning process.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

How do you know? Which one?

This question comes up quite a bit when discussing which tools are right for students, certain groups, or curious individuals.

How do you respond? I refer them to Jane Hart's blog or the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies site where the Directory of Learning Tools (2300+) and the Top 100 Learning Tools. I encourage everyone to explore what works for them and what doesn't. This is one of the many advantages of online learning, find what works for you and the perspective audience. Better yet continue to learn and pick a tool a day or week and just try out a tool, read comments from others, and post your own comments and questions.

So whether you are a student, a budget strapped organization, or a curious individual visit the Directory of Learning Tools index (
http://c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/ ) and enjoy a site that provides an index consisting of a variety of learning tools, free and not so free, and where you can make a recommendation of a tool if it is not listed.