Posted by David Wetzel
Google Earth View of Sicily's Mount Etna Eruption 2002
Almost everyday a natural disaster occurs somewhere in the world. These disasters include volcano eruptions, flooding, hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, and more.
Most students rarely have a personal encounter with the effects of natural disasters, during their school years. However, almost all will have an encounter sometime during their lifetime.
The most common encounter for everyone with a natural disaster is by watching TV or reading about them on the Internet. This leads to little personal interaction and understanding of the causes of the disaster.
There is one technology today which allows students to watch natural disasters unfold or see the effects after they have occurred — Google Earth.
This free technology provides students with a bird’s eye view of a natural disaster area with remarkable high resolution. Students and teachers have access to this technology and they can investigate the cause and effect of any natural disaster in the world.
Project Based Learning: Studying the Effects of Disasters
When word of a natural disaster is spreading from somewhere in the world or announced on the news, students can use Google Earth to conduct an investigation of the disaster’s effect.
If enough warning is given, for example a hurricane or typhoon; students can view the expected land fall areas before the storm strikes. Then they can view the effects after the hurricane or typhoon passes through the area.
Other natural disasters students can investigate include:
- Volcano Eruptions – investigating lava flows, impact on surrounding vegetation, impact of surrounding region, and if there will be a global impact.
- Earthquakes – investigating the impact on cities, human development activities, and land masses.
- Major Floods – investigating flooded regions, along with impact on watersheds.
- Tsunamis – investigating the destructive power of Tsunamis, by comparing before and after images of a seashore area and surrounding landscape.
Problem Solving: Studying the Cause and Effect of Specific Natural Disasters
Students develop and create a variety of questions to guide their investigations related to a natural disaster. Then use Google Earth, Online Media, News Reports, Twitter, and Skype to follow through on their investigations. Examples include:
- What is the impact on local residents?
- What is the impact on the stability of man made dikes that hold back flood waters?
- What continents are likely to be affected by the ash fallout from the volcano eruption?
- What protection measures did the region have before the Tsunami struck the coast?
- What type of plates make up the San Andres fault in California?
- What other volcanoes are in the area and are they likely to erupt?
Additional Science Projects Using Google Earth
Google Earth and Global Warming Projects
Thematic Units Using Google Earth
Posted by David Wetzel
Using Web 2.0 Technology in Project based Learning
Project Based Learning can be defined as an instructional approach built upon authentic learning activities that engage student interest and motivation. These activities are designed to answer a question or solve a problem and generally reflect the types of learning and work people do in the everyday world outside the classroom.
Integration of technology is an integral part of project based learning, because technology is an integral part of life outside the classroom as revealed in this part of the definition – “types of learning and work people do in the everyday world outside the classroom.”
Strategies for Integrating Technology in Project based Learning
The following is an aggregate of free Web 2.0 resources for use in project based learning.
Book Trailer Videos
Students can create a book trailer for trade books such as the “Math Curse” by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith or the “Tiny Seed” by Eric Carle to intrigue others about reading the book. Students use video or digital images to represent a portion of the story and then turn it into a movie using:
- Photo Story 3 - converting photos into slideshow
- Windows Movie Maker - creating digital movies
- iMovie - creating movies
- Animoto - creating videos
- Netvibes - blogs, videos, and photos
- Kerpoof - illustrate writing and videos
- Fluxtime - animated videos
- Fanfiction - creating videos
- Screentoaster - creating videos
Interactive Posters/Presentations
Students create an interactive poster about a specific event in science or math history, scientist, mathematicians, and math or science concepts. Their interactive poster includes photos, videos, documents, and other information. Students create this interactive poster using:
- Glogster - interactive posters using video, music, and documents
- Flickr - image sharing
- Google Docs - spreadsheets, wordprocessing, surveys, and presentations
- Open Office - spreadsheets, wordprocessing, and presentations
- Zoho - spreadsheets, wordprocesssing, and presentations
- Animoto - videos
- VoiceThread - images, documents, and videos
- Netvibes - blogs, videos, and photos
- ccMixter - music
- Wordle - vocabulary cloud
- Kerpoof - illustrate writing and videos
- Fluxtime - animated videos
Podcasts – Audio/Video
Students use digital images to create a vocabulary review for topics in science or math. Then they can be turned into audio or video Podcasts. Students create this podcasts using:
- Audacity - audio recorder and editor
- iTunes - music, videos, and podcasting
- Garageband - audio editing and recording
- Podsafe Audio - music
- Netvibes - blogs, videos, and photos
- ccMixter - music for video
- Kerpooof - videos
- Fluxtime - animated videos
- Screentoaster - videos
Slideshows
Students use digital images to create a vocabulary review for topics in science or math. Then they can be turned into audio or video Podcasts. Students create this podcasts using:
- Slideshare - powerpoint presentations and documents
- Slidesix - powerpoint presentations, audio, and video
- Slideboom - powerpoint presentations
- Slideroll - photos
- VoiceThread - images, documents, and videos
- Wordle - vocabulary cloud
- ccMixter - music
Collaborative Sharing
These projects can be shared within the class and others outside the classroom using:
- Class Wiki – All
- Skype – Book Trailers and Presentations
- Twitter - All
- Class Blog – All
- VoiceThread – Interactive Posters/Presentations
- Stupeflix Studio – Videos
- Flixtime – Videos
- SchoolTube – Videos and Podcasts
- Jing – All
- Ning – All
- iPhone – Podcasts
- iPod Touch – Podcasts
- Diigo – All
- Stumble Upon – All
- Delicious - All
- YouTube - Videos
- Vimeo - Videos
Using Web 2.0 tools in support of student learning in math and science accomplishes two things.
- First – these tools take advantage of prior knowledge and experiences with digital tools for these digital citizens.
- Second – these tools allow students to complete project based learning using real world applications.
Posted by David Wetzel
The following five free Web 2.0 tools promote a shared collaborative approach to teaching and learning science and math.
Provides an online set of tools for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and forms for collecting data. The advantage is that students can work on these documents from any location they have a computer and access to the Internet. Also students can work on the same document simultaneously. Google Docs provides additional information and links to supporting resources.
With this tool you can create a power point or keynote presentation and upload the it to SlideShare. Then you embed HTML (created by SlideShare) code of the presentation into a Wiki or Blog for use in the classroom. You can also embed videos and podcasts in a Wiki or blog using SlideShare. Visit SlideShare for additional information.
This tool is now called pbworks and is used to develop and make Wikis for class use. Tips for Using Wikis for Teaching and Learning has ideas and links to resources for using Wikis in science and math classes.
This tool is used to develop and make a Blog for class use. Visit WordPress for additional information.
This tool allows teachers to communicate with other teachers and students to work collaboratively with students in other locations 140 characters at a time. Using Twitter to Break Down Classroom Walls provides strategies for using Twitter in the classroom.
