Google Earth Rocks! + Skype

Bob Coulter's "What's It Like Where you Live?" article made me think back to my student's Community Building elective class, where one of the activity was that they had to memorize their address and phone number by heart. At the next meeting, each student stood up and said his/her address. The teacher typed the address into Google Earth, and students were able to see if the address that they gave was accurate with their actual address. There were many Oohhs and Ahhhs on their faces as they see their apartment building or townhouse pop on the screen with the address that they gave. We tied this activity into Social Studies unit, going on community walks and then mapping out our routes via Google Earth and Map.

Another form of global interactive learning that I've been able to conduct with my students are Skype conferences with people from around the world. Earlier this year on our Asia Unit, my friend was able to Skype to us from Thailand. Even though she couldn't show us the temples or rice fields or market of Nan, she was able to talk to us about her experience there. My students did not stop talking about that Skype conference for weeks! The experience has made me think a lot about distance and place, and how technology can easily help bring that global experience into the classroom.