nex·us
A means of connection; a link or tie

(www.thefreedictionary.com)

The notion of connection is intrinsic to every aspect of humanity. So vital, in fact, that our very lives depend upon it as every breath, every thought and every action is preceded by millions of synapses connecting, transmitting and communicating important information.

This network of thought-and-action-determining connections don't stop inside the confines of skin and bone. In a mysterious way they link up to a greater network where, in some instances, our thought-processes are absorbed into the minds of others, while, in other instances, we take on the thoughts of others and somehow allow it to shape our own internal matrix.

This is the wonder of communication and learning.

With the advent of the internet, we've been provided with what could almost be described as a visual representation of the "human internet" - that macro-network where the ebb and flow of thought and action in society at large shapes the individual's downloads and uploads, learnings and expressions.

From an educator's perspective, that, of course, changes everything. Learners no longer have to rely on teachers to be their only source of "information downloads" , but can now access a world which offers thoughts, ideas and perspectives far beyond their own or even that of their teachers.
The role of the teacher is then to provide learners with opportunities to partake in this macro-network - to guide their "uploads and downloads" in ways that would best benefit their futures.

This blog investigates websites, applications and internet functions that can serve as powerful "connection-points", or tools for transfomative learning in the classroom.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Where's Wally?


Living outside of my own country, I often find myself thinking about home - the places, the sights, the sounds. When I first moved to Australia a few years ago, I discovered Google Earth, and it completely distracted me from my daily tasks. Time and again I was amazed at how quickly Google updated their technology to be more innovative, more insightful and more addictive. This brilliant weblication fascinated me, because at first, I was able to see my city from above. A year or so later, photo's began to appear over the map of Cape Town and I spent hours looking at the places I missed most. Not long after that, 360 street-view literally appeared on the map, and I was virtually walking the streets of Cape Town (without the danger of being mugged!)
More than this, I began to scout the globe for places I have never heard of, or places I've always heard of, but could never picture in my mind. Every now and then I would look at culture groups, view the statistics of some cities, look at videos and photos from popular destinations and find countries I never knew existed.

Now, I know everyone is probably not as geeky as me, but I believe this application has the potential to stir up so much curiosity and interest amongst students, and I would most certainly use this in my classroom. Google Earth has taken the last excuses away from any geo-deprived American citizen who thinks Australia is next to the Alps. And to all those out there who ask me about the "lions and tigers" in Africa - go see for yourself that TIGERS live in ASIA.
And to the person in San Fransisco who asked my cousin how long the bus trip from Africa was, I'd like to suggest that you get onto Google Earth and use the zoom-out function. It's simple.

Classroom uses for Google Earth are vast. The best part of it all is that Google has ever so generously provided us with a Google Earth for my class website: subject specific lesson plans, classroom ideas and strategies - all directly related to the application and designed by teachers.

In the primary school context where I'm currently doing my placement, I will employ the interactive white board to show the year 1 class more about China in preparation for their international day. One student is from there, so it's a way of linking his stories and experiences to the rest of the class. In the process of a discussion like this, learners can gain understanding of each other, as well as knowledge required by the Essential Learnings.

Downsides of Google Earth:
- it consumes a substantial amount of bandwidth and requires a good internet connection and graphics card.
- images are not consistent across the globe, and are not in real-time. Some locations might be highly detailed, while others might be nearly invisible.



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