What on Google Earth?!

No, we have not been so overrun by Google that we are now renaming our planet...yet.

Thanks to a post by Will Richardson, I am excited to share with you a website dedicated to mapping (or offering maps of) literature; GoogleLit Trips. Studying the Odyssey? Great! Have your students visit the places traveled within the novel using FREE Google Earth. MacBeth? Covered. Aeneid? Good to go.

The only downside is there are only a few right now (targeting high school students), but the great news is that it is wide open for us to create our own and add to the literary experience for students.

The files (KML) do not seem that difficult to create, so if you feel lucky (or confident or skilled or just plain rebellious) map out your favorite piece of literature and share it with everyone. You can even upload images to go with each location as well as your own descriptions/explanations for each location. Just Google some phrases like KML tutorials or KML how to and find a tutorial you like to help get you started. Once you create a file, all you have to do is open Google Earth and then go to File and Open. Browse to your file and there you go.

Make sure you use this blog to share what you find, what you create, and best of all, the process you went through to get there. It is how we all learn.

Individually, we can read a book. Collectively, we can live it.

Egg Roll, anyone?

Jennifer Wagner is at it again. This seemingly tireless educator is about to kick start a new collaborative, online project. This is for all of you who need some math and physics with a dash of technology tied into your curriculum.

It is (begin using loud, booming, announcer voice here) The Great Egg Roll 2007. Registration starts March 19th, so find a way to fit it into your lesson plans and realize that the hands-on application of skills will prepare your kids for TAKS better than drill and kill (not to mention they love it a whole lot more).

So here are her highlights:

Welcome to the 7th Annual Great Egg Roll Online Project sponsored by
TechnospudProjects.com!

Registration for this project will open on
March 19, 2007!

Each registering classroom needs to pair up with one other classroom at their school with whom they will be
rolling their eggs. Together, you will be gathering averages, adding measurements, and more!
(It does NOT need to be the same grade level, so feel free
to roll with your "buddy" classes!)

All eggs will need to be 2" plastic eggs filled with
3 Level Tablespoons of White (uncooked) Rice!! You are welcome to start
filling and gluing your eggs now for this project!

The project dates will be from
March 26 - April 13, 2007.

Jennifer Wagner
Technospud Projects Coordinator

If you are going to participate in this, leave a comment here so we can all follow your students and you through the process.

And if you want to know more about her other projects, visit her project site.

What do cereal, St. Patty's Day, Google Earth, and NASCAR have in common?

Sponsored by TechnospudProjects.com - PreSchool through Third Grade Students all over the world are welcome to join in the fun as we use the contents of a "General Mills Lucky Charms" 14 oz size box of cereal! Registration is now OPEN!! There will lots of great activities, as well as St. Patrick Ideas, which will help to make the week of March 12th through 16th, a fun filled -- EDUCATIONAL -- week!!

St. Patrick's Day -- Online Project 2007

If you happen to be in school next week (and you teach PK through 3rd), you might take a look at what Jennifer Wagner, fellow educator and NASCAR fan has working over at Technospud. It is a world-wide collaborative event that has over 600 educators and 12,000 students in it right now. Jennifer has everything laid out for you already from national standards to worksheets. You just need some kids and some Lucky Charms and get registered by Friday, March 9th (Awesome math and technology tie-in here!). So go on over there and register and join in the international fun. It is gauranteed to be magically delicious (lame slogan theft, I know).

Oh, the NASCAR fan part really has nothing to do with the project. I am just glad to find a female educator that enjoys watching cars go around in circles and run into each other as much as I do (or even at all).