Educational Origami

Well the last couple of week have been rather hectic and I have been slack on the blogging. So here are some of the highlights that have come down on the wire.

1. Nagasaki Archive http://en_nagasaki.mapping.jp/p/nagasaki-archive.html

This is a GIS site that shows images, map etc immediately before and after the atomic bomb in Nagasaki and also layers in images from today. There are vignettes from people in Nagasaki at the time. A powerful and useful resource.

2. Touch typing - This is a number of sites that are focused on touch typing as a skill. Touch typing is a useful and increasingly essential skill for our students. Here are some of the sites:

• GNU Typist - http://www.gnu.org/software/gtypist/#introduction
• Tux typing http://tux4kids.alioth.debian.org/tuxtyping.php
• Klavaro typing tutor (Linux) http://klavaro.sourceforge.net/en/

Worth nchecking out while you are on the Tux typing site is Tux Maths and Tux paint

3. Bloom’s taxonomy according to the Pirates of the Caribbean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjhKmhKjzsQ&feature=youtube_gdata This is a very good video clip using the popular Pirates of the Caribbean. Its using the original Bloom’s rather than the revised or Digital Blooms. But useful never the less.

4. Simple Diagrams – http://www.simplediagrams.com/free.html This is an adobe air application that draw simple but very useful diagrams. Its appeal is its clean and simple interface and fun chalk style clip art.

5. n-rich maths resources - http://nrich.maths.org/6840?setlocale=en_US – Mathematics posters and resources  – useful

and finally a look at the history of Television – http://www.sterlingsatellite.com/info/how-much-has-tv-changed-since-1926-a-lot.html

Augmented Reality is one of these emerging technologies that is starting to creep into education. It has potential to be a very powerful tool for learning.

The commoncraft show has produced another excellent resources that you can view on the web or purchase for classroom use. This is an excellent introduction to the world of Augmented Reality

URL http://commoncraft.com/augmented-reality-video

have a look at this TED talks in Sixth Sense a Augmented Reality project out of the MIT labs – http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html and then check out the Sixth Sense page – http://www.pranavmistry.com/projects/sixthsense/

Other Resources:

Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality

Also worth watching – Wikitude using your iPhone – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EA8xlicmT8

This week at school has been frantic, but here are some of the sites I have stumbled across this week

1. Colour Theory – http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/01/28/color-theory-for-designers-part-1-the-meaning-of-color/ How we use colour in our publications, presentationand website can influence how readable, useful and attractive our work is. THis is a good resource that will assist. Smashing Magazine, mark this for follow up.

2. OKMaps - http://www.okmap.it/en_features.asp this is a free software tool that allows you to develop maps integrating your GPS, google earth images and google maps.  Also worth checking out is http://www.gpsbabel.org/ GPSBabel which converts between GPS data formats. Nice find Hayden.

3. Berkeley Education courses - http://education.jimmyr.com/ This is a useful portal to Berkeleys online video resources. The course cover:

• chemistry
• biology
• mathematics
• engineering
• health
• computer science

For current courses offered in spring 2010  – http://webcast.berkeley.edu/

4. Work Smart Productivity Guides http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb687781.aspx This is a free set of guides produced by Microsoft on some of their tools and available through technet. 8Mb download, 23 guides in docx format.

5. The End of Techno-Critique: The Naked Truth about 1:1 Laptop Initiatives and Educational Change - http://escholarship.bc.edu/jtla/vol9/6/ this publication from the Journal of technology, learning and assessment examines 1 to 1 laptop programs. PDF download and well worth reading.

6. Google Maps Virtual Field trip – Trans-siberian railway - http://www.google.ru/intl/ru/landing/transsib/en.html This is a great use of Google maps. Take a virtual field trip on the trans-siberian railway.

7. A Thin Line - http://www.athinline.org/ this is a digital citizenship & cybersafety resource. Available in 2 versions the “Guy” and “Girl” versions.

and finally – NEWSMAP this tool powered by google provides you with a visual tool for surfing the news. Colour coded for sections, sortable by time and country source, this is quite a cool way to stay up to date. http://newsmap.jp/ click here for background to the project. http://marumushi.com/projects/newsmap

The one problem with attending a conference is catching up after. ULearn has been no exception, I have spent this week in catch up mode.

Here is my weekly catch from the net.

1. Alternative to – http://alternativeto.net/desktop this website is present you with alternative application to common or popular software and web based tools. This is an excellent tool for those of us with limited budgets.

2.Science visualisations – http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/08/visualizations/all/1# This is a wired science sumamtion of the best visualisation videos of 2009. This is an excellent resource for science teachers and can add variety into your teaching program. This opbviously appeals to the visual learner

3. How are maps made up from aerial and satellite images – http://qanda.encyclopedia.com/question/topographic-maps-created-aerial-and-satellite-photographs-78979.html – this is an article I found recently which explained how topo maps use images. very interesting and useful for the humanities students and particulalry the geographers.

4. What browser – http://www.whatbrowser.org/ this is a useful resource site for IT classes and also for explaining about a web browser. This site looks at trhe web btrowser youa re using and provides you with some insights into it. For those who are interested it also links to a time line for web browsers - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_web_browsers#Graphical_Timeline

5. e-Glossary http://www.glencoe.com/apps/eGlossary612/grade.php this site produced by McGraw-Hill provides a useful and age specific glossary of mathematical terms. A useful learning aid for teachers and students alike.

Hope these are useful – As always I ave posted these to my Del.icio.us account - http://delicious.com/achurches

This is a very good resource site for Google earth.

The site is called GELESSONS - http://www.gelessons.com/lessons/

with excellent links to videos, courses, resources etc. Well worth a visit

I just read this in a computerworld e-article.

This is very cool  and is reminisent of the Google earth/ sketchup marriage. Photosynth is a great photostitching tool which aloows the user or a collaboration of users to create brilliant 3D images that the viewer can manipulate, dive into to change the depth and perspective. Very cool!

Add to that a 3D globe in Virtual earth and you can take your world tour then zoom in for the almost immersive experience of photosynth.

Yehaa

http://livelabs.com/photosynth/

http://www.microsoft.com/virtualearth/

Google Earth is a great entry level GIS tool (GIS geographical Information system)

The basic download (which is available from http://earth.google.com) will allow the user:

• to navigate the globe
• switch easily between map and satelite views
• manipulate layers which overlay infrastructure, roads, etc or areas of social significence
• and more (See the tutorial)

But there is far more tham this available. You can develop your own resources in KML format and share these with colleagues. One of these sharing resources is a mashup between the CIA factbook and google earth maps. This is a good resource and one that will bring statistics and facts to life. http://www.kmlfactbook.org/

This is a screen shot of School Life Expectency. This can be previewed in the browser (as seen here) or downloaded as a KML file.

The statisitcs available are in the following categories:

• People
• Economics
• Transport
• Military
• Geography
• Government
• Communication

Jamie from Digital Explorer left a comment on an earlier post that the resources available at Digital explorer for Google earth have been updated. Thanks for that. This is good materials and well worth using, they representa a considerable investment in time and resources.

The digital explorer website is well worth a visit and as I found out, yuou tend to stay there for a while. Here is what they say about themselves “Digital Explorer is a social enterprise set up to pioneer new ways of engaging young people in global and environmental issues through the application of technology.”

Well these guys have produced three resources in PDF format. The Urls of the manuals is http://digitalexplorer.co.uk/resources/manuals/

	Virtual Fieldwork Using Google Earth Download Manual (PDF, 1.2MB 82 pages)
	Advanced Virtual Fieldwork Using Google Earth Download Manual (PDF, 3.0MB 103 pages)
	School Grounds Projects Using Google Tools Download Manual (PDF, 2.6MB 71 pages)

Every month Educause produces a briefing paper on a new or emerging technology. This months paper looks at GEOLOCATION

Whats GEOLOCATION? Well if you are asking that, this is the link you should click to download this easy to read, education focused briefing paper.

Pssst. Hint. Geolocation is also called Geotagging

I have long been a fan of Google Earth, its a brilliant tool that has a number of uses in the classroom.

For those of use who have had a play with this tool you will have encountered the Layers tab. This tab allows the user to overlay a variety of layers on the base map. You select or deselect the layers but ticking or unticking the box.

The Global Awareness layer is a powerful tool. Various NGO’s and UN agencies have developed layers. These layers often have embedded video and other resources. They highlight the plight of millions, the environmental impact of various activities and much more.

Select the layer or layers that are appropriate. The USHMM layers are brilliant. Then navigate to the location and click on the objects.

The detail on the crisis in Darfur is amazing and the revelations shocking. We can start to make a difference, by showing our students.