Internet Tools Exploration

  

My first Internet Tool of review is Google Earth (https://earth.google.com/web/). Google Earth is a website that shows a digital globe from which you can move and search specific places on Earth. It has great graphics and can also show how places are by having a street view. It is like having a virtual fieldtrip using this tool in the classroom.

Aside it being a digital globe, Google Earth allows you to pin locations and create a digital story using these locations using Google Earth Project. The students can retell their experiences to where they have traveled before or maybe search up places they would love to visit someday.

A new feature that has been recently added is the Timelapse. These are specific areas where Google Earth shows changes based on topics such as deforestation, glaciers, urbanization, etc. The Timelapse shows the physical changes done by humans resulting in climate and environmental change. This is a great tool to use for students to learn more about the changes going on with the Earth. Especially now with climate change going on, students can easily see the cause and effect of human environment interaction.

Using Google Earth is simple, easy and it gets students excited to explore the Earth. The only downside to towards it is that it may not work on browsers that are not updated. There have been issues where the school generated email address does not allow the students access to the Google Earth Project feature. Yet, aside from those bugs, Google Earth can still be accessed with updated devices.  

My second internet tool of review is Teacher Tube (https://www.teachertube.com/). It is a website platform that enables teachers to share educational videos and for students to view these educational videos without the distraction of other random videos. Think of it like a Youtube, but for education. The website is a safe space for teachers and students where materials such as lesson plans, assessments and activities that are shared to make it more interactive. Teacher Tube has content that range from primary education to university level. Despite having such wide level, it does not have videos that cover all content for appropriate grade levels. 

 

My third Internet Tool to review is Read  Write Think (https://www.readwritethink.org/). It is a literacy website that gives teachers and students access to educational resources.  The website features a resource for lesson plans, graphic organizers and instructional design. It also offers recommendation of grade level literacy books that teachers can purchase. There is one feature that I have come across and that is the game feature that allows students to practice a skill in Language Arts. The one that I have encountered was a fill in the blank, but you have options to select which is the correct word. This website is primarily for English and Language Arts, but you may also find literacy materials related to your content area.