Google Lit Trip

In a recent conversation in my classroom where the teacher show the Google world map on the smart board and mapped out a trip one student was about to take with his parents from New York to three different countries in Asia allowed me some real insight on how the lesson in this classroom might have been. I was completely able to relate to the excitement the children felt. It was quite the same in my classroom. Student became so engross in the details of the number of hours it would take the time difference what food he would be eating and so on. The fact that only a computer, a smart board and access to the Web was needed shows that technology is a necessity and should be required in every classroom. When I read the article I realize how I could use technology even in an Elementary classroom and make it relevant for children who might never leave the place in which they were born. Using Google map to re-trace someone's path essentially teaches geography and literature and is an excellent idea for students and teachers to show different places and countries of the world and It makes learning about (someone we might not otherwise be interested in) concrete. I can envision teaching history and geography and other subjects using this tools. It is such a great way to stir imaginations. My own experiences as a student required me, when reading about far away countries to use my imagination to “see” so I would be careful to about only using one tool; rather this should be part of a selection of tools to help stir imaginations.

Ann-Marie