For this weeks assignment, we were to find a Google Earth resource from Jen Wagner’s Wiki and think about how we could incorporate it into a classroom setting. Since I’m become a math teacher, I didn’t really think many options were available. I thought I would be pretty limited to distances. Turns out I was very very wrong. There are some very creative people out there who have come up with some excellent ideas. I looked in depth at the website Real World Math.
I got clicking around and found that there are a 8 different concept lessons on this site. These topics include: exchange ratea, scientific notation (2), volume of solids, estimation, pictographs, polyhedrons, and line graphs.
I decided to explore the volume of solids lesson more in depth. The page not only outlined objectives of the lesson, but had a in depth description of the lesson as well. I downloaded the kmz file and the Microsoft Word file that was listed on the page.
In Google Earth, it was fascinating to “fly” around the world checking out the neat shaped buildings of the world. Math problems were presented at each location.
The Word file was a simple grid that you could hand out to your students so they can fill i n their answers as you go through all of the locations in the kmz file.
I will definitely try to incorporate lessons like this when I get out there and begin teaching. I will also be trying to put something together for my mentorships.