Thing # 13 Online Interactive Learning Tools Reflection

Google Earth is an awesome educational tool that could be used in many different ways to better understand the world around us. I read about a research study in Chicago where the researcher used Google Earth to determine the amount of community gardens in the Chicago area. Using data that is readily available like Google Earth can allow researchers to learn more about their community in order to make it better. Having parks, gardens, and bodies of water make our lives better and these are characteristics that can be seen on Google Earth. Giving students the big picture about the world and their place in it is often eye opening to some that have never been out of the state of Michigan, out of the midwest, or out of the United States.

I liked the StudyStacks because it was easy to sign up using my Facebook login information and it was super easy to create my stack with two columns given to enter information into for the flash cards. I can see students using StudyStacks on their smart phones to practice for an upcoming test. Carrying around a bunch of flash cards can be bulky and inconvenient. Using an application like StudyStacks, a student can carry around thousands of flashcards and have plenty of room for more on his or her electronic device. I like that a student could create their own StudyStack that could focus in on something the student really feels they need to study. Giving our students more tools to learn is another reason to use web 2.0 tools.