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== Week 5 (6/14-6/20) This week, I have attached a lesson plan that incorporates my "best practice" in education. It is a project-based lesson where students would create a webpage based on a country we covered in class. Enjoy!​ ==

Week 4 (6/7-6/13)
This podcast was my favorite. The Middle School Student’s Guide to Ruling the World! This series of podcast programs provided students with the opportunity to learn good basic organizational skills and strategies for success in middle school. I thought it was very entertaining as the program followed students of U.B. Smart Middle School. I thought the titles were so creative and clever. Not to mention, the music was very funky and catchy. This podcast would be the perfect educational supplement to get my students on track and ready for the transition from elementary school to middle school. Unfortunately I was technically unable to create a podcast. However, after listening to these podcasts, I felt a sense of creativity from teachers and students that gave me many ideas for the use of them in my classroom. I would have my geography students choose a country that interested them to report on. They could interview people from that particular country, show how to make a popular dish in that country, display what traditional dress is, explain the history of the country, etc. The possibilities are endless with podcasting!

===//Week 3 (5/30-6/6) My impression of Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Sky was fabulous! What great tools for geography teachers and students. Before, I would just show pictures of countries on maps and just tell my students to write down important places nearby, distances, landmarks, etc. Now using these tools, I can actually show them. These Google applications can be used in my lesson as interactive tools to engage my students. Specifically this week, I can use these applications to enhance my students' knowledge and understanding of the relationships Australia and New Zealand share in Unit 9. It is so hard to try and make map skills relevant. It is a thing of the past to my students because they all use GPS systems. Now, they can actually see distance (specifically Australia to New Zealand) and other neat applications through the mashups, engaging them in my lessons. My two favorite mashups that I will use a lot in my class are:// ===

If the earth were a sandwich – This pair of maps shows you the point on the earth that is the exact opposite of any other point you select.

iMap Weather – An easy way to get current weather conditions and the forecast using a map-based interface.

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 * Check out the map I created that show my school district:**

===//My experience with Google Notebook wasn't as positive as the other applications. This was actually my least favorite. I thought the Notebook was not user friendly. It was very hard how to figure out how to add content, links, etc. I couldn't even figure out how to add images to jazz it up. All I could do was list information. The Notebook would not let me share it with other users as well, so what's the point. Truthfully, I would not use this application in the classroom. I can give my students handouts or use PowerPoint to display information. At least I know they can navigate those tools.// ===

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 * Check out my Google Notebook on How to Think Like a Geographer **

=== //Week 2 (5/23-5/29) This week I did a lesson on the Aztec civilization where I incorporated emerging technologies to enhance teaching and student learning. I created a Powerpoint presentation to teach the lesson, using hyperlinks to various websites to go into greater detail about certain topics. After the lesson, I created a review game where students could "race" on my Smartboard. For every question answered right, teams advanced their car ahead to the finish line. The first car to cross the finish line was the winner. Students really enjoyed clicking on their cars to advance them and the sound affects it made. As my form of assessment, students were required to create a 3 minute video or DVD presentation portraying some aspect of the Aztec civilization. A lot of students used Microsoft's Movie Maker software when they published their skits on the disc. You could tell the students had so much fun reenacting different topics we discussed, like human sacrifices, wars, and even the Aztec death ball game. It was neat to see their creativity flourish in these productions.// ===