Utah 6th Graders Tour the Globe

What an exciting day we had in the computer lab. Mrs. Robison's 6th grade class toured Google Earth, locating their favorite place on the planet. We turned an iPod into a recording studio by attaching a device called a MicroMemo, sold at XtremeMac.com.

Mrs. Robison and I interviewed students, asking the which place they chose as their favorite. The answers ranged from Pearl Harbor to the Roman Colosseum to Brighton, England. The students did a super job at responding to questions and recording a podcast.

We also had the class give a loud cheer on the podcast for their favorite football team: BYU or the U of U. Give it a listen and we will leave you to judge who the winner was.

Please notice a poll on the right hand side of this page. Please will you vote for your favorite place on earth---well, actually you only get to choose the continent upon which your favorite place is located--- but please vote. Inquiring minds in Mrs. Robison's class want to know.

Music to My Ears

Today I learned something new about music. Our team had a music Professor Alan Kaschub from the University of Southern Maine (School of Music) show us how to use USB keyboards along with an Apple application called Garageband.

We created a short song such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, added some percussion sound effects, and learned a bit about writing a music score in a free program called FinaleNotePad. You not only write the music in Finale, but you can listen to it as well. This is an amazing program!

The most fun I have ever had in my music lessons was to watch my sister Annie crawl across the piano teacher's living room floor to retrieve a penny that I had rolled across the floor. Having baited my poor sister to crawl after the penny, I was in an advantageous position to watch Mrs. Geiger's reaction.

With Garageband and FinaleNotePad, I can actually write a cool rap song about that scarring experience!

Mrs. Robison's Class Loves Google Earth

We traveled from Edgemont Elementary to Pyramids of Giza to Lagoon Amusement Park to a student's house to Mile High Stadium in Denver and we saw people walking around the Eiffel Tower.

We hope enjoy listening to a few comments from Mrs. Robison's class. Check back next week for more Google Earth fun.
Mrs. Robison's Cool Class

Bungee Jumping Anybody?

I figure if you can view a bungee jumping platform from space, it's got to be a doozie. This bungee jumper's delight is found near Victoria Falls in southern Africa. Can you see it in the bottom left quadrant of this image? For a visit to this area, check out Google Sightseeing.

Situated on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls is one of the most amazing sights on earth. The falls are, by some measures, the largest waterfalls in the world, as well as being among the most unusual in form, and having arguably the most diverse and easily-seen wildlife of any major waterfall site. (wikipedia.org)

People in the area call Victoria Falls “the smoke that thunders”. Looking at this image from Google Earth, we begin to understand why. I hope someday to travel to Victoria Falls, but I may have to work up the courage to strap on the bungee cords and take a dive from the bridge.

The students in Mrs. Robison's 6th grade class at Edgemont Elementary will go on a virtual tour of Victoria Falls with me this week. They are really nice students so I enjoy visiting their class. I hope they like the bungee platform, and maybe they know of some really cool places seen on Google Earth.

Special note: Happy birthday Jeannie!