An NMC 2009 presentation by Keene Haywood
The resources for the entire presentation can be found at http://drop.io/nmc_google_earth
During his presentation Keene highlighted a number of features of Google Earth that make it a powerful tool for visualization and learning. This particular session was well attended with standing room only. Below are highlights of the topics he touched on and links to projects he shared with the group.
The Gallery Layer in Google Earth features data pulled in from other online services like:
- 360cities.net – Dedicated to promoting geo-mapped, VR panorama photography and VR photographers around the world.
- gigapan.org – An interesting service to explore in itself, GigaPan was developed by Carnegie Mellon University in collaboration with NASA Ames Intelligent Robotics Group, with support from Google. It is the newest development of the Global Connection Project, which aims to help meet neighbors across the globe, and learn about the planet. GigaPan consists of three technological developments: a robotic camera mount, custom software, and a new type of website for exploring, sharing and commenting on gigapixel panoramas.
Timeline imagery: in Google Earth 5 they’ve included all the historical satellite imagery they have. A number of projects are taking advantage of the historical data visualisation capabilities, as well as mashing additional information with it. Some projects mentioned were:
Tours in Google Earth
Dreaming New Mexico – Go to different sites in New Mexico
Google has posted many GE tours http://google.com/plugin/tours
How can you create your own tours
- Record the tour in GE
- Use the Google Earth plugin embed gadget to prepare the tour if you’d like to share it on your web site – http://www.gmodules.com/ig/creator
- Copy/Paste code generated from the gadget into your web site
Google Earth Mashups
If you’re interested in creating your own visualization using Google Earth keep in mind that you can make use of geotagging tools, GPS data, and GIS integration (in the case of GE Pro) to create your maps.
Great job, Keene, I really enjoyed your presentation.
First, let me say that I realize the embedding particular fonts in a web page goes against my general belief that keeping things simple is more effective, elegant, portable, blah, blah, blah. Yes, I still believe that, but I’m tired of the face people make when they are actually presented with a site built on these beliefs. Somewhere there is a middle ground and I am determined to find it, because I’ve been missing it along the way. The balance between simple elegance and the look of true appreciation from the average (read *uninformed* here) web user is out there waiting for me to discover it.
With this new approach to web development in mind, I encountered Typeface.js, a simple script that enables non-standard fonts to be embedded into web pages (see examples here). I say simple because it is way less involved that SiFR, which has become a popular way to “fancy up” text while still allowing it to be read by alternative devices, seen by search engines, and selectable by the user (for copy/paste/portability). The main drawback to SiFR in my mind is that is requires access to a copy of Flash and I am truly that lazy AND cheap.
Looking into it further Typeface.js seemed to be a less involved process so I gave it a try and had it up and running in a matter of minutes. Good stuff. Here’s the low down from my point of view right now:
Pros:
- Doesn’t require a copy of Flash
- Supported browsers include Firefox 1.5+, Safari 2+, and Internet Explorer 6+, and degrades gracefully in unsupported browsers
- Text can be searched, copied, and repurposed
- Draws *pretty* letters with clean, smooth lines for much better looking type, FINALLY
- The code is open and free
- A handy TTF converter is available for download or at the site, that converts True Type Font files for use on the web
Cons:
- It doesn’t support all CSS2 features, but it covers the basics and that’s all I really want anyway
- You must have copyright permission to distribute the fonts you want to use
- Doesn’t taste like chocolate
Wait, what was that about having permission to use the font you want to embed on your site? This is a very important thing to note, because typographers work hard too – hunched over their sketch books and laptops in the dark – making the cool fonts you want to use, and they have to eat. Not to worry, though, there are open fonts available for you to use if you’re in a bind. I like to think the typographers who have made these open available have rich benefactors or sugar daddies (or mamas), or are employed by large companies that give them regular paychecks and allow them to have some free time toward altruistic creativity. Truthfully, I just want to imagine them being well fed so I can use these fonts guilt free.
The MgOpen Collection (Get them here)
- MgOpenCanonica
- MgOpenCosmetica
- MgOpenModata
- MgOpenModerna
Just as a little note, Typeface.js renders text with cleaner lines than the image below displays
Behind every university web site is a team (or, heaven forbid, one lone person) striving to make that site the most attractive, accessible, usable resource for the population they serve. Too much? Ok, well we at least want to do the best that we can with the time, inspiration, and administrative feedback we have. This can sometimes lead to a love/hate relationship between the developers and their site(s). Love for the creativity and satisfaction that comes from building a site and the inevitable frustration from the barrage of diverse feedback. Developing for a university can be different in some many ways than working for other clients, most notably because there seem to be many more people who feel they have a stake in what the site looks like, how it works, you get the idea…
Well edu developers, you’re not alone. Take a look at what you’re peers are doing at eduStyle, a gallery or university web sites – leave a comment, vote designs up or down, or just browse.
Better yet, join a community like the University Web Developers network on ning.
Stixy is a handy online space that fills a niche for non-linear, visual thinkers as a place to collaborate on and share ideas.
After signing up for an account you are able to create a new board to which you can post images, notes, and documents – arrange and rearrange things on your board by clicking and dragging them around. It is also possible to invite people to participate on your board. All they need is an email address to receive your invitation.
At work I’ve been using a board to collect thoughts, links, and images for the next time I have to talk about Second Life. You can view the board here.
As a space, Stixy seems well suited for storytelling, group work, or process writing. I’m curious to hear if anyone has ever used it in their class.
As I was searching for supplementary material for the Mongolian language class we are working on, I came across some videos on YouTube of Mongolian throat singing. I had heard the sound before, but never realized it was made by singing. I had always assumed it was an instrument similar to a flute. Simply amazing!
For your cultural edification:
This link is a better example of the singing than the video below, but doesn’t allow embedding: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DY1pcEtHI_w
With Google’s announcements of OpenSocial and Android there is little doubt they have positioned themselves in a key role in online communities for the near future. There is a lot to contemplate in that sentence alone, but I’d like to focus on the potential for students and the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment).
In my mind, a successful VLE places the student at the center of the model – not the institution, and certainly not the technology. Sounds great, but what would that look like in practice? The short answer is – I don’t know, but I have some thoughts.
Let’s assume first, that putting the student at the center of a VLE model requires it to be a solution that is very customizable so that it can be personalized to an individual. This would enable the student to plug into online communities, either for a class or a personal interest, as well as unplug when necessary – in a similar way we talk about the “small pieces loosely joined” idea. It would also be useful if the environment were able to capture a student’s work throughout the course of their education (and possibly beyond).
Well, it seems like OpenSocial may be one solution that enables interoperability between social networks so that participants in Community A can share their “assets” with an account they have in Community B with minimal effort, because both communities are running on top of a similar platform (OpenSocial). Conceivably, this means participating and sharing just got easier, and all one would have to do is author a webapp/VLE on top of OpenSocial to take advantage of other communities using the platform.
Beyond the potential for a webapp solution are the possibilities for extendable browsers like Firefox and Flock to serve as community/asset management tools. Out of the box Flock is ready to integrate with your Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter accounts – just to name a few. In fact, right now I think its greatest shortcoming is that it can’t integrate with all online communities just as easily. My feeling is that the advent of OpenSocial may make this very possible, and a browser like that would be a very powerful tool for connecting students and learning.
While reading last night I came across the article Social Networks and Group Formation that referenced work by Mark Granovetter and the value of weak ties within social networks. I’m rather keen on this thinking, and since I’ve apparently had my head in the sand and not read his work yet, I’m spending some time reading up on his writing:
Hacking the URL in that first link reveals a substantial list with some additional non-related reading in it. Hopefully, you’ll find a few worthwhile links as I did.
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