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Marking places is key to creating a tour in Google Earth. A Google Earth tour consists of numerous locations that are placemarked each with information related to your topic area. These placemarkers are held within a folder for your tour. When your tour is complete you may save that folder as a Google Earth file that ends with the .kmz extension. These files may be posted on a website, emailed or shared with other electronically. When a friend or person who downloaded your tour opens it within Google Earth, they will be able to take part in your virtual tour seeing all your images, reading your information or watching your videos! The nice part is that the process is very easy and straight forward.

It's quite clear the overarching things I've learned this semester about technology. I mean, just look at my first entry about how embarrassing it is to accidentally tweet and then read the rest of this--how I'm actually sizing up different types of technology based on their usefulness in the classroom based on my understanding of them. Part of me feels like being on a commercial just to help sponsor the idea of Technology. Zoom in on a college student up to her neck in twisted computer chords, her face lit by a blinking computer screen. Announcer: "Are you tired of spending endless hours trying to figure out what all those buttons and keys do?" College student looks up pathetically and nods. "Are you tired of looking like a fool by a little box that can't think for itself?" College student starts to weep. "Now, with just a little assistance, you can conquer a moderate amount of your technology anxieties!" College student beams with joy. Different shot of that same student walking down the stairs of a powerful looking building--possibly a university or corporation. Student: "I used to freak out about all things computer, but now I'm telling my superiors how to do things that can better their lives. Thanks, Technology!"

This new, expanded definition of literacy includes the development of a set of interrelated skills that include reading, writing, speaking, viewing, listening, and questioning; all leading to the ability to critically assess and use information. We inhabit a world in which information is coming at us in ways that impact all of our senses. Today's teachers understand that giving their students the skills to interpret information, however it's packaged, is also an important part of educating learners who are prepared to succeed in this century's competitive global workplace. Teachers are teaching their students how to evaluate all types of information sources. Whether it's hard text, electronic informational sources, MTV, or a documentary film, teachers are helping students learn to think critically about the information they encounter. So, how does this instruction look in the content area classroom?