Description (including screen-shots) and evaluation of one more intriguing educational Web 2.0 (or 3D) applications

Description (including screen-shots) and evaluation of one more intriguing educational Web 2.0 (or 3D) applications: I have three to show. The first is Heritage Key, because it is more educational than Second Life, and yet you can use the same login avatar, and it uses the same interface, so it is familiar. Although Heritage Key is still being developed, I have high hopes. You can utilize tools and view artifacts, as well as explore a dig site for Egypt right now. It’s very 2.0 in that it is interactive between the user and the site, as well as other users, and it has a great 3D effect – more like 360º effect. http://heritage-key.com/ Copied from the site: “Registering unlocks all King Tut VX areas for you to explore with your personalized avatar. Bring in your friends, or meet new ones in Heritage Key VX when attending a Heritage Expert's lecture. Take a guided tour (we don't ask for bakshish) or follow in Carter's footsteps. Challenge yourself and dig for treasure - and HK Points. Learn more about the wondrous objects found in KV62, or just wander around in the Cosmic Gallery. Change your perspective and admire the Boy King's artefacts from every angle - Heritage Key VX allows you to get up close to the most amazing objects ever discovered!” I am hoping they add more ancient sites to allow student access to explore the past with more realism than a text book can give. Some screen shots:




The first shot is in the hall where you get started and learn how the controls work. The second is on the dig site.

The second intriguing site is Google Earth. Again, it’s another downloadable interface to the computer. http://earth.google.com/intl/en/ Google Earth, aside from just being a really cool program, has many features for educational value. The newest version, 5, allows the viewer the ability to see historical images of places with a special Historical Imagery button. Also 3D as well as web 2.0, all images are not just taken by satellites anymore. There are professional photographers on the ground, taking images of the street level buildings. They now also allow uploads of images from users to supplement their files. There are tools that can be used, such as a ruler to measure distances from one point to another, mapping out a path, as well as the ability to see any point in the world. And also view the Mars, the moon and the sky.




The first is of my parents’ house, where I lived for at least 20 years. They’ve been there now for 30. The second is of the moon. All the dots are points of interest.

The third and final one is Club Penguin. I use it as a representative site for all the interactive sites out there along similar lines; I found that Disney runs four of them, including Club Penguin. http://www.clubpenguin.com I find these sites intriguing because they are the first sites that students play on where they interact with other real people from everywhere around the globe. This is where they learn how to appropriately respond to everything others can throw at them on the Internet. They also learn how to navigate a site and where the controls are. They can choose safe servers where their chat is limited, or open servers where they can talk freely to others. Inappropriate behavior can be reported. They can play games, earn coins they can spend on their penguin and igloo, even have a pet that will wander off if they don’t take care of it. I feel sites like this are not only adorable, but teach a lot of life skills.




The first picture is of my penguin, powerlite, and some of the clothes it can wear, and the second is of the disco, where you can dance and interact with other penguins, as well as an overview of my screen with the interface at the bottom. Much simpler and less controls, but with the same basic thought as Second Life.