I have been using the web for sometime now, and honestly, I've always viewed it as a very two-dimensional entity. Most of the sites I have been using just look like a newspaper/magazine on a screen. Even sites boasting unbelievable, exotic images have always appeared just like that, a photo on a screen. Then, this past week when searching for Geography sites for the Social Studies wiki, I found a site that honestly made me feel like I was going somewhere. It is called the Degree of Confluence Project.
The Degree of Confluence Project's goal is to have every latitude and longitude intersection in the world documented. And, it isn't the site's founders who are doing it. It's pretty much anyone with a love of geography. These contributors/adventurers take pictures from the point and submit a journal entry documenting the experience. All of this, honestly, makes you feel connected to more than just a keyboard. With almost 6,000 successful primary confluences and over 81,000 photographs in 181 countries, this site is a sure way of connecting not only yourself but your students with the world. Just think how amazing it would be to add another point with your class.
Field trip time!
ReplyDeleteWow, I agree that this project is great on both a literal and symbolic level. It is tangible evidence of how the new collaborative information technologies can be harnessed for the betterment of humankind. Thank you for sharing this inspirational project. Now, I am curious and want to find the nearest intersections to our region.