TheBanyanTree: Google Earth

[Kitty Park]

Since being introduced to Google Earth (www.earth.google.com), I like to 
amuse myself by exploring when there's time.  No need to purchase a ticket 
or pack a bag.

I have a friend who is uncomfortable using the computer for much more than 
writing e-mail or reading her Australian newspaper.  That's been enough for 
her since she has a very busy social life.  However, with winter closing in 
and extended days of weather-imposed isolation ahead, she's decided to learn 
more about other ways to use her computer.  A week ago we started with 
writing something in Wordperfect and then attaching the document to e-mail.
This week we uploaded her camera software so she can move digital photos 
into her computer AND share them with friends.  I told her the next lesson 
will be to sign up at a site like Snapfish where she can build albums.  She 
just has no idea of what she can do with this box beside her desk.

When I thought she'd been exposed to enough new information after our first 
session (as evidenced by the glazed look in her eyes), I had her do one 
other thing -- install Google Earth.

I showed her how to move around the globe and then suggested she find her 
former home in Adelaide.  She moved the gripper hand from our area, crossed 
the continent and then the Pacific Ocean.  She smiled when Australia came 
into view and became more intense as she fingered the wheel to close in on 
the city, then her neighborhood, and finally found the inlet where her 
family had lived.  She came near to tears as she found her home's rooftop.

NOW she has some idea of the impact this computer can have on her life.  If 
she can find a house thousands of miles away, what information will she find 
in between here and there?  She's already excited for the next lesson.  I'm 
enjoying opening doors and happy to see her eagerly walking through them.


Kitty
kpark at sssnet.com
www.parkplaceohio.com