Looking at data can be easily misinterpreted if you don't think about what it actually means. When I did the WolframAlpha search, I was really amazed by the results. I did three population comparisons between the United States and India, the United states and China, and for fun I compared China and India. The results showed that China has 1.35 billion people, India has 1.21 billion people and the United States, the lowest on the totem pole, has 309 million people. There is a dramatic difference between the United States and these two countries. It is safe to say that the United States is out numbered.
WolframAlpha
WolframAlpha is a search engine that helps you find facts on what you want to know about. To have fun, I first typed in the search engine "compare the Alabama Crimson Tide to the Auburn Tigers." Sadly they are still investigating this topic. So I searched something more realistic and I compared Facebook to Twitter. Facebook has 12 billion page views a day and Twitter has 690 page views a day. Facebook also has 630 million daily visitor where as Twitter has 120 million. Facebook site rank is 2nd where Twitter is only ranked 10th. I also searched "How far is the United States from Italy". The results showed that the distance between the center of the United States to the center of Italy is 5,343 miles, and in kilometers 8,599. It also showed the distance travel times. In an aircraft at 550 mph it would be 9 hours and 45 minutes. Sound would take 7 hours, light in fiber would take 40 milliseconds, and light in vacuum would take 29 milliseconds.
According to WolframAlpha, their "long-term goal is to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone." The creator Stephen Wolfram did just that and is continuing to maximize the users experience. This search engine is for the purpose of gaining knowledge and is easy for anyone, young and old, to use. This tool would be great for me and for any future or current educator to use in a classroom. Let's say that a student ask you a question that you don't know the answer to. For example:"Ms. Harris, when did Christopher Columbus sail the ocean blue?" "I don't know Tommy. Let's find out as a whole class." WolframAlpha makes it easy to find out. You type in the search engine the question and wala! "WolframAlpa says that Christopher Columbus reaches the new world on october 12, 1492." This tool is perfect for any classroom for students, and possibly teachers, who want to learn.
Gary Hayes Social Media Count
It's mind boggling thing when you think about how many people are there using Facebook at that current time or how many people in the world are using some form of technology period. Gary Hayes Social Media Count makes that thought into a realization. This social media count shows how many people are using Social, Mobile, Games and Heritage. In one month about 61,005,848 blog post have been posted. It's crazy to think that I am one of those bloggers who posted in a month out of about 61,005,848 post. In one year Facebook has about over 1 trillion likes and comments. This count puts in perspective of how much the world is connected.
I knew the world was a vast place with billions of people in it. However, I never realized how closely connected we all are until I look at this count. Technology is vital to our survival as a whole. As a future educator, my perspective has changed on how we use technology and now I realize how important it is to stay on top of the technological trends. For my future students to be the best of the best, I have to be exceptional at providing my future students with the resources that they need to succeed. Being aware of the world around you is the key. Gary Hayes Social Media Count is a great tool to show how connected we are in the world and is a great reminder that what we do effects everyone.
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