Haiti devastation and Google Earth

Fourth grade classes last week were looking at Haiti in Google Earth to see where the country was located and what it looked like, courtesy of Panoramio. Students observed that large buildings were very close together, and that in many areas, it looked

like entire blocks were very small dwellings covered with tarps. None of the satellite images of the devastation from the earthquake had been loaded yet. Today, one week later, a different group of fourth grade students went to observe Haiti again. This time, however, the

images of damage were quite clear. The rubble of the city spreads across streets and parks, dust clouds or smoke obscure the images and tent cities are clearly visible.

It was a sombering lesson today, compared to last week, but made even more real when comparing the Panoramio pictures of what Port-Au-Prince used to look like to the satellite images of what has happened since the catastrophe of two weeks ago.