Technology Integration in the GARDEN??!!

Last week I went on a field trip to the 4-H Children's Gardens on Michigan State University's campus and to my surprise technology plays a huge role! Walking through the garden was very exciting as an adult, so I can only imagine being a child in the garden and never wanting to leave or begging to go back! The neat part about the gardens is that you can visit them online so you don't have to be there to explore the wonders!! The website is just like you're actually there...it is so incredibly interactive! When you enter the garden you can select where you want to explore first--you can choose the dance chimes (and play with them as if you were actually there) or the pizza garden, enchanted garden, the garden maze, harry potter garden, cereal bowl garden...the list is never ending! While you are visiting the website you can learn information about each section of the garden and play interactive games too! You can even view built in videos, send e-cards, ask questions and magnify your 360 degree view! One of my favorite features, make sure your volume is up!!, is when the train goes by!! The train that may be annoying to college students as it passes every ten minutes is the neatest thing for the children to look at through the wooden fence holes and see and hear while navigating online!
The gardens have become a national leader in the integration of technology to enhance and expand the hands-on garden experiences. Visit the gardens and take a closer look for yourself! (the website is currently under construction) Some other ways in which technology has been integrated include: Wondercasts, an on-line Wonder Wall (where you can post, draw/upload pictures and participate in real time chat with others who are on), wikispaces, web cams and digital cameras. I think this integration is absolutely awesome! Children can enhance their learning and have fun doing so while familiarizing themselves with some of the many important technologies that will help them, and possibly be demanded of them, throughout their lives!