Having recently upgraded phones, I have been busily exploring the App Market for the Android OS.  I am simply amazed by how many applications that are available.  Among the many that I have found interesting, convenient, and educational for my daughter or myself, is Space Junk.  If you are wondering, Space Junk is FREE!  With just a little more investigation I've learned that Space Junk is the lite version of star3map, which costs $4.99.
    Space Junk is a satellite tracker, and planet, star, and constellation viewer for mobile phones and tablets. It uses your current location, current time, and current satellite data to show you what is currently in your sky. One can even use it to find the International Space Station or Hubble Space Telescope!  For those of you who love Google, Google Sky Map is also available for FREE and it turns your Android-powered device into a window on the night sky as well.
    As an educator, I immediately envisioned myself using my cell phone to show my students images of space as we embark on our journey to study our Night Sky unit. 

    In today's world, when articles and advertisements reference a website to learn more, one almost has to read the newspaper next to a computer in order to realize the fullest scope of the piece being read.  Thank goodness I was able to do just that when reading the article written by Joesph Dans for the Times Herald Record.  In his article, he provides his personal account with a cloud-based internet learning portal by Castle Software.  I visited the website, have taken the teacher tour, and have read the benefits of this software.  Castle Learning Online appears to be quite a find.  I am hopeful that one day I will be able to  utilize such a tool with the students that I teach.