Google Earth

Screenshot of Google Earth

Google Earth is one of the most fascinating tools yet. It uses satellite imagery of the earth and enables you to zoom in on any part of the globe that you want. This technology allows students to create virtual tours of an area and then share it with others. They can also learn navigation, map reading and the can measure distances.

Google Earth is a little slow sometimes but it is user friendly and children can create and download layers of information and then view them in geographic context. One of the interesting things with Google Earth is its ability to explore the stars as well. The images are absolutely breathtaking.

Here are some great ideas from the Google for Educators website

I have been familiarising myself with a number of google-tools such as Google Sky and Google Sketchup, while reflecting on how to thoughtfully apply them to my classroom, in ways that engage students in rich and meaningful tasks. The engagement theory explains the need for students to be fully engaged in their learning; and through authentic tasks, both relate, create, and then donate their findings back to the real world (Kearsley and Shneiderman, 1998). By incorporating these tools I can cater to students individual learning styles while scaffolding the learning to support students better ( Brady, 2006).

Here are some other ideas for using Google Earth in your classroom:

• Biology: Track routes of chimpanzees in Tanzania's Gombe Forest. See the Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee blog here.
• Ecology: Create a short quiz like this one.
• Environmental Science: Have students check Alaska's global warming problems. See how the Sierra Club used Google Earth to depict this problem here.
• Geology: Find images, links, and descriptions, with information about thousands of volcanoes around the globe, thanks to organizations like the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program.
• Global Awareness: Study the Crisis in Darfur with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum's unprecedented project.
• History: Explore Tutankhamun's Tomb.
• Humanities: Have your students scout film shoot locations like this teacher did with The Golden Compass.
  
• Literature: Bring class or contemporary tales to life with Google LitTrips.
• Math: Explore distance, velocity, and wave properties of tsunamis.
  

(Google for Educators, 2009)

Google for Educators Website (2009) Retrieved 28th Novemeber from
http://www.google.com/educators/p_earth.html

References:
Brady, L. (2006). Collaborative Learning in Action. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.

Kearsley, G. & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. [electronic resource].Retrieved November 17, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm