Introduction
In this site are going to see the incredible power of Google Earth. While it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the amazing three-dimensional beauty and sheer coolness of the program, it is important that we see beyond the flash.
This is more than flash, more than just a neat model of the earth. It’s a way for students to see and interact with time, space, and other diverse types of data in one location. This unique coalescence of such normally separate data streams allows students to make connections and participate in learning that goes beyond what other applications support.
In this course we’ll cover the following topics-
- basic controls and capabilities
- importing and exporting kml/kmz files
- creating placemarks, paths, polygons and overlays
- a variety of teaching ideas for the program
Summer Institute Teachers: Please leave a comment below about to this question: “How do you see Google Earth being an engaging tool in your classroom?” Explain how you might use it and what students would learn from using Google Earth.
I am excited (and a little overwhelmed) by the possibilities for Google earth in the classroom. There are so many possibilities. The lesson I created for this class will be used in the next couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see what the students think about it. They tell me they do not use it much in their courses. My feeling would be that is because many teachers are unfamiliar with what the program can do. I have tried to talk up the uses for it when I get the chance.
My students participate in an intensive reading course…Google Earth provides them with motivation and real-world application of reading and writing skills. We completed a ‘lit-trip’ assignment on Hatchet and Gary Paulson, and the students loved it.
I also realized, once that we were using Google, that it really helps students develop a concrete understanding of geography and where things happen in stories.
I use Google Earth to locate areas we discuss in Biology, such as Jane Goodall’s chimp reservation and Dian Fosey’s gorilla camp as well as the Great Barrier Reef. It gives the students a sense of where things are — the size of countries, etc. Due to my challenged expertise in technology, it is somewhat limited but at least I am using it. I have had my computer reimaged twice and I believe the material I put on there is gone. I will try to find it now. Thanks. Julie
Google Earth is highly interactive, and will engage students as they research the path taked by characters on a road trip across the country in the novel Walk Two Moons. Students will use Google Earth to navigate through the United States, and will mark the characters’ journey west from Kentucky to Lewiston, Idaho. As students read the novel and plot out the route the protagonist traveled with her grandparents, they will will collect data and research the geographic locations. Students will add placemarks to indicate important landmarks and geographical features visited along the route: Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho.
The essence of literature, particularly poetry, is often within the imagination and upper eschelons of the mind. Google Earth will incorporate earthly matters: literature and lives as they were lived upon earth. Students will see where authors lived/live, what inspired/inspires them, and what made/makes an impact upon their lives. Students will see that real people lived, thought monumental thoughts, and wrote about them and their experiences on earth. The intangible will become tangible as students trace paths and see the sights that authors forged/forge. The essence of the intangible will become manageable with help from the globe. Perhaps years from now, other travelers will trace the paths – both literal and figurative – that our students now will create upon Google Earth.
I teach Earth Science so this can show latitude and longitude. It shows bathymetry/topography as we look at the surfaces. With many of kmz files, I can show weather information like hurricanes traveling across the Atlantic. With the newest version of GE, I can show astronomy with the new SKY feature which is amazing. I am planning on second semester having the students do their project using GE. I just asked my first period how many knew how to use it, and all but 2 kids raised their hands. Many told me that their house was actually 1 or 2 houses away from where it showed it.
As a physical science teacher, I see Google Earth being a way for students to see relationships of items( for example, where concentrations of elements are found on our planet) or contributions to concepts( figures who contributed to the discovery of the atom) on a global scale. I want the latter to be a big contributor. I feel the students really need more historical connections. Hopefully, my students will be able to travel beyond the US, Canada and Mexico in their lifetime. For those who may not get the chance or have not done so yet, this is a way to show those global connections in a very relavent way. Thanks for a great class!
Throughout the Life Science curriculum students investigate how organisms adapt and survive in their environment. Google Earth allows students the opportunity to explore the dynamics of Earth’s biomes with this interactive and informative application. Diversity of life is researched as students travel to six biomes around the world. Man’s impact on ecosystems and the environment will further reinforce understanding through interdiciplinary planning with social studies lessons related to biomes.
The Google Earth file that I put together shown the discovery location and brief facts for all the Alkali Metals. Each of the seven location tags includes a picture of either the element, and example of the element in use (or misuse), or the person who discovered the element. I think it will be interesting for my students to see that all of these discoveries were made in Europe (since some of them seem to think only about what people from our country do/have done).
As a middle school Earth Science teacher, I am very excited about the possibilities offered by Google Earth. We have actually just completed our first project where the students chose 6 different natural geologic wonders of the United States, researched how and when they were formed, and found an image from Google. This information was all linked to a customized placemark for their sites. They were totally engaged with the project, having only experienced GE for random searches of loaded information, such as their house or the Eiffel Tower.
I am looking forward to using the “trip” I created. I think the students will benefit from the lesson as an example and jumping off point for them to create their own. Basically, I think they will gain a good sense of geography and (since this is an English class) how it affects literature. Previously, I had used maps – which were ok, but when I compare what I have now to the maps, it’s like night and day.
“OLIVER’S TRAVELS”
My students will find the longitude, latitude, elevation, and a picture showing the climate of 4 places they have visited. They will create a placemark for each with the info and a semitransparent overlay of the flag of the city/state/country. As their work is received, I will add their placemarks to my own, creating a class tour of the world. This will relate their own personal experiences with elements of Earth Science while exposing them to other cultures. Doesn’t that sound grand???
The role of Google Earth in my classroom is to create a fun and interesting interactive format by which we can study music history. Students will work in small groups and research a composer. They will then plot the composer’s life and travels using Google Earth placemarks. The files will be presented to the class. Upon completion of the project, students will be provided with music of the composers that were covered. They will be asked to listen to the music and comment on similarities they hear and what role geography can play in a composer’s style. Too often music history is covered in dry and dull ways. My hope is to offer the information to the students in a way that engages their interest fully.