What is Google Earth? “Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, from galaxies in outer space to the canyons of the ocean. You can explore rich geographical content, save your toured places, and share with others” (Google, 2009). Google Earth 5 is a free download that offers users:
• Ocean floor exploration
• 3D buildings
• Moon and Mars exploration
• Educational exhibits
• Historical imagery
• Street level imagery
• Recorded tours
The latest version of Google Earth hosts an array of educational tools including partnerships with National Geographic, the BBC and Cousteau’s Ocean World. Teachers and students can explore the earth, ocean floor and solar system through extensive multimedia features.
The Google Earth User Guide gives detailed ‘how to’ instructions on using this exciting tool whether in the classroom visiting a location of instructional study or at home mapping out a vacation.
Google Lit Trips is a website that fuses Google Earth and literature together into amazing virtual roads trips using locations found within literature. Readers from grades K-12 can discover the world while traveling with books.
Google Earth in the classroom:
• Provides cross-curricular learning opportunities
• Engages learners visually and globally
• Builds mapping and navigational skills
• Connects students to their world using real-world perspectives
Ms. Tonhauser
Google Earth in 4L
Google Earth has become an important tool in the 4L classroom. I have used this tool in many of our classroom travels around Alberta. The grade 4 social studies curriculum provides opportunities for students to visit a variety of cities and town in our great province. This user-friendly program allows me to digitally mark each location visited by 4L so that we can compare how far we have travelled in relation to Camilla School. Google Earth allows teachers to record tours, so we recorded our trip to Drumheller and investigated the landscape up close and at a distance. Google Earth will continue to be an integral part of our learning landscape.
Ms. Langford
Reference
Google Earth, (2009). Google Earth. Retrieved from http://earth.google.com/
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It's exciting to know that Camilla teachers are embracing technology to give our children an expanded view of the world. The ability to travels to new cities and countries while sitting in a classroom in invaluable. Great job!!
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