Overview & Outcomes

What is Google Earth? (download pdf from Google)

This is a free downloadable application that uses satellite imagery to spin, pan tilt and zoom down to any place on Earth. Students can explore the globe, measure distances, create and share virtual tours. You can over lay historical maps If you and your students like PowerPoint you'll love this geographic multimedia tool!

Workshop Outcomes (6 Easy Pieces!)

In this workshop you'll:

1. Explore ways Google Earth is being used in a variety of curricular applications
• Allow a few hours of exploration of Google Earth to understand all of the different things Google Earth will allow you do to.
• Complete activities A, B and C listed below to begin the process of developing your own projects.
• A: Watch the video of the initial episode of the 'Infinite Thinking Machine' - The Google education blog. (The Google Earth section starts at 3:51 into the video.)
• B: Google Earth is an application, so you need to download it to your machine. The application is FREE, however there is an upgrade to a subscription "Earth" for which you must pay. We will be using the free version, which allows users to create vitural tours, link to movies or web sites, share files with others, post pictures on Earth. The subscription version allows users to create paths and more. Click here to download Google Earth.
  
• C: As you look a examples of Google Earth files you'll need to download them to your computer and then click (or double-click) to open. When you get to a site with a Google Earth File (they are named KMZ files) you'll want to download or save to your computer - remember where you put it and then open to view the file.
  
  There are many good ideas from Juicy Geography in the UK:
  
  • Teaching tip on Google Earth from Juicy Geography
    
  • Lessons on Google Earth from Juicy Geography
    
    
  There are many sample files at the Google Earth Community. Look for those applicable to your curriculum.
  
  Another good site is: the Google Earth Education Community - Many good lessons and tutorials.
  
  
2. Use the Google Earth tools to create a virtual presentation.
• The two links below lead to step-by-step tutorials on using Google Earth. Make sure you have your downloaded copy of the application on your hard drive and then go through the tutorials. If you have questions or problems please e-mail or post to the discussion board in the left menu of this course.
• Create a 'How To' guide for students and teachers to follow as they begin the process of using Google Earth.
• Make sure the process you create gives enough detail for teachers and students to follow.
  
• You can model your 'guide' using the tutorials on these two sites:
• Google Earth Education Community
• Google Earth Community
• 
  
3. Plan and outline a Google Earth lesson or presentation for your students and upload your Google Earth lesson.
• HERE WE GO! From Earth to a fly over...Create a virtual tour to for your Google Earth lesson. Refer to the tutorials in Step Two to keep you going in the right direction. Then SAVE/SAVE PLACE AS - a .KMZ file to your hard drive or desktop. Send the .KMZ file to me attached to an e-mail. Post a comment at the bottom of this page about your project and I will add a link to the .KMZ to your post.
  
4. Review and provide feedback on a colleague's lesson.
• Read the comments at the bottom of this page and download a colleague's .KMZ file and review it. Provide feedback to a colleagues project by adding an additional comment at the bottom of the page.
5. Evaluate the use of Google Earth in your curriculum and identify future uses in your curriculum.