Background
Teachers are always looking for new ways to make learning fun, authentic, and exciting while battling hectic schedules and limited time.
Google Earth has become a quick and easy way for teachers to involve students in active, engaged 21st Century learning. In this lesson, teachers will learn how to use the tools and resources within Google Earth to help teach everything from geography to math.
This guide will show all Google Earth users--from novice to experienced--how to integrate this incredible free resource seamlessly into daily lessons.
Impact
How can teachers know the true impact that using Google Earth will have upon students?
How can any of us really know how much Google Earth can mean to every student's teacher?
We can't...but it's exciting to imagine the possibilities!!
A core point of Google Earth is that it enables every person the singular opportunity of "going home." Too, "home" means different things to different people. The beauty of Google Earth is that using one application will touch everyone's life in an individualized way.
The goal of this lesson is to help you leverage the power of Google Earth in such a way that we give students...
So, come on in to our exhibit and enjoy Google Earth for the classroom!
The Flash
In the movies that follow, you are going to see the incredible power of Google Earth. While it's easy to be overwhelmed by the amazing three-dimensional beauty, 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.
Google Earth is not just a map. Think of it more like a joystick for learning. It's everything the millennial student of today wants. It's interactive, multimedia, visual, 3D and--most importantly--students can add, change and mash-up content.
Remember, these students are media savvy and technologically sophisticated. Flat maps and globes just aren't going to engage modern learners the way they would students 10 or 15 years ago. Maps and globes are both expensive and continuously becoming outdated. Google Earth has neither of these shortcomings and offers far more options for students to contribute and create information in a way that is vital for their learning now and for developing the skills they'll need to succeed in the future.
Plus, due to the interactive nature of Google Earth, student learners come to this application of technology with a natural curiosity and are invigorated to learn. Why? Because Google Earth is almost game-like. Students are learning, but they're not burdened with the boredom that comes with some long-held traditional approaches.
3-D comes to the flat screen!
What could be better than looking at earth's features in two dimensions? It's 3-D, of course!!!
3-D buildings make environments come alive for students! Change dull lessons into virtual field trips where students can interact with the locations in three dimensions.
In addition to the buildings already built into Google Earth, you can download all sorts of three dimensional objects at the 3D Warehouse. Way more than just buildings, this site houses everything from monster trucks to giant spiders- all of which can be dropped directly into Google Earth. These are great for creating writing prompts or arranging historical or literary scenes right in Google Earth.
Built-in resources
Google Earth has an incredible wealth of built-in resources. To access these, you merely have to go to the Layer section in the side bar and check a box. Instantly all kinds of interesting information of your choice populates Google Earth.
You can see anything from Jane Goodall's chimp research in Africa to the current political borders throughout the world. Layers also allow you to place historical maps over sections of the globe. This a great way to start students thinking about the challenges explorers faced because of lack of knowledge and poor maps.
A variety of companies have also created information layers. National Geographic has extensive amounts of information available to you through Google Earth.
The best part is you can (for the most part) pull out and even edit the information you want from all these sources to create your own custom file. That way, you keep your students focused and keep their eyes on the content that meets your standards.
Try this: Hannibal's Conquest Trek
Bring Hannibal's trip through the Alps to life.
It's one thing to tell your students that Hannibal went through the Alps, and it's one thing to show them that journey on a map. But, it's an entirely different level of engagement and experience to "fly" them along Hannibal's trek.
A live experience like this one gives you the opportunity to engage your students, not only in the medium they prefer, but also to use the amazing detail available to pose questions. Google Earth also allows you the flexibility to zoom in to get a sense of the difficult terrain Hannibal was covering while in the next moment zooming out to show the true massive scale of the endeavor.
Imagine this: Hannibal is standing in front of his troops and telling them, "Men, we are about to go and take the fight to the Romans and defeat them on their own land!" or something like that. Then imagine Hannibal telling his troops, "We will attack them from where they least expect it - through the Alps - and we will use our elephants!" Now, you have "set the hook!" This is when using Google Earth will make this incredible and almost impossible plan come to life. Students will be able to see the path the Carthaginians had to take for this plan to work. Students can follow Hannibal's path through Italy, and then zoom in on the site of the Battle of Cannae where Rome lost seventy thousand men in one day. Moving through all these places using the tools in Google Earth will make history come alive.The lesson should start with a plain wall map - you know the old school technology. Trace the invasion route on the map and talk about how incredible this must have been and how crazy it must have seemed to the troops following Hannibal. Then, show them how high the mountains really are. Show students the path the troops took. Then, launch Google Earth and start the real journey.
Tell the students to research how many men and elephants were killed during the crossing of the Alps. Research for pictures, artifacts, and stories of the crossing, but all the while tell the students (using the tutorials on this lesson) to add the pictures, artifacts, and even blurbs of stories to points on the route.
Teachers can assign different parts of the invasion to groups of students to research. As a collaborative project, students can add their findings to their assigned portion of the invasion route using the tools on Google Earth.
This lesson can then be easily assessed by the teacher. A rubric can be created on Kathy Schrock's site or Rubistar. These are both great rubrics creation sites. Assess the depth of research, how many tools from Google Earth were applied to the project, historical accuracy of material researched, how well the group worked together, and deadlines that were met. Google Earth has changed the way we see the world and will/has changed the way teachers teach history, geography, science, literature or many, many more subjects.
First published on Sep 15, 2007. Content last updated on Sep 15, 2007.
