Google Earth in the Classroom:

Danny MaasEmTech AISI ConsultantDaniel.Maas@ecsd.net

Using Google Earth in Language Arts &

Social Studies

Rationale for Using Google Earth•Universal Design for Learning

• Multiple Means of ExpressionPresenting information and content in different ways (the "what" of learning)

• Multiple Means of RepresentationDifferentiating the ways that students can express what they know (the "how" of learning)

• Multiple Means of EngagementStimulating interest and motivation for learning (the "why" of learning)

http://www.cast.org/research/faq/index.html#q1

  

Hands On With Google Earth

• Placemarks

• Drawing Paths & Polygons

• Adding Web 2.0 Elements onto Google Earth

• Recording a Tour

• Exporting Items to a .KMZ file

• Learn more about Google Earth at http://www.google.com/earth/learn/index.html

Adding Placemarks

•Along the top toolbar, the Placemarks button looks like a yellow pushpin

•When Clicked, an untitled placemark will be placed onto the screen.

•Drag the placemark to the location you want.

•In the “New Placemark” window, add a name.

•Optionally, add a description or change the style & color.

•Clicking on the yellow pin icon can change the image represented  

Drawing Polygons• Click the Polygon tool button

• Click once for the first point of your polygon

• Click again at key points around the shape

• Click on your starting point to finish the shape

• Name your shape

• On the ‘Style, Color’ tab choose the color and opacity of your shape

• If your shape is unusually-shaped, you can click and drag the entire path (versus clicking at key points only)

Drawing Paths• Click the Path tool button

• Click once for the first point of your path

• Click again at key points around the path

• Name your path

• On the ‘Style, Color’ tab choose the color and thickness of your path

• If your path is unusually-shaped, you can click and drag the entire path (versus clicking at key points only)

Adding Web 2.0 Elements

• Many web 2.0 tools offer an ‘embed’ feature to embed the multimedia onto other websites, blogs, etc. (E.g. YouTube, Animoto, Voki, etc.)

• To embed on Googe Earth, first add a placemark

• Copy the ‘embed’ HTML code from the web 2.0 website

• Paste the embed code into the description area of the placemark

• The next time you click on the placemark your web 2.0 element should display

Recording a Tour

• Click the ‘Record a Tour’ button

• If you have a path and elements to record in your tour already, click the ‘Play Tour’ button as well

• When the ‘Record’ button is pressed, audio and screen movements will be captured

• Click the disk icon to name and save your tour which will be added to your ‘Places’ list

Exporting Items to a .KMZ file• Any group of placemarks, polygons, paths, and tours can be grouped together and saved as a single .KMZ file

• Right-click on My Places and choose “AddFolder” and name that folder

• Click/Drag all the items you want into the new folder

• Right-click the folder and choose “Save Place As”

• Name the .KMZ file and choose a save location

Language Arts•Google Lit Trips – http://www.googlelittrips.org

•Have students create a virtual autobiography (where they were born, where they live & go to school, any extracurricular activity locations – turn it into a tour)

•Use a location of somewhere in the world as a creative writing starter

•Book trailers, 6-word stories/memoirs, visual poetry

• GeoGreeting – Create a message from Google Earth locations http://www.geogreeting.com/main.html

Social Studies

•Travel to and view locations being studied in class• Gigapan http://www.gigapan.org/ • View Google Earth Global Awareness layer• Search the Culture & History section of Google Earth gallery http://www.google.com/gadgets/directory?synd=earth&sort-order=desc&cat=culture

Other Uses

•Visit a field trip location on Google Earth before you travel•Download pre-made Google Earth tours and information layers•http://www.juicygeography.co.uk/googleearth.htm •http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/google_earth/activities.html•http://www.gelessons.com/lessons/•http://www.gearthblog.com/

http://maasd.wordpress.com/google-earth

• Daniel.Maas@ecsd.net