My school district has been promoting Google Earth, but I have yet to do anything with it because I wasn't sure how I could incorporate this technology in a meaningful way into my classroom.
Google Earth allows you to "see" the world without traveling. There are many features available on Google Earth. You can explore different places on earth, go under the sea, view the solar system, and even check out Mars. With Google Earth you can zoom in to street level and really see the city/location up close.
One interesting feature of Google Earth is that they have a layer called global awareness. There are a variety of topics such as fair trade certified, greenpeace, Unicef water and sanitation, and WWF conservation projects. When you click on one of these options it will show you where these are taking place around the world. Then you can choose a specific place and learn more about what is happening in that area of the world. It also provides a link where additional information can be found.
Another layer feature that I found interesting is that you can click on weather and it will show the cloud cover and temperatures. In some of the larger cities or famous points, you can click on 3D buildings and it will show the area in 3D.
In my French 3 class there is a unit all about Paris. I have had students create a PowerPoint about a trip that they took to Paris and it has been successful, however I think it would be neat to use google earth. There is a recording feature that allows you to record a trip. It records your voice as well as the "trip." I would have students go through Paris and show the monuments they visited and then explain in french the history of the monument and what they did. Then students could watch their classmates' trips and comment on them. Hopefully this project will go well.
Awesome idea for a project, it is a great way to get students really involved in learning about different cultures. I think it gets boring in a language class to just look at pictures of the different places, using Google Earth can change this and get students to take a more active part in their learning. I was unaware of all the added applications in Google Earth, some great resources.
ReplyDeleteDo you know if you can use Google Earth in other languages?
Hey Jessica...
ReplyDeleteYeah that Google Earth is pretty neat stuff...the first time I tried it I took the tour that it has installed on it and it takes you all over the world...I am looking forward to using it in my history/geography classes because it gives that students an idea of where a city/country is located compared to where we are....I love it!!
I always thought Google Earth was pretty cool...my husband and I have fun looking at our property in Costa:) but I had no idea of the many features that you described. I'm going to look into them more as I am envisioning possible applications in my science class...exploring the ocean, solar system, and how cool is the global awareness layer?!? I am currently teaching environmental science so off to check it out to see if there is anything I could incorporate with that feature. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI love Google Earth (it has a special place in my heart because my dog is on there!)...but I never realized how much you could do with it! I'm glad that you are using it in a language class, because I think a lot of people think it may only be useful in science and geography classes. I never knew about the layers that you talked about. Those sound really interesting and I will definitely have to check them out...especially now that my new computer can handle Google Earth!
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