Teaching with Google Earth by Cindy Lane

Teaching with Google Earth by Cindy Lane

(MY NOTES FROM THIS SESSION AT METC 2007, 27 FEB 2007. I RECORDED THIS SESSION AND WILL POST LATER AS A PODCAST.)

Definitely join the Google Earth community for education-specific resources
KML = keyhole markup language

When you load KML files into Google Earth, when you quit you get an option to save that KML file to your computer permanently

All 50 states with all state information are available
Layers have tons of options
3D buildings are amazing
– Manhattan, New York is great examle

You can navigate just by using the tools in the upper right corner
– elevation controls are on the right
– getting

are scavenger hunts inside the Google Earth community
– some give you lat and long coordinates, ask you for the city

Gmail is integrated within Google Earth: you can email a place in Google Earth to yourself

Want to make a placemark? use the push pin icton
– but first, go on the Google Earth community and see if someone has already done it!

Handout today shows you how to make a folder and placemarks
– you can embed videos and images inside UnitedStreaming inside Google Earth
– example: video of Pony Express and image of Kit Carson

Measurement tools
– great for social studies and science, adding math
– just click on the RULER icon
– then you can measure by line or path
– down arrow lets you change the unit of measurement (even “smoots!” – 5′ 7″ measurement from Mr. Smoot in Boston, the Harvard bridge was measured by rolling him end over end!)

Changing the measurements to different units is great for students practicing place value

Using a path lets you have more waypoints on your route

Example of geometry lesson in Google Earth

3 Main parts of Google Earth
1- The search area to put in addresses and fly somewhere (upper right corner)
— can find businesses in a particular location, whatever you want to look for
— directions are listed on the left, points are shown on the right
— I used this on a trip to Colorado

[MY THOUGHT: IT IS GOING TO BE SO POWERFUL TO HAVE THIS TYPE OF FUNCTIONALITY IS ON MOBILE DEVICES!]

One of the workshop participants yesterday indicated how golf coaches would love this

2- In your Places
– all your lesson plans from the Google Earth community can be found there
– 1904 World’s Fair Map overlaid on
– can adjust transparency with a slider just like PhotoShop

Can use the scroll wheel to scroll in and out
Example:

Sketchup is a 3D modeling tool that accompanies Google Earth
– models can be put inside Google Earth

How to load images in Google Earth
– Start with a folder first (ALWAYS)
– right click / control click on MY PLACES and chose ADD – FOLDER
— now I want to put everything inside this folder, so everything will be somewhat organized
— now right click on your folder and choose ADD IMAGE
— you get green boxes that show where your image is going to lay on Google Earth

Now add a placemark
– can change the icon, can even add a custom icon

Now whatever you put inside the description box of a placemark will show up when you click on that placemark in your KML file.

The Google Earth Community for Educators has a great collection of resources
– can directly

KMZ = keyhole markup language ZIPPED file

3- Layers
– more information to Google Earth as you are exploring around
– Example: Linked World Hunger Map within Google KML file, the webpage opens in the lower pane
– linked video won’t pop right up, you’ll have to log into United Streaming first within GoogleEarth

You can print out from Google Earth as long as what you want to show is in the pane of the window
– you can add any link you want

You can drag KML files

Another example: All the places in the world related to Shakespeare
– with Shakespeare as an icon

Civil War battles are all listed inside

Looking for innovative way to practice spelling?

Cindy’s saved bookmarks: ww2.ikeepbookmarks.com/clane include great examples of Google Earth bookmarks

www.gelessons.com – Google Earth Lessons
GeoGreeting – mashup for buildings shaped like letters on Google Earth

[I THINK A SESSION LIKE THIS NEEDS TO BEGIN WITH A DISCLAIMER / WARNING THAT PEOPLE ARE ABOUT TO BE OVERWHELMED WITH AN AMAZING LEVEL OF INFORMATION, BOTH IN BREADTH, DEPTH, AND COMPLEXITY. GOOGLE EARTH IS ONE OF THESE TOOLS THAT IS IDEAL TO PUT IN THE HANDS OF CREATIVE LEARNERS! (OF ANY AGE)]

The TOUR BUTTON is at the bottom of the PLACES window, lets you fly to all the placemarks you have in a particular folder

Check out VIEW options
– can turn on the atmosphere

Look at Google Earth Options
– lots of choices
– you may want to adjust the “tour speed” and turn it down

Also see the options
– you can clear your cache, increase the size, then view the things you want cached and you’ll have access to them offline

Pro version of Google Earth will let you import

United Streaming (Discovery) has webinars on using Google Earth with United Streaming.

lane [dot] cindy [at] gmail [dot] com

[I FOUND THIS LINK AGAIN THAT WAS DEACTIVATED! LIVE COMMERCIAL FLIGHT TRACKING INBOUND TO MAJOR US AIRPORTS!]

Technorati Tags: google, googleearth, metc, metc07

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