Chapter+2 +Using+Google+Earth+in+the+classroom

==Using Google Earth in the Classroom  ==


 

What is Google Earth?
Google Earth (GE) is a web based tool that offers an array of uses. Google Earth has evolved into many different versions that has landed at the most recent of GE 5.0. GE includes a detailed look at any area on earth complimentary of satellite photos. Areas are detailed photographs pieced together to allow the user to look at the earth's natural and man made structures and terrain. GE 5.0 has recently upgraded its abilities to exploration of the ocean and Mars. GE also permits the user to look at the constellations and stars from earth's view. GE has many tools, including placemarking, creating tours, voice recording, driving directions, tons of different layers, and many more. It's quite surprising the quality of images you can get from a satellite. GE also uses real time pictures enabling the user to actually see what the area looks like from the lens of a camera.

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Why use Google Earth?
Google Earth (GE) is a powerful geography and web based tool that can take the user almost virtually into their desired place. In an educational setting, many of the users can travel abroad and find lots of information on a desired location. Not only does GE provide information for famous settings, but it teaches a geographical lesson unmatched by a simple map. GE takes virtual tours of locations and gives the users and observers a lesson in geography, web 2.0 tools and accurate, reliable information.

Using Placemarks with Google Earth
Inserting a placemark on a desired location in GE allows the user to not only mark the location, but to also include photographs, video and web links in the placemark. In the upper left hand corner of the GE user platform is an image of a thumbtack called a placemark in GE. Once the user has seached and found the desired location, the user can then click on the placemark image and put it preceisely where they want it to go. From this point, the user can put loads of educational information into the placemark for their own use or for display to others. The placemark cannot be moved or deleted unless the user clicks to edit the placemark.

Information in the Placemarks
A placemark placed anywhere on GE is sort of like a wiki in itself. You can type and put as much information in the place mark, you can also embed widgets and video as well as images and links to other websites. So as you can imagine, using this in the classroom has endless uses. A science teacher at Saegertown high school had each of his students create an educaitonal video using iMovie, upload their movie on a site called schooltube.com and then embedding their videos into their placemarks, which were conveninently placed on the site of their researched super fund site. Directions for embedding images, widgets, links, etc are below in the PDF link. Enjoy!