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Summary: Google Earth provides many opportunities to enhance instruction in the social studies classroom. Maps and geographic features are critical and important components of social studies instruction and Google Earth adds pizazz and zing to their presentation in the classroom. In this module I present some basic information about Google Earth, instructions on how to begin using Google Earth in the classroom, some sample lesson plans that highlight some of the strengths of Google Earth, strengths and weaknesses of the program, and five tips for educators who want to use Google Earth.
Google Earth is just one of the many pieces of software available for free from Google. Released in June 2005, the software combines satellite imagery of the globe with 3D renderings of cities and important geological sites along with user customizing capabilities. Recent additions to the software include real time traffic monitoring, street viewing, sun movement, a flight simulator, and an astronomy version. By far its most entertaining feature, Google Earth’s zoom-in mode is what makes this software entertaining and engaging. National TV news programs have been using it in their broadcasts to show locations of news worthy events. Teachers can utilize Google Earth to highlight important geographic areas in the teaching of social studies.
Because Google Earth is a customizable map, the possibilities for its use in the social studies classroom seem at first glance to be endless. In a history class, educators could create a sequence showing how armies moved from place to place during a war. A quick tour of the important buildings in our government would be a possible use for a government class. Demonstrating land forms and geological features could augment Google Earth's obvious use as a map tool in a geography classroom. The only limit seems to be an educator’s creativity; however, a closer examination of the software reveals some challenges as well. Any of the more advanced functions are difficult and time consuming to learn and master because of a lack of clear tutorials. The software also takes time to program and prepare for use in a classroom setting. Ultimately it is up to each individual educator to determine if the investment of time and energy into learning the program is worth the potential gain in the classroom.
The first step to use Google Earth is visiting this website and downloading the free version to your computer just as you would with any other piece of software. To begin learning how to use Google Earth you should visit the Google Earth User Guide and scroll down the page to review the sections entitled “Getting To Know Google Earth” and “Five Cool, Easy Things You Can Do In Google Earth.”
Next you need to familiarize yourself with the basic controls and functions of Google Earth by visiting the Google Earth Tutorials webpage. From this page you can navigate to pages that explain how to navigate, search, mark locations, and find coordinates using Google Earth. Included in the instructions are YouTube videos that offer demonstrations of the various skills.
Finally, you should return to the Google Earth User Guide for any additional questions you may have about the program.
Google Earth has many functions that educators need to consider when deciding how to use Google Earth in the classroom. Even though having many different functions in the program creates greater potential for meaningful learning, the challenge is finding appropriate uses for the various functions that exist in the program. If not careful teachers can become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of options that exist.
The functions of Google Earth can be broken into three distinct sections. First, the search function includes basic searches, a business locator, and driving directions just like Google Maps. Included in the driving directions function is the ability to tour along the map as if you were driving. Second, Google Maps has a places function which allows you to create place marks with descriptions at important areas on the map. When you create multiple place marks and click the play button Google Earth will move between each place mark in the sequence they are listed in a kind of mini-tour. Finally, the layers function is the third major function of Google Earth. With in this function is a large array of different pieces of information which can be added to the maps including traffic, weather, street views, 3D building views, geographic information, government information, road names, and places of interest to name just a few of the many options available.
Google Earth fits the definition of a web 2.0 tool because it allows users to create and manipulate many different items in the program. Users can add photos, descriptions, and place marks for important locations. Users can also create paths and measure distances between points. They can view what the sun angles are like at different times of the day. With additional training users can also create 3D structures or use KML code to write programs for Google Earth.
Google has a website dedicated to educational uses of Google Earth and it is a good starting point to get educators thinking about possible classroom uses. Google also has an outreach showcase that has some interesting Google Earth file additions that, for example, allow you to show the Gross Domestic Product for each state in the United States. Finally, this website has a list of ten activities you can do in the classroom that incorporate Google Earth.
Modeling Sea Level Change on the Gold Coast: Using Google Earth students explore how rising sea levels will impact surfing and the coastline of the Gold Coast in Australia. This lesson is a good example of the ways Google Earth can be used to help teach geography related objectives. Students begin by exploring what the coast is like now and then using a polygon overlay see how rising sea levels could drastically alter the coastline. This kind of lesson could be adapted or redesigned to fit any number of coastal areas around the world.
Using Google Earth to Teach Pearl Harbor: Using the various Google Earth overlays found in this file, educators can use Google Earth to show what and how the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. This lesson demonstrates the customizable ability of the program. Students could complete research on a subject and then from that research create new overlays to present what they learned using Google Earth. This example also highlights the historical opportunities presented by Google Earth. Using certain additions to the program students could explore changes in an area over time.
Exploring the Great Monuments of the World: This is a lesson plan that combines Google Earth and United Streaming to explore the great monuments of the world. It is a good example of how you can use Google Earth to visit many of the famous locations around the globe in an organized fashion. This is one of the easiest and most practical uses of the program for educators. It does not take very time to prepare and a teacher is in full control of the order and time spent visiting each location in the program. The lesson is also an excellent example of how Google Earth can be incorporated or combined with other teaching tools to enhance teaching.
Drake's Circumnavigation: This lesson uses Google Earth to show where Sir Francis Drake stopped during his circumnavigation of the globe. This lesson is a good example of the various possibilities for educational exploration available to those who take the time to master the KML programing language used by Google Earth. Each location along the journey includes information about what occurred at each stop. This lesson is a great addition to teaching on Drake's Circumnavigation because it helps to illustrate, animate, and bring alive the journey in a way that a regular map can not do. The only drawback to a lesson of this nature is the large investment of time it takes to create the KML file of the journey.
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This work is licensed by Tom Pantazes under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 2.0), and is an Open Educational Resource.
Last edited by Tom Pantazes on Oct 20, 2008 7:53 am GMT-5.
