Google Earth for all

Interested in Google Earth but having trouble getting started?  This article from Tech & Learning will show you everything you need to know. Go to space, take a virtual tour, or check out the street view- you will find the directions here.

Street View 15 favorite places

While catching up on webinars this morning, the Fifteen Favorite Street Views site was mentioned. It is a list that you could use to inspire your students ( Where would they want to go?) as well as encouraging their imagination. Was your favorite place on the list?

The geometry of castles

While I don’t teach math (or even pretend to try), I was memorized with the math lesson suggestion from Richard Byrne (Free Technology for Teachers). Google Earth is the starting point for these premade lessons (there are three). 

Creating tours in Google Earth (Web Version)

While creating tours in the desktop version is old news, now you can also create tours in the web version.  Richard Byrne (Free Technology for Teachers) has created a great how do video here.  Another option is to use the tutorial in Google Earth.  There are additional resources on their YouTube Channel. There are a variety of things your students could do with a map.

On the trail with Lewis and Clark

Richard Byrne (Free Technology for Teachers) shares several resources for Lewis and Clark.  My favorite with the Google Earth application that was linked to media from the PBS series,  Please check out the complete post here.

Measurement in Google Earth

Richard Byrne recently posted a short video demonstrating how easy it is to measure in Google Earth.  Pick your unit of measurement and let the fun begin!

Reading Treks and Google Lit Trips

You might be familiar with Lit Trips.  Here is the definition from their website:

What is a Google Lit Trip? Lit Trips are downloadable files that mark the journeys of characters from famous literature on the surface of Google Earth. Along the way, placemarks with pop-up windows contain "just in time" resources including relevant media, thought-provoking discussion starters, and links to supplementary information about "real world" references in that portion of the story. Our focus is on creating engaging and relevant literary experiences for students. While I have seen these for a while, TeachersFirst recently shared their Reading Treks.  They look very similar (with a Google Earth file as well as directions) yet the stories appear to be for younger readers.

Google Tour Builders

I really love this product- and Eric Curts step by step directions are all you need to get started! Think of Google Earth with an easier interface and you can add images, text, and links!  Please click for the link to his webinar (take the quiz at the end and earn PD credit!).  Want to just explore- click here to see Google Tour Builder. Don't have time for the hour session or just want a quick overview? Check out the video by Ryan Bradford below:

Do you know Pegman?

No, this is not the latest Halloween costume.  It’s the little guy from Google Maps and Google Earth. Check out Richard Byrne's post here for ideas for the classroom.

Google Earth is now in your browser!

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One of the summer changes involves Google Earth.  Not only is it easier to navigate, but now it is available in your browser using this website.You can get a quick preview in this video:

For the complete review,  please see the post here from Richard Byrne's Free Technology for Teachers. For more on Google Earth Tour Builder- please see Eric Curt's post here.

Venezia

Looking for an interesting way to tie in pop culture (Amazing Race) with Google Earth?  Richard Byrne suggests using Venice Backstage to give your students more information about the city then let them explore using Google Earth.  For his complete post at Free Technology for Teachers, please click here.

No passport required

Unsure how to use the new Google Earth in your classroom?  Check out Richard Byrne’s post here for suggestions (it’s from his site Free Technology for Teachers).  Numbers 2 and 10 were my favorites! ( Photo is a place I would love to visit!)

The New Google Earth!

I remember when Google Earth had to be downloaded onto your machine and it wasn’t the easiest to navigate.  The new Google Earth is not only web-based but full with many easy to use features.  Why not set your students exploring? Want a quick tour? See this blog post from Richard Byrne!  I’ve shared part of the Google’s blog post below:

• Explore the new Google Earth

• Today we’re introducing a brand-new version of Google Earth—on the web and Android—two years in the making. With the new Earth, we want to open up different lenses for you to see the world and learn a bit about how it all fits together; to open your mind with new stories while giving you a new perspective on the locations and experiences you cherish. It’s everything you love about Google Earth, plus new ways for you to explore, learn and share. Zoom in and see what adventures await you in the new Google Earth.

• Broaden your horizons with Voyager

• We've joined up with some of the world's leading storytellers, scientists and nonprofits to bring the planet to life with Voyager, a showcase of interactive guided tours.

• Walk alongside the elusive snow leopard in BBC's Natural Treasures.
• Start with Natural Treasures from BBC Earth, and journey to six habitats—from islands to mountains to jungles—and learn about the unique and thrilling wildlife in each. Then head to Gombe National Park in Tanzania and hear from Jane Goodall about her team’s chimpanzee research and conservation efforts. And make a stop in Mexico with Lola, one of 12 little monsters featured in Sesame Street's Girl Muppets Around the World, and learn about modern Mayan cultures. With more than 50 immersive stories in Voyager, and more added weekly, there are lots of adventures to choose from.  ( I liked that many of the trips now include video clips- think of sending your students on a scavenger hunt!)

• Share the beauty you find

• Click the new 3D button to see any place from any angle. Swoop around the Grand Canyon and see geological layers, or check out the majestic architecture and pristine grounds of the 500-year-old Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley in France.
• Postcards from Earth: Grand Canyon, Château de Chambord, Burning Man
• When you find a view that leaves you breathless or inspires a fond memory, share a Postcard of your exact view with your friends and family. They can click the link to jump right to where you were (virtually) standing.

• Bringing it all back home

• We hope that after visiting your house in the new Google Earth, you'll be inspired to see someone else’s. Get started with a special Voyager story called This is Home, a journey into traditional homes from cultures around the world. You’re invited to step inside a Peruvian chuclla, a Bedouin tent and a Greenlandic IIoq, and meet the people who live there. Check back to visit more homes in the coming months.
• This is Home

Google Earth

Have you ever explored Google Earth?  Here’s a great tutorial from Richard Byrne Free Technology for Teachers.  Google Earth doesn’t work on Chromebooks- so you will have ;to use a machine running Windows/IOS.