Google Earth is Awesome!

With all the technology out there, how do you know what the best ones are for your classroom? Research and personal trial; that’s what it comes down to in the end. However, I’m a teacher and know how hard it can be to find the time to research the background and statistics on a piece of technology you would like to use in your classroom. So, I did it for you; at least when it comes to Google Earth. 

What is Google Earth?

Google Earth is a free, downloadable software that uses satellite images to recreate a digitally explorable earth. It can zoom in, out, pan, spin, time hop, and so much more. With the ability to add layers to the earth, it brings deeper understanding to the places students are exploring. With all of these different features, there’s no reason Google Earth couldn’t be useful in your classroom! 

What the Research Says

Research says that bringing any technology, including Google Earth, into the classroom helps engage students more effectively than regular methods. It increases student motivation and self-esteem, when they can show what they know in a different way than multiple choice or short answer tests.  According to one U.S. Department of Education study (n.d.), “…students were able to handle more complex assignments and do more with higher-order skills because of the supports and capabilities provided by technology (para. 10).” 

Another study done by Britt and LaFontaine in 2009 looked at the difference between geography lessons using Google Earth versus traditional mapping. It showed that students easily understood the content and were confident in answering questions related to what they learned (Thankachan & Franklin, 2013). “Among the studies of presentation graphics that exist to date, the majority emphasize that presentation graphics increase the interest level of the classroom experience (Cuviello, 2010, pg. 3).”

The Pros and Cons of Google Earth

Pros

• It’s FREE!
• Dynamic in nature: You can deviate in your lesson plan quickly and easily if a student asks about a cite, which relates to your content, that is not in your pathway.
• Easy to use
• Visual
• Popular: this means that there are a lot of pre-made lesson plans you can download and change to fit your classrooms exact needs.
• KML or KMZ files: this means you can easily save, download, and share your Google Earth lesson plans over the internet and through email.
• Interactive
• Motivation and learning is increased

Cons

• Must be downloaded, cannot be used just over the internet
• Presenter is tied to their computer during presentations: there isn’t a way to use a clicker as of yet.
• Lessons can be tricky to build

What Can You Do With Google Earth?

There are too many great things you can do with Google Earth to list them all here BUT I want to give you at least one example of how to use Google Earth in the four main educational disciplines. 

Science: Let’s talk volcanoes! Students can use Google Earth to locate volcanoes through a scavenger hunt set up designed by their teacher or fellow classmates (Beta, 2011). Each student can follow the scavenger hunt to research different locations veiled in volcanoes. The Global Volcanism Program has already done some amazing work to build placemarks for numerous volcanoes around the world. Students can use the Timeslider to see the impact that recently erupted volcanoes had on the surrounding environment, look at the weather tool to see how the weather changed before and after eruptions, and so much more.

Social Studies: I teach 6th grade so let’s focus on Ancient Greece. Students can explore ancient city-state sites such as Athens, Sparta, Corinth, etc and see the ancient ruins that still speckle the landscape of modern Greece today. They can also transverse the Aegean Sea to Troy and glimpse a replica of the Trojan horse. Using the Panoramic view, they can stand at the top of Mt. Olympus and survey the land. Google Earth also has an altitude measure. Students can use this measure to locate Corinth and see the 2,000 foot high precipice it’s located atop. 

Math: An entire website is designed around the concept of using Google Earth in math. Real World Math (n.d.) designs lessons that target specific math concepts and places them in a real world setting. Students solve problems dealing with proportions, area estimation, volume, etc. One lesson looks at the Pyramids of Giza and asks students to estimate the volume of solids. 

English: Some people might look at this and think, “How on earth can you use Google Earth in an English class?”. Just wait and see! Many of the books we read have detailed settings that help bring the reader’s world alive. How cool would it be to actually see the places you’re reading about? For example, if students are reading Into the Wild, it might be fun to search Denali National Park and spend some time exploring the different terrains and vast wilderness, use Panoramic photo to walk around a location, etc. You can also use the Path tool to plot the main characters journey throughout the book. 

How To Create a Lesson (Virtual Field Trip)

This world is filled with excellent technologies that are at our fingertips. As an educator, it is your job to search them out and use them to their greatest ability. I hope this overview of Google Earth will inspire you to try it in your own classroom!

References

Beta, B. (2011, Jan 19). How teachers are using google earth in the classroom. The Next Web. Retrieved from http://thenextweb.com/google/2011/01/20/how-teachers-are-using-google-earth-in-the-classroom/

Cuviello, M. (2013). Evaluating google earth in the classroom. Retrieved from www.usma.edu/cfe/literature/cuviello_10.pdf

Global Volcanism Program (2013). Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution: National Museum of Natural History. Retrieved from http://volcano.si.edu/

U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Effects of technology on classrooms and students. U.S. Department of Education Archived Information. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html

Thankachan, B. & Franklin, T. (2013). Impact of google earth on student learning. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, Vol. 3 No. 21. Retrieved from http://getliner.com/webpdf/web/viewer.html?file=607e1b0746743412fdfc710bc79e4f179fffd6c3.pdf

Real World Math (n.d.) Concept lessons. Realworldmath.org. Retrieved from http://www.realworldmath.org/concept-lessons.html