DIGITAL TOOL 4: GOOGLE EARTH

Google Earth is an excellent, safe educational tool to use in the classroom. Many educators around the world are using it and the benefits and uses of this tool are incredible. An American Elementary and Middle School Administrator says 'We are using Google Earth to study geography, literature and culture in grades 2-8 as both a research tool and a creation tool. The advanced layers, the earth, sky, sea and flight features are being used by many. Now that we've used it, we can't live without it!' (Google Earth, 2013).

I have explored google earth for myself to see what interesting things I could do with it. I have taken screen shots of a few uses I have made from it.

The above screen shot is of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Google Earth has pre-recorded tours of historical landmarks and so much more of course, that can be viewed. It also provides facts about this landmark which can be seen in the image. Google earth would be a great tool to use in a history lesson as students can see these historical places without having to travel around the world.

Below is another image of ANZAC cove in Gallipoli. This can also be used when students are studying the importance of ANZAC day, students can actually see where this battle took place and how real it was.

Students can view so much on Google Earth and I could write pages and pages of its use in education. There is however a very useful website which explains its uses. The Google Earth For Educators website has so much information on how it can be used in classrooms - they have lesson plans, resources, tutorials & tips,talk-to-teacher forums and student showcase. It is a very useful website and I believe I will make use of it during my teaching.

Below is my analysis of this tool.

ADVANTAGES:

• easy to use and navigate.
• Is free to use and can be downloaded onto any computer.
• students can dive into the depths of the ocean or explore space.
• can view NASA images of space and planets and take actual tours of these planets.
• provides interactive geographic information, weather, points of interest and services.
• students can view and travel the world without leaving the classroom.
• Google Earth can be used to support many KLA's including geography, history, literature and Art.
• The Google Earth Educators website provides great resources to support teachers.
• Google Earth has the potential to reach many different learners. The street view and panorama view allows kinaesthetic learners to find there own way around earth with the click and drag of a button. Visual and auditory learners can see and hear information on important landmarks.

DISADVANTAGES:

• to work effectively you need to have fast internet access.
• some images and views on Google Earth can be cloudy and not very clear in certain areas..
• every street is not captured so you may have trouble finding them.
• Does invade privacy as images of peoples houses and business are taken without their knowledge and can be viewed by anyone in the world.

EXAMPLES OF ITS USE:

• Can use it in a history lesson to explore a famous shipwreck using the shipwreck layer of Google Earth. This layer allows students to gain information on the shipwreck, its location and also a diving video which can actually show you the ship wreck.
• Another history example is using Google Earth to explore Egypt and its history. They can view the pyramids, the Nile river and other historical landmarks in the area. They can have access to images, videos and important facts that can assist them in understanding the historical features.
• Geography lesson: students can use the weather layer of Google earth to explore the climate across the world. They can note the differences in climate and seasons in Europe compared to Australia.
• The National Geographic layer can allow students to explore endangered species around the world. Google earth provides video footage and facts on these species. For example monitoring the Nautilis which has survived for millions of years. Scientist track the movements of these sea creatures to find more information on its survival.
• Students can use Google Earth to explore their local community by identifying point of interests such as hospitals, police stations, parks etc. Students can use the roads layer and map to come up with directions on how to get from one location to another.

Obviously as can be seen from my examples there is so much that can be done with Google Earth. Teachers need to be very familiar with all the functions before they present it to the class. Students would also have to be taught how to navigate through Google Earth before they can benefit from its use. It can be a time consuming task if students don't know how to use it. I believe this tool support the cognitivist and behaviourism learning theories. Students are building on their knowledge by seeing and organising information and through navigating and exploring Google Earth they are becoming competent uses of this tool which they an use in and outside of school.

References:

http://www.google.com/gadgets/directory?synd=earth&preview=on&id=547940477622

Google Earth for Educators, (2013). Retrieved from: http://sitescontent.google.com/google-earth-for-educators/