A Google Earth Primer Mike Porter

From NAEP “And the proportion of students reaching the Proficient level is relatively small. Just 25 percent of 12th graders can demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed to interpret maps, to describe the physical and cultural features of major regions, and to discuss the economic, political, and social factors that define the various parts of the world. Yes, that is a challenging standard, but it is one that eventually all students should reach in order to understand our complex world.” (

What are classroom uses of Google Earth? View historical or archeological siteshistoricalarcheological Locate settings from work of fictionsettings Help students understand geographygeography “Map” out areas where different languages are spoken Trace development of a technology or a culture Plot out incidences of disease outbreaksPlot out incidences of disease outbreaks

What are classroom uses of Google Earth?

Getting Started Minimum requirements: –Win 2000, Windows XP –Mac OS X –Linux (GE V4 only) –Pentium III, 500Mhz –128 RAM 1024 x 768 Resolution com/ com/ Download and install Latest version = 4.1 Class session is on this version

Basic Navigation

Dizzy? Reorient Yourself?

Come fly with me…

Search, Driving Directions, Layers

Making your placemark in this world You’re creating.kmz files Add text, links, video links This is where students can demonstrate knowledge You can annotate the Earth!

Making your placemark in this world, cont’d. Properties of your placemark: –Text and.html passage, add links Basic html (for font changes) recognized – = bold – = text – = underline –Adding images in description field –Pathway is image location on your computer, such as “C:/Documents and Settings/Mporter/Documents/My Pictures/GoogleEarth/Project/Test.jpg” –Style, color, and opacity –Altitude and extend to ground (seen on angled view) –Change icon

Use basic.html to make placemark interactive

Why add an image? Position artifacts in their place of discovery Source artworks to the artists’ homes Create images to represents ancient cultures or armiesarmies Overlay a trail map or weather map to the terrain Overlay a natural phenomenon to terrain, e.g. an avalanche

Check out Existing OverLays

World Time Zones World Cloud Map in real time Flight Tracker in real time Examples of layers World Storm Tracking in real time Exxon Valdez Oil Spill US Interstate Road Conditions

Painting the world red— adding images

Painting the world red, cont’d

Turn Back the Clock

Lines, lines, everywhere a line…

Now let’s put it all together

Getting all the pieces together

To make a geography game—not that there is anything funny about geography

Discovery Video and Google Earth

Shift Happens… 20 th century geography question: –What’s the capitol of Colorado? 21 st century geography question: –Why is Denver the capitol of Colorado? Support your answer with screen shots from Google Earth.

More Mash Ups Google maps Flickr—use the slide show setting to create a URL-based photo embed into GE YouTube –Paste URL into the text field To get thisthis

Annotated resources Google Earth Lessons –GELessons.com - A Free Public Resource - Providing Teachers with the tools needed to enhance their instruction using Google Earth®, the free program that brings the world to the classroom! A Website By and For Teachers.Google Earth® Googleandunitedstreaming –Matching up United Streaming and GE for video tours, samples Google Earth and Education –Great links, ideas for educators by subject area The Google Earth Bulletin Board –“The” place to view and share.kmz files; note educator's section

Annotated resources Juicy Geography —British blog that points readers to tweaks, mods, and lesson plan ideasJuicy Geography Collection of GE layers,.kmz files – Must see collection of maps: –

National Geography Bee For a fabulous prize, be the first to answer this question: What city, divided by a river of the same name, was the imperial capital of Vietnam? Winning question from the National Geographic student competition.National Geographic