Using Google Earth and Google Maps
Google Earth and Google Maps are extremely powerful tools for visualising spatial data. Both have many uses in education, in a wide variety of settings. This workshop introduces some of the key features, and explores some of those applications in the classroom.
Visiting
- Treasure Hunts: eg Ancient Greece (Includes basic info on how to create placemarks and save them)
- Virtual Field Trips
- GoogleTreks
- 3D Buildings available from: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse
Examples: The Globe Theatre, London The Acropolis - Street view
- SA Tourism layers (in Gallery/Travel and Tourism)
- Fun: Cool Places & Google sightseeing
- 360 Cities Layer
- Gigapixl Photos Layer
- Webcams or view the layer in Gallery/Travel and Tourism layer
- Sky button, layers
Placing in Context
- Lit Trips: eg Kite Runner
- Create a travel blog: SA Adventure
Measuring
- Distance measuring tool
- Area: http://www.freemaptools.com/area-calculator.htm
- Height/Altitude
- Volume (see Maths)
- Sunlight tool
Tracking (via Layers)
- Whales (Oceans), Chimps (Global Awareness), etc
- Earthquakes and Volcanoes (Gallery)
Subject Resources
Geography
- Earth Science
- Example kmz: Japanese tectonics
- Weather layer
- Food Mapping
Maths
- Real World Maths
- eg kmz: Geometric Solids
History
- Historical views
- See processes over time (use the time slider tool);
- See Rumsey historical maps layer (Gallery) or in Google maps, eg South Africa 1842
Art
- Prado Museum
- By the way, check out: Google Art Project
Global issues
- Humanitarian: eg Crisis in Darfur (Global Awareness layer)
- Environment many useful kmz files and layers referred to here
Drawing Conclusions
Designing
- GE to Sketchup to GE: example exercise
- Example: Project Briefing Starting Point in Sketchup
More Resources