Google Tools – Google Earth
Most people know Google simply as
an online search engine, however it is now much more than that. Google has
produced many online tools that have been made readily available to the public
for free. These tools include things such as, Google docs, Google translate,
Google scholar and Google sites. For the purpose of this blog I will be discussing
the benefits of Google Earth and the uses of this online tool within the
classroom.
During tutorials one group
provided a presentation on the use of an online tool, Google Sketchup, in which
they mentioned that it could be used in conjunction with Google Earth. Having
knowledge of Google Earth at a basic level I was interested to find out the
classroom applications of this online Google tool. I immediately went to the
Google Earth website to find out more about its features. This online tool uses
satellites to display a view of the Earth from above onto the screen. Anyone
using this tool is able to locate and zoom into a place of their choosing.
Using an online technology such
as Google Earth allows teachers to step outside of the box and incorporate
lessons that are engaging, interactive and display real life situations. It is
essential for teachers to have a sound knowledge of how to use this online tool
in an educational setting as “teachers are able to be better
teachers if they understand how to teach, the content they are teaching, and have
an understanding of how to teach a certain content area” (CELC, 2010, para. 4). Google Earth
can be used for a number of different content areas such as, Science, Maths,
Studies of Society and the Environment and English.
As well as providing a number of
useful lesson plans, Google also provides a fact sheet outlining what Google
Earth is and why it is useful to use within the classroom. Students are able to
use Google Earth to: “study maps, annotate locations, and learn map reading and
navigation” (Google Earth, para. 2, n.d.). Google Earth provides numerous
options for teaching from the simple to the complex lessons from Prep to Year
12 and can be taught as an instructional lesson, showing students how to use
the technology. Or as a constructivist lesson, allowing the students to explore
using Google Earth.
As online tools continue to
develop and broaden the horizons of what can be done on the internet teachers
need to be up to date with these new tools. The digital native generation needs
to be challenged with lessons, which incorporate online, explorative tools to
enable them to develop relevant life skills appropriate for real world use.
References:
CELC, (2010). An Introduction to
TPACK. Retrieved April 20, 2012 from
http://mrcoles.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/celc-2010-an-introduction-to-tpack/
Google Earth (n.d.). Google Earth
in the Classroom. Retrieved April 20
2012 from http://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrusted_dlcp/www.google.com/en//educators/activities/pdfs_GTA/CribSheet.Earth5.pdf
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