Tami's Blog

Since I knew it existed, I have thought that Google Earth was a pretty cool toy–something to play around with, show my parents, and use as a “time-waster” when I’m browsing the Internet. However, after reading some of the articles we were assigned in LIS 568 this week, I see Google Earth as an amazing tool that can and should be used within educational settings. I think that taking a tool such as this–one that is fun for people of all ages to “play around with” during their leisure time–and using it in the classroom or school library media center (SLMC) is exactly what we need to be doing as school library media specialists (SLMSs). We need to apply the use of tools that are interesting and relevant to students to their learning experiences in order to better engage them.

The articles regarding Google Earth that we read this week revealed basic information about the program’s functions and illustrated a few examples regarding how a teacher or SLMS might apply Google Earth (GE) to school curriculums. They also got me thinking and brainstorming about other effective ways I might use GE in my SLMC one day. One extremely effective way I thought this tool could be incorporated is through Web Quests; students are already questing for information–why not send them on a parallel quest across the globe (or country, or state, or county) that relates to the information they’re learning? For another one of my courses, I just finished reading Into the Wild by John Krakauer, and watching the movie based on it. Thus, I immediately associated a Web Quest incorporating GE to an English lesson–specifically an English lesson on Into the Wild. Because the book is based on a true story, I was even able to locate its abandoned “Magic Bus” on Google Earth–this made the book so much more real for me, as I’m sure it would for students. Of course there are other portions of the Web Quest that would/could relate to the book (learning about the Alaskan wilderness through Alaskan travel/wildlife Web sites, etc.), but I think that the entire Web Quest could be based solely on an incorporation with GE. For example, in addition to finding the “Magic Bus,” students might be asked to map the route that the main character, Chris, took throughout his two years of traveling. Because GE is linked with Wikipedia, they might also be required to read about each of these places–and perhaps even to evaluate the information about the places they find on Wikipedia. I feel that because GE is so “in tune” with the technological environment of the Web, the possibilities are endless regarding how this tool might be used in educational arenas.

I think Google Earth could be used in every academic subject. For example, as one of the articles stated, it could be used in a physical education class to map out a hike or jogging route. Google Earth could also be used as a follow-up activity relating to almost any assignment or in-class learning experience. For instance, if a science class was learning about a particular climate area, they could use Google Earth to “travel” to that area of the Earth and see the place to which their lesson referred.

On a personal note, later today I will visit the Rochester Museum and Science Center’s Titanic exhibit; I already went on GE to try to locate the wreck of the Titanic. By simply checking the box marked “Ocean” in the Layers section, and making sure that “View Water Surface” is checked when clicking on the “View” menu, I was able to type “Titanic” into the search box and GE zoomed to the location of the RMS Titanic wreck site. I attempted to zoom in to see the actual wreck, since the articles I read indicated that you could explore beneath the ocean’s surface, but I don’t think that there is enough detail provided in order to see the wreck. However, it was interesting to me–as I’m sure it would be for students–to see exactly where in the Atlantic Ocean the ship sunk.

Of course, there are some difficulties associated with using Google Earth, but I feel that many of these are due to the fact that there is so much one can do with the application; it can be confusing as to where to start and how to carry out various operations to obtain the information one wants. However, I did make use of the “Help” feature in my explorations of the tool and was able to find the answers I needed each time.

Overall, GE is a fabulous tool that has both real-life and educational applications. It is most definitely a tool I will use in my SLMC one day, and will encourage my fellow teachers to use as well.