Google Maps for Education

Over the past several weeks I have gotten into the habit of blogging about the different tools that we have been using for EME 6414. In the past I have mostly enjoyed learning about some new and relevant tools that I had not really heard of or used in any real depth in an educational setting. However, this week I was surprised to see Google Earth as a web2.0 tool recommended to us to try out for educational purposes with some guidance being provided by Google on how to do so.  

First, Google points out in its instructional content that users have the ability to add their own images to the satellite, or street view, images provided by the site itself, but more importantly from an educational perspective users can share their own images and comments regarding particular locations on the map. This makes Google Earth more like the other tools we have explored in the class around tagging and sharing internet-based content, such as Hypothes from a few weeks back. 

Second, Google recommends using the "I'm feeling lucky" button to be dropped to a random famous location on the globe. This will allow students then to practice using the latitude and longitude tools as they explore the location they are at. Google also recommends that students come up with clues for the rest of the students in the class to guess the location that they were dropped.

Finally, Google recommends using the time lapse feature to explore how the earth is changing over time. This could be used to perhaps explore the effects of climate change or human development on the natural habitat or just explore the effects of time on historical locations. Either way it is another interesting feature that can be used to explore the earth, this time from a more historical perspective. As more time has passed I could see this becoming an even more useful tool for historians.