Google Earth

Google Earth is an amazingly powerful tool that combines satellite images, maps, and photographed street views to knit together an interactive and customizable globe. Since the original Google Earth was released in 2005 each generation has added additional features, updated, higher-resolution images, and aesthetic changes. One of the amazing things about this application is the incredible degree of flexibility that it allows for. Whether you want to search for a satellite image of your home or create complex educational tours with an audio guide this application allows users of nearly every level to explore the world at greater detail than any map or globe. For this review I am using Google Earth 5. With this program it is easy to search for both places or landmarks and as you zoom in or out it displays not only the absolute locations of the places you are looking at, but also lets you know when the satellite image was originally taken. You can also turn various layers on or off with the click of the mouse. As such, it becomes a nearly limitlessly customizable tool for exploring the world. As a social studies teacher I was particularly intrigued by the Global Awareness layer, which allows you to view where various non-profits are working around the world, what global issues they are dealing with and brief articles explaining what they are doing within regions. One of the greatest features of this application however is just how user-friendly the whole thing is.

As a classroom application Earth can be used for an amazing variety of activities. In order to use Google Earth students need to have an internet-connected computer with permissions to download the necessary software. From there the skill needed to maneuver through the program differs a great deal depending on what they are expected to do. Using this program you can create virtual tours with audio narration to walk through various sites using street view or earth view. This could be particularly helpful for teaching about global issues, historical events and movements, geography, or about various nations on earth. In order to use this application in the classroom students would have to be shown how to use the program and given some initial guidance before freeing them up to explore. Using this program they could create virtual tours with audio commentary or even explore the ocean, sky, the moon, or mars. Given the speed with which this program has expanded it seems that the applications and flexibility of this program will continue to grow. Google Earth is an amazing free application for students to explore the world (and universe) around them.