Group 4 Tools - Google Earth

Google Earth is a digital simulation tool which allows users to explore anywhere on earth in 3D, based on satellite imagery and photography. Google Earth also contains imagery for the Moon and Mars, stars, under the ocean, buildings and cityscapes (... and the list goes on). The time series function is handy for understanding natural variability and change over time.

Google Earth contains many different tools and functions, which are explained in the video tutorials. I have used Google Earth in past (in my work as an environmental consultant), but haven't ever taken the time to explore too widely. I am so excited about this tool and I'm sure I only comprehend a tiny portion of its full potential! The possibilities for using Google Earth to transform learning seem endless, and the showcase and gallery provide some really interesting examples of what the software is capable of.

The below activity is something I developed while exploring the time series function of many Google Earth files. This function allows users to examine variability over time. In this way, Google Earth is ideally placed to address curriculum requirements relating to place and space. 

The Australian Curriculum for Science (ACARA, 2012) indicates that in Year 4, students should understand that the Earth’s surface changes over time as a result of natural processes and human activity.

To familiarise students with Google Earth I would have them search for their own home and seeing how it looks from the air. They could then investigate how their place has/hasn't changed over time (either due to natural processes or activities their family may have undertaken e.g. new pool, house extension, landscaping).

I would then provide some examples of how the Earth's surface changes over time as a result of natural processes.

Ice Sculpted by Wind, Antarctica

Meteor Crater, Australia

Glacier, Norway

I would also use the Google Earth time series function to provide some examples of how the Earth's surface changes over time as a result of human activity. The below images show the changing landscape in Dubai as a result of human development.

Dubai, 2000

Dubai, 2002

Dubai, 2005

Dubai, 2008

Dubai, 2011

Students could then form groups to brainstorm (perhaps using Bubbl.us?) ways that natural processes and human activities might change the Earth's surface and use Google Earth to find evidence to support their theories.

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Plus	Minus	Interesting
- free - quick download - navigation is easy, either using the mouse to drag and zoom or the search function - Google Earth capabilities have diverse applications to classroom learning - creates a sense of wonder about the natural environment - develops visual literacy - develops competency in interpreting mapping and applying skills to particular tasks - tutorial videos available	- takes up storage space on computers - more complex functions like layers can be confusing to new users - requires a basic working knowledge of world map and mapping tools - satellite imagery in limited in some areas and in some years	- geographical informaiton and satellite imagery can be used to support learning in a multitude of ways across the curriculum (e.g. art tours, physics explorations, calculations of distances for maths, mapping locations from books etc.)

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2012). The Australian curriculum (Version 3.0), March 24. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Download