Kerst_Google+Earth

=** Integrating & Implementing Technology - Fall 2012 **= =** Google Earth **** by **** Steve Kerst **=

** Project Description: **
====The ultimate purpose behind this project is to provide you with strategies for implementing Google Earth into your classrooms. Google Earth can be used for Science, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Language Arts classrooms. This amazing piece of technology uses NASA/USGS satellite images from space to allow teachers and students to travel the world (and parts of our solar system) through pictures, maps, and three-dimensional structures. Also, Google Earth provides satellite images of the Moon and Mars, if your curriculum focuses on astronomy! This technology can be used as a teacher-led platform, but can also be used for student-led inquiry. With so many districts struggling financially, the use of this technology is advantageous to teachers because it is free to the public and can be downloaded from most computers. Once the novelty of finding a home wears off, students will be amazed at the capabilities Google Earth harnesses! Lastly, I want to make the process of learning to implement this tool easy for you. Therefore, I will include a PowerPoint presentation, a walk-through guide demonstration, and multiple links to helpful webpages on this Wiki. By the time you have watched the accompanying video and clicked on a couple of the links, the goal is for you to have a better understanding of how this tool functions and ways you can use it to enhance student learning.====

** Content Uses of this Technology: **
====Google Earth can be used for all curriculums and teachers can find many creative ways for integrating this tool into their lessons. Science teachers can use this tool to display tectonic plate boundaries, fissure zones, volcanic eruptions, physical features of Mars & the Moon, weather patterns & current temperatures, animal tracking, and rock layers in places like the Grand Canyon using Gigapan technology. Science teachers can also observe constellations, comets, planets, and galaxies through the Sky option as well. Social Studies teachers can use this tool to identify major war battle sites, ancient civilization structures (Machu Picchu, ziggurats, burial mounds), geographical terminology & scavenger hunts, and famous historical sites. Math teachers can use this tool for calculating distances from specified places and the miles per gallon a car might consume at a given rate, altitudinal differences, temperature differences, perimeter & area projects, and distance measurements. Also, Language Arts teachers can create Literature Trips for their novels to show where characters have traveled.====

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** Pedagogical Considerations for this Technology: **
====Google Earth is a type of instructional technology both teachers and students can use. We can provide teacher-led lessons using this technology as a platform to enhance student learning or students can work through a student-led inquiry. Google Earth can be an effective instructional tool for learning, but its application must be supported by aligned learning objectives. More importantly, the tool itself needs to be used to enhance student learning - using its features as a novelty only does a disservice to our students.====

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** Requirements: **
====The ability to use Google Earth on a basic scale requires noting more than a computer and access to the Internet. However, the type of system you are using needs to meet these following requirements(provided from the Google Earth webpage):====

**Minimum:**

 * ====Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7====
 * ====CPU: Pentium 3, 500Mhz====
 * ====System Memory (RAM): 256MB====
 * ====Hard Disk: 400MB free space====
 * ====Network Speed: 128 Kbits/sec====
 * ====Graphics Card: DirectX9 and 3D capable with 64MB of VRAM====
 * ====Screen: 1024x768, "16-bit High Color" - DirectX 9 (to run in Direct X mode)====
 * ====Mail: Outlook 2007+ is required for email functionality====

**Recommended:**

 * ====Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7====
 * ====CPU: Pentium 4 2.4GHz+ or AMD 2400xp+====
 * ====System Memory (RAM): 512MB====
 * ====Hard Disk: 2GB free space====
 * ====Network Speed: 768 Kbits/sec====
 * ====Graphics Card: DirectX9 and 3D capable with 256MB of VRAM====
 * ====Screen: 1280x1024, "32-bit True Color"====

**Minimum:**

 * ====Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5.0 or later====
 * ====CPU: Any Intel Mac ====
 * ====System Memory (RAM): 256MB====
 * ====Hard Disk: 400MB free space====
 * ====Network Speed: 128 Kbits/sec====
 * ====Graphics Card: DirectX9 and 3D capable with 64MB of VRAM====
 * ====Screen: 1024x768, "Thousands of Colors"====

**Recommended:**

 * ====Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later====
 * ====CPU: Dual Core Intel Mac====
 * ====System Memory (RAM): 512MB====
 * ====Hard Disk: 2GB free space====
 * ====Network Speed: 768 Kbits/sec====
 * ====Graphics Card: DirectX9 and 3D capable with 256MB of VRAM====
 * ====Screen: 1280x1024, "Millions of Colors"====

**Minimum:**

 * ====Kernel: 2.4 or later====
 * ====glibc: 2.3.2 w/ NPTL or later====
 * ====XFree86-4.0 or x.org R6.7 or later====
 * ====CPU: Pentium 3, 500Mhz====
 * ====System Memory (RAM): 256MB====
 * ====Hard Disk: 400MB free space====
 * ====Network Speed: 128 Kbits/sec====
 * ====Graphics Card: DirectX9 and 3D capable with 64MB of VRAM====
 * ====Screen: 1024x768, "16-bit High Color" screen====

**Recommended:**

 * ====Kernel 2.6 or later====
 * ====glibc 2.3.5 w/ NPTL or later====
 * ====x.org R6.7 or later====
 * ====System Memory (RAM): 512MB====
 * ====Hard Disk: 2GB free space====
 * ====Network Speed: 768 Kbits/sec====
 * ====Graphics Card: DirectX9 and 3D capable with 256MB of VRAM====
 * ====Screen: 1280x1024, 32 bit color====

====As long as your system meets these requirements, you should have no problem downloading Google Earth from the Google website. The download itself, depending on the speed of your connection to the Internet, can take between 3 minutes and 3 hours! Using Google Earth on an advanced scale requires access to a projector and a SMART Board. A teacher could very easily work with the program on the computer and use the projector to display the information to the students if no SMART Board is available. However, if you have access to both pieces of technology, working with the SMART Board in front of the class can make manipulations with the technology a lot easier. I also strongly recommend your school district or place of work grants permission through their system for the Google Earth download. My student computers in my classroom did not have administrative privileges, so I had to put in a trouble ticket to get access. I would speak with your technology department before trying to download this software - your communication with them might save you a lot of time!====

** Where to Purchase or Acquire: **
====Google Earth is a free program and can be downloaded from the following website. Just click on the blue button in the top right corner that says, "Download Google Earth". Once you click on this, you'll be prompted to check if you would like to download Google Chrome as well - I'll leave that decision up to you! Next, you'll get a confirmation page thanking you for the download and you're on your way.====

** Additional Resources: **

 * ====Google Earth help page====
 * ====Google Earth Lessons====
 * ====50 Exciting Ideas for Google Earth====
 * ====Google Earth Lesson Plans====
 * ====Google Earth Tours====

** Plate Tectonics Student Example: **
====Here is a wonderful example of how Google Earth can be used by students to help them understand plate tectonics more effectively. Last year, I had students identify the Mid-Atlantic ridge and they identified the directions the pieces of the plates that were moving. Then, they could tell me if the plate boundary was convergent, divergent, or transform and the effects of the movements (earthquakes, volcanoes, sea-floor spreading, mountain-building).====