Kathryn+Hawk-Google+Maps+Virtual+Tour

Virtual Tours Using Google Maps Kathryn Hawk



__Project Description: __

 Hi, everyone! My name is Kathryn Hawk and I am an English teacher at Lake High School in Hartville, OH. I have three sections of 12th grade English and two sections of 9th grade English. This is my 10th year of teaching. I have bounced between Waterloo High School, Maplewood Career Center, and have settled in at Lake High School, my alma mater. I have always tried to incorporate technology in my classroom no matter what district I have taught in. So when I was hired in at Lake High School, I was excited to be a part of a district that is one-to-one computing. We haven't made an entire transition to one-to-one but each year, a new grade gets laptops. The high school has been one-to-one for the last two years. In our district, we do utilize the Google Suite a lot. My students are very familiar using Google Docs, Slides, Form Classroom, Sheets, etc. But many do not have a lot of use of Google Maps as an educational resource. They may use it as a navigation tool but not as an educational resource. I know a lot of educators are very knowledgeable on the Google Suite but I also think some are in the same boat as the students.

The story of Frankenstein has three distinct sections to it. In each section, the characters transition physically and some cross directly with each other. That can be challenging not only for my students to follow but me as well. So connecting each section of the story using Google Maps is extremely beneficial. I know this tool might not work for everyone like Math or Science but there is an "aha" moment for some of my students when they see what the path of a character looks like.

 __Content Uses of Technology__  Google Maps can be a used as an excellent tool when it comes to giving a visual representation of virtual literary tours. It is almost like taking a virtual field trip. I have used Google Maps many times to show the maps/path of what a character might have followed. Literature sometimes is all about where the setting takes place. The setting can certainly change throughout a story and that can impact the story. Using Google Maps to benefit the classroom in a visual manner can help differentiate the material. I can also use this to cross into the social studies classroom. I most recently used this in my senior English class as we read Frankenstein.

__Pedagogical Consideration __

So much of teaching today is centered around real-life applications. It is important for our students to apply what they learn in class to what they will use outside of the physical classroom. The students can find so many uses for Google Maps not just for driving directions. They can investigate vacations, they can understand geographical locations, and can make a visual connection between locations. Now used as an educational resource, teachers and students alike can create original maps with customized locations. Customizing it will allow students to have inquiry-based learning by adding pictures, maps, and links to outside resources that can be embedded into documents and other resources. With an easy to use interface, Google Maps can also be used as a great research tool that can be used in cross-curriculum connection.

__ISTE Standards for Educators: __ Designer 5A: Use technology to create, adapt, and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs. 5B: Design authentic learning activities that align with content area standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize active , deep learning. 5C: Explore and apply instructional design principles to create innovative digital learning environments that engaged and support learning.

__<span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">ISTE Standards for Students: __ <span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">Innovative Designer <span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">4B: Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.

<span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">__Presentation__:

<span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">I have used the Tour Builder option and that is great for seeing one tour of one path. Unfortunately, that doesn't work quite for this lesson because I want the students to look at three different tours coinciding with each other and in the BETA Program of Tour Builder, that is not there quite yet. So I utilize Google Maps for this lesson and tell the students to work in order of what is located on the key. As far as data collection, this is the example I use to show them. I have had in the past the students create their own version of Frankenstein's journey. I give them the basic structure and they use this as a model. The students do extremely well with this and are able to work in pairs to bounce ideas off of each other. Once they complete the map, they share it via Google Docs or on our learning management system, Canvas.

<span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;"> media type="youtube" key="dtDeZfffxWo" height="150" width="300" Example of Virtual Tour of Washington DC <span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="jeizqzDqF5Q" height="150" width="300" <span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">How to Create a Google Virtual Tour <span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="JNmfI2iCx-M" height="150" width="300"

__<span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">Where to purchase/acquire __

<span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">The best part of Google Applications is that they are always free! Google prides themselves in always providing free resources especially when it comes to tools for education. There are add-ons you can purchase but the majority of what you need for Google Maps is free. To begin your process, go [|here to create a Google Map].

__<span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">Resources __

<span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">1. This article provides an interesting read from the ISTE 2017 Conference entitled [|"Oh, The Places We Will Go."] At the ISTE Conference in June, there was a workshop offered where teachers learned to use Google Earth, Tour Builder, and VR cameras to build a virtual tour.

<span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">2. To add reinforcement on the usefulness of Google Maps, I found this article quite interesting from Edutopia entitled [|"Engaging Students Through Google Maps."] The article lays out 5 effective ways to use the program to engage children in lessons with Google Maps: <span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">3.[| 10 Reasons to Use Google Maps in the Classroom] outlines 10 creative, engaging, and useful activities to incorporate content literacy.
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">Descriptive writing of scenes and settings
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">Mapping, creating routes, and tutorials
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">Use it to inspire artwork
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">Conducting virtual field trips
 * <span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">Go on a scavenger hunt using [|Earth Picker]

<span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">4. The video below is an example of the BETA Add-on using Google Earth and a combination of Tour Builder via Google Maps. The video documents a history teacher transforming his classroom into an international exploration experience. I did not create this video but I feel it is meaningful how technology can influence students and teachers alike. <span style="font-family: "Arial Black",Gadget,sans-serif;">media type="youtube" key="qYnQ8A7QNig" height="150" width="300"